Wishes Come in Threes

by Andy Jones

A heartwarming, tenderly witty debut about belief – in friendship, in yourself and, maybe, in just a little magic.

“I don’t know exactly how wishes work. But I knew a man that did.”
Phyll is having a difficult summer. Her family has moved to the seaside, but it’s a long way from perfect. Her mum is sick, she has an enemy called Hilda, and someone is stealing dogs. Then Phyll meets Mr Djinn – a wise old man who insists he’s a genie. It’s a tough claim to believe, until Phyll starts wishing for change…

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2022

Reviews

[Jill Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wishes Come in Threes
Andy Jones
Walker Books

Phyll has recently moved from London to the coast with her mum, which Dad hopes, will help with Mum find her Happy again as our soon to be twelve year old narrator tells us. Mum is a writer and has been suffering from depression for a while and so is unable to provide the emotional support her daughter needs at this challenging time.

Now Phyll has just started attending summer camp near her new home and Camp Sunshine is providing yet another challenge in the form of Hilda and her two pals, who Phyll thinks of as Hilda and the Horribles. On the positive side though, at the camp too is a friendly boy, Clark, with a seashell bracelet and he says he is going to the same high school as Phyll come the autumn.

When rain curtails outside activities, the camp leader offers the opportunity to visit an old folks home, which both Phyll and Clark accept. There she meets the rather mysterious Mr Djinn who talks of pirates, loves to play cribbage, tells her that magic is real and that he’s a genie – an idea she decides to go along with. Phyll also sets up a free dog walking service, helps a woman with a lost dog, longs for a dog of her own and is instrumental in the arrest of a dog-napper.

A lot more happens too but I urge you to get your own copy to discover what. I have to admit to having tears in my eyes as I finished this wonderful story of friendship, self belief, wishes and the possibility of magic. The characterisation is superb: Mr Djinn especially has some powerful things to say, in relation for instance, to the slave trade – ‘the greed of men is a terrible evil.’

My wish having put the book aside is that Andy Jones writes another story as beautiful and moving as this, his first for children.

[Teaching Little Fishies · Rating 5 out of 5]

🧞Phyll and her family move to a new seaside town for a fresh start over the summer. Her Mum is sick, there is a dog thief on the loose and she has to deal with a bully at summer camp. It is all looking a bit grim until Mr Djinn - an old man who insists he is a genie - comes along.

🧒🏻What a brilliant and heartwarming book that celebrates the values of family, friendships and a little touch of belief. I had a great time reading through this one and I am sure you will too! I enjoyed the use of ‘Forts’ - diary entries - from the character to gain an insight into how she was thinking and feeling.

🧞The characters in this book are very well done and you will find yourself pleasantly surprised by how some of them are developed throughout the book.

🧒🏻Overall a very positive book that I would recommend picking up to read yourself or adding it to your classroom library.

🧞Recommended for children aged 9 and above.

🧠Teaching Point:
INFERENCING: This book has plenty of opportunities to spot and make inferences about how the characters are feeling, thinking or why they might be acting the way they are. Great one for a book club!

[Viki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it because it was personal and it shows how to stand up to a bully. It was a good read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight from start to finish.

[Helen Kingsley Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprise hit!
A lovely gentle novel filled with kindness and magic. This book gave me a warm glow after reading it 🥰
Read for the Spark! Long listing process

[tRiSh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a more beautiful story in my entire life. It is witty, funny, you’re part of the story in a way that is sweet and wonderful. I could not recommend it enough. Go and grab a copy for yourself to keep! It’s a beautiful beeeeautiful treasure! Aye!