Just One Wish

Just One Wish
By Janette Rallison
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2009. 264 pgs. Teen fiction

Annika's younger brother Jeremy has to have surgery to have a brain tumor removed, and Annika convinces him that she has a genie that will grant him two wishes beforehand, the first being whatever he wants and the second being that everything will work out for the surgery. She think his first wish will be for a Teen Robin Hood action hero, which she's managed to buy, and that when he gets that, it'll convince him that the wish for a successful surgery will work, too, and the power of positive thinking will ultimately make everything okay. Her plans go a little haywire, though, when instead of asking for the action hero he's been obsessing over, Jeremy wishes that Robin Hood will come to teach him how to shoot a bow. Annika has to figure out how to meet Steve Raleigh, the actor who plays Robin Hood, and convince him to come meet her brother, all in a matter of days.

This book is sad and sweet and funny all at once. While readers have to suspend disbelief a little to believe Annika's antics and attempts to meet Steve Raleigh, no one would have trouble believing that she loves her little brother enough to resort to desperate measures to help him. While she can be a little bit grating to the nerves, she's a realistic character. Steve's a cutie, and Jeremy pretty much steals the show.

4 stars.