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Wishful Thinking
It's just a regular trip for Kevin, and he comes back with just the regular sorts of things. Some local fudge, a scented candle for his mum . . . and his own personal god. It's Abandinus, a little-known Celtic deity, who has suddenly found a new purpose in his eternal life-sorting out Kevin's. With a god on your side, everything's going to get a lot easier, isn't it? After all, a god can get stuff done. The trouble is, it's not always the kind of stuff Kevin has in mind . . .
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Ali Sparkes
123 books146 followersAli Sparkes (born 1966) is a British children's author.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 10, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It has some old English Gods, some interesting characters and funny moments. Ali Sparkes is really good at building up the tension and action, whilst including humour. I found it a very satisfying page turner.
July 17, 2013
This book is a fairly standard, middle grade fantasy infused adventure tale. Like others in the genre it features a lead boy character, Kevin, along with a pair of trusty supporting friends – one boy and one girl. Where it does differ is the fantasy element, Kevin accidentally summons Abandinus – a Celtic god, and once you’ve summoned one Celtic god a handful more will follow.
I enjoyed the fantasy element of this book, it was nice to learn a bit about these lesser known gods and goddesses. In places the book is quite moralistic, but this is written in such a way that it doesn’t feel heavy handed, and it may encourage young readers to think about what they would do in the situation. Overall the book is enjoyable enough, but I have read other similar books that I’ve enjoyed more, and I’ve enjoyed other books by this author far more.
I enjoyed the fantasy element of this book, it was nice to learn a bit about these lesser known gods and goddesses. In places the book is quite moralistic, but this is written in such a way that it doesn’t feel heavy handed, and it may encourage young readers to think about what they would do in the situation. Overall the book is enjoyable enough, but I have read other similar books that I’ve enjoyed more, and I’ve enjoyed other books by this author far more.
December 11, 2010
Interesting concept and like all books by this author, well written. It has three stars because I doubt if I will read it again, but I enjoyed it.
September 6, 2011
One of the best books I've ever read. It was riveting a real rollercoaster of a ride. My dad adored it so much. The characters were so believable. And the ending was dramatic. I love it.
December 10, 2012
Good idea but not too good ending
November 4, 2013
A really nice story
February 25, 2014
I preferred Frozen In Time by Ali Sparkes but this was amazing too!
Read
August 28, 2019Kevin is just a regular kid with a regular life when a river god Abandinus appears on the backseat of his car and grants him with wishes. This seems like great news for Kevin as he wants his new Wii and his divorced parents to get back together. But like the saying "be careful what you wish for" his life doesn't go exactly the way he wants it to go and he finds himself in troubling situations.
This funny and engaging book was a great read for someone like me who understands the wishes that the protagonist Kevin wishes for. It was interesting to see someone's life turn from normal to live with any wish. It was also fun to read about the wishes not turning the way Kevin wants it to but instead backfiring on him. I would recommend this book to people around my age.
This funny and engaging book was a great read for someone like me who understands the wishes that the protagonist Kevin wishes for. It was interesting to see someone's life turn from normal to live with any wish. It was also fun to read about the wishes not turning the way Kevin wants it to but instead backfiring on him. I would recommend this book to people around my age.
May 14, 2017
a thoroughly griping tale
November 12, 2017
Not as good as his shapeshifter collection but makes you believe in the magic that is happening
February 28, 2016
Ali Sparkes is a pretty great author, so I was super excited when I found this for 40p at a book sale. It had everything you could want: a good protagonist, a couple of good sidekicks, and, y’know a pretty terrifying antagonist.
I thought the character of Kevin was good, and his character development throughout the novel was well done as he realised that not getting everything you wish for sometimes works, and sometimes something you wish for turns out to be… well, not as good as you would hope. The main sidekicks, Gracie and Tim, were also really fun and I enjoyed reading about them, especially Gracie who was an American exchange student and she was quite funny and really energetic.
The antagonist in this, was, well, as I said, terrifying, but it seemed to me that the description wasn’t particularly clear. I just couldn’t properly picture him in my mind, it was strange, especially in the car chase bit. It just didn’t make much sense. Maybe I read it too fast? I don’t really know…
The supporting characters were also good, 3D and well-rounded, each with their own failings. I liked Kevin’s nan, probably because she reminded me of my own! She was funny and a little bit of brightness.
The plot was okay; it felt a little rushed at the end, and it seemed to end on a cliffhanger. I’ve been frantically trying to find a second in the series, but it seems that one doesn’t exist, unfortunately, because I liked these characters and I wanted to know what happened with Gracie when she went back to the States! Basically: I need more.
Overall, I did enjoy this, but it is a younger-teenagery novel (although I don’t think I could get my brother to read this, unfortunately…), so about for ages 12-14 ish. I wish there would be a sequel, because the ending is unsatisfactory, but as a whole I enjoyed it and I am assuming all of the facts about the Celtic deities are correct, and I enjoyed learning about them too!
I thought the character of Kevin was good, and his character development throughout the novel was well done as he realised that not getting everything you wish for sometimes works, and sometimes something you wish for turns out to be… well, not as good as you would hope. The main sidekicks, Gracie and Tim, were also really fun and I enjoyed reading about them, especially Gracie who was an American exchange student and she was quite funny and really energetic.
The antagonist in this, was, well, as I said, terrifying, but it seemed to me that the description wasn’t particularly clear. I just couldn’t properly picture him in my mind, it was strange, especially in the car chase bit. It just didn’t make much sense. Maybe I read it too fast? I don’t really know…
The supporting characters were also good, 3D and well-rounded, each with their own failings. I liked Kevin’s nan, probably because she reminded me of my own! She was funny and a little bit of brightness.
The plot was okay; it felt a little rushed at the end, and it seemed to end on a cliffhanger. I’ve been frantically trying to find a second in the series, but it seems that one doesn’t exist, unfortunately, because I liked these characters and I wanted to know what happened with Gracie when she went back to the States! Basically: I need more.
Overall, I did enjoy this, but it is a younger-teenagery novel (although I don’t think I could get my brother to read this, unfortunately…), so about for ages 12-14 ish. I wish there would be a sequel, because the ending is unsatisfactory, but as a whole I enjoyed it and I am assuming all of the facts about the Celtic deities are correct, and I enjoyed learning about them too!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews