This was such a fun and surprisingly emotional read (I'm thinking of Ed's speech near the end). I loved how their friendship with Miss Filey developed and how this changed all of them.

4.5/5 Utterly charming and delightful, I can't wait to share this fantasy adventure story with my pupils! The characters were believable and interesting, the plot was full of fun and the grumpy talking cat was the icing on the cake! Perfect for confident readers aged 8+ who will be swept away by this imaginative, enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and David Fickling Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a perfectly written book. The basic premise of a box of birthday candles that each gives a wish could have been enough to sustain the whole book, but instead, at every step, Lissa Evans escalates in an unexpected and perfect way. The result is really touching and wholesome as well as funny, and I loved the characterisation. It feels just like the kind of classic children’s adventure the plot is based around, but thoroughly and cleverly updated.

One of the best books I've read this year. I've enjoyed all of Lissa Evans's books, and Wished was no exception.

Ed and Roo are not impressed when they're sent to spend half-term with their older neighbour, Miss Filey. And things only get worse when they're joined by a new kid next door, Willard, who Ed takes an immediate dislike to. But when they find a set of magical candles that grant them wishes (for as long as the candle burns), half term doesn't seem so bad after all. They share their discovery with Miss Filey, and when she makes a wish, she disappears... not even returning when the candle blows out. The children are then swept up in Miss Filey's wish, trying to track her down through a series of adventures - accompanied by the grumpy Attlee, Miss Filey's cat, who now has the ability to speak.

This is a charming and unique story with a good amount of humour and enjoyable characters. It really gets into the mind of a child with the wishes they might make and also the way children can care so deeply for others. I also felt the handling of Ed's disability was handled sensitively, while not making it the plot revolve around it too much.

Highly recommended for readers age 9+ (and also suitable for younger, confident readers).

This has to be my favourite middle grade book so far this year. I loved it!

Ed and Roo (brother and sister) are not impressed when they find out they have to spend the week at their elderly neighbours house, Miss Filey. They were not expecting to find some very unusual magical candles that just happen to grant wishes (for the length they take to burn) or an old (very saracastic and funny!) talking cat called Atlee!

What follows is a magical rollercoaster of an adventure as the children try to find Miss Filey as she's engaged in her own adventure.

I loved the characters in the story. They were so well written. It's great to read about a brother and sister and Ed's disability (he has a wheel chair) is dealt with in a relatable and sensitive way.

This book is funny, heart warming and definitely set to become a classic. I would highly recommend this for readers 7+ There are no illustrations but the content would definitely be accessible for confident readers. I can't wait to share it with my daughter! It would make a brilliant class story for UKS2 children.

Wished
By Lissa Evans
Published by David Fickling Books

When your told the half term holiday is to be spent in the company of your local elderly neighbour and their very smelly cat, life seems tough and so unfair for youngsters Ed and Roo. But it is only after the discovery of a packet of birthday candles with some very strange powers that the half term just isn’t long enough.
A witty, funny and over imaginative journey unfolds as wishes are granted to the most extreme places with the oddest of add ons. Words are everything within this world of exploration, so explain yourselves precisely is the key. Something every reader, writer and educator crave for in the wonderful world of words!
Another unique and beautiful written piece of children’s literature that will entertain and inspire for generations to come. A great example to be used within upper key stage 2 as both a class read, as well as an example to use as a scaffold towards independent writing.
Who wouldn’t want the chance to make a wish?

Joanne Bardgett - Year 3 teacher of littlies, lover of books.
#Netgallery
#LissaKEvans

Wed Wabbit is one of my all time favourite books so I was really looking forward to Lissa Evans's latest, Wished. It did not disappoint - I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in one sitting.

When Ed and Roo's parents tell them they must spend their half term with their 'elderly' neighbour, Miss Filey, they are not best pleased. However, the children soon encounter Miss Filey's excitable new neighbour Willard and things take an unexpected turn when they discover some long forgotten candles...

I just loved the characters and thought determined and stoic Ed, who is in a wheelchair, was a fantastic protagonist. I was genuinely laughing out loud throughout the story, particularly at Attlee, the hilarious, contstantly disgruntled cat, and Willard.

I have been recommending this book to all the children I teach in Year 5 and 6 because it is just so good. I can't wait to see what Lissa Evans writes next.

What an adventure. Well I say adventure but adventures is probably the better word. Wished by Lissa Evans, according to my family, is my most talked about book of the year so far. By that they mean that I've been giving them animated descriptions of what's been going on in the plot and why I think it's so great.

