The Wishkeeper's Apprentice - Rachel Chivers Khoo - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Rachel Chivers Khoo

ILLUSTRATOR: Rachel Sanson

GENRE: Middle-Grade Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATE: April 2, 2024

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle grade fantasy about a young boy whose life changes after he meets the town wishkeeper. Quite good, but the action left me (and my middle-grader) a bit underwhelmed. Good for younger kids who like darker stories of magic and mystery.

Plot Preview:

Ten-year-old Felix has been quite lonely since his best friend moved away and his elder sister became more interested in her college friends. When he drops a coin in the wishing fountain, he doesn’t expect to find a strange old man there fishing the coins out. To Felix’s astonishment, the old man declares himself to be the town’s *invisible* wishkeeper and that he is in urgent need of an apprentice. Felix volunteers, but little does he know that he has taken up the assignment at the worst possible time in the wishkeeping history of Whittlestone town. Wishes are at an all-time low, and wish snags are increasing. Plus, the wishkeeper, Rupus Beewinkle, isn’t much organised in his work. Will Felix be able to contribute positively to his new job and also bring some happiness to his own life?

Bookish Yays:

✨ The story begins in the conventional way but around the midway mark, it becomes clear that this isn’t a typical ‘magical assistant’ kind of story. It covers many family-oriented themes and offers great discussion points.

✨ Everything to do with wishkeeping: collecting wishes, granting them, fixing snags! Very creative!

✨ Rupus Beewinkle: What a perfectly quirky character! I loved his portrayal: his appearance, his lack of organisation, his love for his job, and most of all, his passion for sweets.

✨ Felix’s feelings also come out well during the story. His longing to be loved is heartfelt, but I liked him better for his planning skills and his bravery in the face of danger.

✨ The only other character to have a somewhat prominent role is Rebecca, Felix’s older sister. Through their interactions, we get to see some interesting sibling dynamics, both positive and negative.

✨ There is a recipe for ‘Snorlicks’, Rupus’ drink of choice, at the end of the book. It sounds scrumptious!

✨ There are some fabulous B&W illustrations complementing the key scenes. Moreover, every page is also beautifully illustrated. This would be a great book to have as a physical copy.

Bookish Nays:

💣 The story gets dark after the midway mark – which is fine, but these scenes aren’t explained well and the change of tone is almost instantaneous. There are certain incidents that would have benefitted with more detailing and more action but these feel very rushed. The “confrontation’ scene also felt a bit lacking, and the resolution beggared belief. I wanted to know a lot more of the whys and hows, but it seemed like the story just wanted to end quickly and happily. While this is just one nay, it is a major one and brings down the overall impact of the book.

All in all, this is an interesting combination of fun plus serious. There are some sad moments, but overall, it is a feel-good story with a happy ending.

That said, my younger daughter – a middle grader - also read this story (not along with me), and she wasn’t as happy with it. She said that she liked the start but lost interest in between, and also that she wanted ‘more action’. In that respect, our feedback matches.

Recommended, but only to those kids who aren’t scared of darker fantasy stories. I feel it will suit younger middle-graders better.

My thanks to Candlewick Press and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “The Wishkeeper's Apprentice”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.