6 December 2015

Short and cute - Lily and the Christmas Wish by Keris Stainton

Series: N/A, Standalone
Publication date: November 5, 2015
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Genres: Childrens literature, 
Format: Paperback, review copy
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Pages: 165
Rating: ★★★/5

Can one little girl and her dog make a town's Christmas wishes come true? 

Christmas is fast approaching, and the town of Pinewood has decided to do something really special to celebrate. Each person will write down a secret wish and tie it to the town's Christmas tree!

Nine-year-old Lily isn't quite  convinced. She's not sure that she believes in wishes coming true - although she really wants to.

But then a strange storm blows in, scattering all the wishes. . . and Lily wakes up the next morning to find that her adorable pug puppy, Bug, can talk! It's a wish come true. . . only it isn't Lily's wish.

It seems the stor has sent the Christmas magic awry, and now it's down to Lily, her younger brother James and Bug to sort out the mixed-up wishes. But can they fix things before Christmas Eve? 

Last month I reviewed another book by Keris Stainton; Counting Stars. You can read my review here

I absolutely love Christmas, it's my favorite time of year so when I came across this book I knew I had to grab it! I'm definitely glad I did! It's one of the cutest Christmas reads I've ever read.
I've already talked my sister into reading it and she loved it too! It's definitely going to be cute a used copy!

In Lily and the Christmas Wish we meet Lily, a 9-year-old girl. We also meet her little brother Jimmy, or James, and her divorced parents. Lastly, we meet Esme, Lily's very best friend. Even though we don't really get to know anyone on a deeper level I quite liked what we got to know about all the characters. For this short a book I think it's amazing how well I actually know each character!

The story is about Christmas wishes; everyone in Pinewood has to write their wish on a gift tag and tie it to the town's Christmas tree. Something happens and the wishes start to come true - but for someone else than the person who actually made the wish. Lily therefore tries to sort out all these wishes.

I had expected to enjoy this book but I didn't expect to love it as much as I do, since it is for a younger audience. But I read it in a single sitting and I didn't want it to end. I love the values this book teaches and I love how important family is in the story!
I also love Lily as a character, she's just wonderful and I just admire that she don't know what to wish for - she want the wish to be an important one, so no toys and no childish wishes. I also love how sweet she is and how she cares for her younger brother. She's definitely mature but she's still quite believable and I wish more kids were like her!

I'd hoped to get some illustrations, but there's only a bit in the chapter headings. I still love the story and it can definitely stand on it's own!

If I should summarize this book in 3 words it would be; family, diversity and, of course, Christmas.

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