It's actually a very simple idea, but it's written with magnificent character development, laugh out loud moments and a plot that has you whisking all over the place. The premise is that Ed and Roo, brother and sister, have to go and spend a week at their elderly neighbour's house for the holidays while building work takes place at their home; a prospect that they are most certainly not looking forward to as they are imagining all sorts of dull!

However, this couldn't be further from the truth. With new kid Willard in toe the trio have the adventures of a lifetime with neighbour Miss Filey and her cat Atlee. Miss Filey had been gifted some candles, ten to be exact, for her 10th birthday. Her Mum was very ill and taken to hospital before her birthday and the candles were never used. Her Mum returned home from hospital but was needed to be cared for from her bed, Miss Filey would imagine all of the adventures she may have from her home and the stories and places that could come and visit her Mum.

At Miss Filey's house the children discover the candles and soon realise these candles are far from ordinary, they're magic and each one can grant a wish - about 4.5 minutes of a wish. I don't want to give any spoilers as there are certain parts of the book for me that really stand out as brilliant either with full on belly laughs or poignant thoughts. It really is a must read.

I love that the characters aren't the 'popular' kids. They feel very awkward in themselves for many reasons but by the end of the story each individual seems to have developed and become more confident in their own skin. There's true, unfiltered friendship. I'd love Lissa to write a story about Ed and Willard in their teenage years as I think the characters would make a very frank, hilarious time out of the perils of coming of age. The character Ed uses a wheelchair to help him get around. Roo, his younger sister, is fiercely protective of him - something that Ed find both irritating and heart-warming. The way Lissa has woven his disability into the story is very sensitively done. It's not centre stage of the story, yet it adds a depth. The ending had me in tears in a good way! It's a book full of hope and wonder, of just taking a leap of faith like a fledgling and going for your dreams.

Thanks so much to #DavidFicklingBooks and #NetGalley for the eARC of #Wished

Not YOUR wish, someone else’s… imaginative adventure.

With no other options for half term, Ed and Roo are less than impressed when their parents tell them they'll be spending their week next door with their elderly neighbour. Ugh. Will she even have Wi-Fi?! But along with a new boy and neighbour, the quirky Willard, they embark on their first day in the old house and discover that even older people have their secrets, as well as their adventures.

Miss Filey happens to have some very unusual candles in a drawer, birthday candles. That soon start the children off on a half-term they weren't expecting.

You'll know from the title and premise what may ensue, though the difference here is that an ancient (and grumpy) cat, as well as their not-so-elderly neighbour also form a core part of the escapades.

For me, the novelty of 'older person having unexplored dreams' was the key to everything, and unusual in this sort of wish-fulfilment story for children. The adventure being centred on her own youthful imaginings, I loved the fact that this was based on a very quaint and Blyton-esque 'Adventure Stories for Girls'.

The children learn a lesson about not judging by appearances, and as Ed himself is wheelchair-bound, this is all the more apt. I enjoyed the 'suspend your disbelief' storyline and very, very old cat playing a role. I enjoyed the interaction between the three children, though would have liked more from Roo and also Miss Filey who only made her major contribution in the third act.

Wish-fulfilment stories are always fun, this had some unique qualities that set it apart and made it memorable.

One for ages 8-12. Slightly younger will also enjoy having this read to them.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Imagine if you could wish yourself into an adventure! That is exactly what happens when Ed and his sister, Roo, stay with their neighbour during the holidays whilst their own house is renovated. When the children find a box of old birthday candles, they can't resist lighting one and, when Roo wishes that Miss Riley, their neighbour, had a dog, suddenly one appears from out of nowhere! Together with their newfound friend, Willard, the trio begin to use some of the remaining candles to make their own wishes. However, they only last as long as the candle burns and aren't always quite what they are expecting. Soon, disaster strikes, and the children are forced to explain to Miss Riley what has happened. Her reaction is not quite what they were expecting though and, soon, they are racing through different adventures trying to find Miss Riley who has embarked on some adventures of her own! A great funny, tense and feel-good read! I would definitely recommend it!

A truly great read taking the reader on a rollercoaster ride of adventure with some really well written characters.
A story of a brother and sister who have to stay with their quirky elderly neighbour, Miss Filey, during the school holidays due to their house being renovated.
Along the way they become friends with Miss Filey's new next door neighbour and together they embark on a world of adventure through various wishes combined with stories from Miss Filey's adventure book
Not forgetting the vital role of Miss Filey's sarcastic talking cat, Atlee! A character to remember!
With a lovely moral of encouraging the reader to live for the moment, this is definitely a book I'll be recommending to children and parents.

Thanks to Netgalley and David Fickling Books for the ARC of this!

