The Wishing World

Gr 4–6—Lorelei's family mysteriously disappeared on a camping trip. She now lives with her aunt and uncle. During a last visit to her house, she accidentally calls up the magical world of Veloran, where creatures tell her that her family members are trapped inside by the evil Ink King and she can save them because she is a Doolivanti, a wish writer. Despite the promising premise, plot holes and questions abound: Why does a psychiatrist want to get into Veloran? Why doesn't Lorelei's brother reveal himself sooner? One of the characters, Ripple, speaks in an Old English-style dialect ("Prithee, to whence have I come?"), which may be challenging for some readers. World-building and supporting backstory are lacking. In addition, many of the fantastical creatures, though highly creative, do little to nothing to move the characters or plot forward. The Flimflams (half-fox, half-giraffelike creatures) speak in Spanglish. At one point, Lorelei comments that they sound like the Mexican kids in her school. At the end, the big moral conflict is presented and solved in short order.