Secondhand Wishes

Secondhand wishes come with some hilarious, unintended consequences, from middle-grade darling Anna Staniszewski.

Lexi has to keep the universe in balance. If she does enough good things, like being on time, then the bad things, like her little brother needing more surgery, won't happen. It doesn't always work, but she has to keep trying. Just in case. On an extra bad day, Lexi finds a bag of four wishing stones in the antique shop in town, and wishes that her BFF Cassa and the new girl would stop talking to each other. That night, Cassa calls Lexi, crying over the end of her friendship with Marina. The wishes work!Sort of. When she wishes on the Success stone for the courage to try out for dance club, Lexi wows the entire auditorium with. . .singing? And when she wishes on the Health stone, her little brother starts squeaking like a hamster. This isn't the first time those wishing stones have been wished on -- and secondhand wishes come with unexpected consequences!This sweet and funny story from Anna Staniszewski is perfect for anyone who's wished for a dash of magic in their day!

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was a Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. Anna lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and teaches at Simmons College. When she's not writing, Anna spends her time reading, eating chocolate, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. You can visit her at annastan.com.