The Wishkeeper's Apprentice - Rachel Chivers Khoo

 

Felix is feeling fed-up: his football match hasn't gone well and his older sister has forgotten to pick him up, meaning he's had to walk home in the rain.  With only a penny in his pocket, he makes a wish, but doesn't quite expect what happens next: he meets Rupus Beewinkle who is a wishkeeper, and one who is need of some help, so he offers Felix a job as his apprentice.  Rubus is having trouble keeping up with the wishes that are coming in to him so Felix agrees to help him, but he also discovers that there is a wishsnatcher in town.  Can Felix do enough to help Rupus before the wishsnatcher changes the town of Whittlestone forever?

The Wishkeeper's Apprentice is a wonderful read and one that I know children will enjoy, there is a magical quality to it and one that feels like it will be a book that will still be being read in many years to come.  Felix is feeling very down on his luck and absolutely nothing seems to be going right for him so he is rightly dubious when he meets Rupus, but then he discovers things that mean that he has no choice (I won't spoil anything for you!).  Although he feels rejected, there is a resilience that grows as the book progresses until he becomes a character that you will be rooting for.

Rupus is a wonderful character and one readers will enjoy getting to know: he has clearly been bumbling along on his own for far too long and doesn't quite know what to do.  He is a kind old man that you just want to hug and make everything better for him - he very much reminds me of a classic character and one I would love to see more of again.

The Wishkeeper's Apprentice was the perfect Saturday read for me: full of warmth and charm, with just the right amount of adventure sprinkled in to keep me enchanted.  This is a book that will delight readers when it is released on the 2nd March, and, with wonderful illustrations by Rachel Sanson, I know that this book will be adored by all who read it.