This was ridiculously charming! I loved this story about wishes and being transported into them, the characters were extremely good and the dialogue was hilarious. Perfect for fans of Half-Magic, sweet and funny middle grade portal fantasy, and seeing people get their wishes granted. Bonus points for a talking cat that was everything.

I was a huge E Nesbit fan growing up and Wished has very strong Five Children & It vibes, not just in the device of children being able to make wishes of a limited duration but also in the way that Evans writes such authentic child voices (and wishes). I particularly loved the smelly, sarcastic cat and the way that both the child characters and hopefully the child readers learn to recognise Miss Filey's thwarted need for adventure. I love it when adult characters in fantasy books just instantly believe the 'magic' that children tell them about without questioning it and the relationship between Miss Filey and the children is one of reciprocal understanding and support which is refreshing.
Ed's family have been fundraising in order to have his house adapted for his wheelchair use before the story starts and I liked the way that this was represented with Ed resenting being the recipient of public charitable donations although he is reliant on them. It reminded me of the 'justice not charity' campaigns and made me angry that he has to feel like that and ask for charity when a fairer society would provide state funding for him automatically- a point that could be explored with young readers of the book.

I’m a huge fan of Lissa Evans, having loved her Small Change for Stuart series so was utterly delighted to hear news of her new release. I dived eagerly into Wished and was relieved to see, immediately, that her writing has retained its charm, exceptional characterisation and interesting storylines.

Wished follows two siblings - Ed and Roo - who are forced to spend their half term with a boring old neighbour, Miss Filey. What they don’t expect to happen is to stumble upon some magic wishing candles! What follows is a funny misadventure involving talking cats, a new friend and some rewriting of sibling roles.

Wished is a lovely read for UKS2 pupils. It was great to see diversity in the form of Ed and I liked how Evans explored the emotional difficulties of his wheelchair use, rather than just focusing on the physical. The story probably didn’t contain as much peril as I would have liked but it was a great read nonetheless. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

As a fan of Wed Wabbit I was really looking forward to this latest book as I like Evans’s unconventional style within that story and the blurb for Wished seemed right up my street. Unfortunately, I was left underwhelmed when I was finished, The beginning was enticing with the reluctant visit to the neighbour and the kids awkwardness at Miss Filey’s traditional surroundings was really well done. But once the adventure within the wishes took hold, I started to lose interest, the disjointed nature of the blending of the wishes seemed rushed and lacking some kind of vital spark for me. However, I did really like the main characters and the fact that Ed wasn't there as a token stereotype. The taking cat was a nice touch too,

Sometimes you just don’t click with the story in front of you and sadly this was the case for me but I think this is the exception rather than the rule with this author as Evans is very inventive and exciting.

This has to be in my top 10 books of the year so far. We laughed and I nearly cried at the end. The story is all you could ask for , exciting, immersive , heartwarming ...... The story of Rosanna struck a chord with me but could not have ended better. The authors treatment of disability was wonderful and natural. We will read this again next weekend.

'Wished' by Lissa Evans is such a gorgeous and enjoyable read for older primary readers - it manages to feel modern and engaging at the same time as having the charm and magic of classic children's adventure stories by writers like E. Nesbit.

The premise is relatively simple but very effective: siblings Ed and Roo are sent to their elderly neighbour Miss Filey's house while their house is being renovated; along with their friend Willard, they discover that some of Miss Filey's old birthday candles have the ability to grant whatever they wish for - but only for as long as the candle is lit. This constraint adds plenty of interest to the novel in itself - what would you wish for if you had a finite number of wishes and each could only be enjoyed for a maximum of four and a half minutes? But Evans throws in a number of other twists to add excitement and jeopardy to the plot.

Alongside this, there is a lot of humour, including some real belly laugh moments, but also real warmth and tenderness. In particular, Evans writes very sensitively about disability: we discover that older brother Ed has a disability that requires him to use a wheelchair, but the book avoids the stereotypical tropes associated with physical disabilities - Ed is sarcastic and fiercely independent, and Evans explores his feelings about his condition very insightfully, particularly his dislike of being the object of others' charities. The character of Miss Filey is also very well drawn, and the way that the children gradually discover the disappointments of her life, and her stoical acceptance of these, is rather moving. As Roo observes in a beautiful moment of empathy, she "might as well have been a cardboard cutout, labelled 'NEIGHBOUR', for all the notice they'd taken of her - and yet Miss Filey was a real person, who had once been a child herself, who had lived a life that wasn't, perhaps the life she had wanted to live. An indoor life."

I absolutely loved reading this book - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!