Ava Tree and the Wishes Three

March 9, 2009
Waking up on her eighth birthday, Ava tears up thinking about her parents, who died in a car accident (“Being an orphan is the saddest thing in my whole life so far, and probably forever”). She now lives with her 22-year-old brother, Jack, and the siblings sense that their father and mother are still taking care of them. Struggling to clean her pet rabbit's litter box, Ava wishes it “would use the toilet like a person” and when it suddenly does, Ava and Jack wonder if it could be a birthday gift from their mother, who had been a magician. Ava's “wishing power” seems to continue, though some of her wishes—that her parents weren't dead—go unanswered (“My other wishes came true right away,” thinks Ava. “...Maybe it is too big a wish”). Betancourt (the Pony Pals series) balances the fanciful and the real throughout—the thrill of Ava's wishes coming true versus her pangs of longing for her parents. Though some particulars unrelated to the wishes strain credibility, kids will embrace this bighearted novel and its thoughtful, resilient narrator. Ages 6–9.

May 1, 2009
Gr 2-4-Ava Tree, whose parents died in an accident, lives with her 22-year-old brother. On her eighth birthday, she wakes up to find that she has "wishing power": she wishes that her pet rabbit would use the toilet like a person, and he does. Next, she wishes that her best friend's mom, who is overly concerned about proper behavior, would not "fix" her Backward Birthday Party. She learns that she can only make three wishes a day, that they only last for 24 hours, that by wishing for mean things to happen to other people she ends up hurting herself, and that some wishes don't come true. Despite her multiple attempts, her parents do not come back to life. Character development is slight, though Ava does get a little further along in her grieving process. The ending suggests that her wishing power comes from her mother, so this is not a strictly realistic tale, but readers will relate to it. Some of the illustrations are oddly proportioned and don't add much, but the text is large and the line spacing generous. An additional choice for readers who are ready for longer chapter books."Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2009
Grades 2-4 The author of the Pony Pals series reaches out to a younger audience with this fantasy story. Ava discovers on the morning of her eighth birthday that she has the power to make her wishes come true when her pet rabbit, Tibbar, surprisingly knows how to use the toilet. Avas parents died in a car accident two years before, and since then she has lived with her adult brother, Jack, who is helping her prepare for her birthday party, where everything will be backwards. Avas best friend, Priscilla Purhfect, is not allowed to come because her mother thinks a backwards party is improper. But, thanks to Avas wishing power, Mother Purhfect changes her mind. Soon Ava realizes that she only has three wishes per day, and although her wishing power cannot bring her parents back, ultimately her new skill helps her cope with the loss. Dominguezs appealing black-and-white drawings support the fairy-tale mood of the story. This light, sweet tale will attract newly independent girl readers in particular.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)