The Wish List

Book review by Matt Berman, Common Sense Media
The Wish List Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Wicked is the key word here, in all its senses.

Eoin Colfer Fantasy 2003
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Parents say

age 17+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 10 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Colfer offers a view of the afterlife that may conflict with some religious beliefs; you might want to have a chat with your child about this topic.

Community Reviews

Dianna1234
Dianna1234 Adult
August 17, 2015
age 16+

Scary

Inappropriate for kids

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
PaigeSpear
PaigeSpear Adult
November 28, 2014
age 17+

what are all these parents saying?

there wasn t a 15 And Olde r butt on I chose 1 7 a nd under but anyways im 15 and I have read this book and loved but what are all these parents saying its for kids age 10 this book is about an abusive stepfather that is a smoker and a drinker and a girl that has died almost goes to hell and she has to complete the bucket list of an old man that is an ass and if she doesnt do some kind of good she is going to go to hell I read this when I was 12 but that was because I got it from my mentor and she didnt really care ether and I love messed up stuff like this and im a writer too and when I was reading this I even thought it would be for more of teens and now im 15 three years later read the book again and still think it and this book gets really sad at times as well it is as big emotional rollercoaster so I think this book is for 15 and older

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Meg Finn's short life has been a mess. Her mother is dead, her stepfather abusive, and she has fallen in with the wrong people and turned petty delinquent. But when a burglary goes wrong she and Belch, the brutal moron who talked her into it, are killed. Belch, merged with his pet pit bull, goes straight to Hell, but Meg, whose good and bad deeds are perfectly balanced, is sent back to atone and tip the balance by helping the old man, Lowrie McCall, whom they tried to rob.

Lowrie is a dying old curmudgeon who has a list of things he wants to do before he dies, and it's Meg's job to help him succeed. But Beelzebub, on orders from the Devil, sends Belch, armed with a nasty computer chip in what's left of his brain, to make sure she fails. But even without his interference her trip may not get her through \"the Pearlies:\" almost everything Lowrie wants to do is illegal, and Meg still wants revenge on her stepfather.

Is It Any Good?

Eoin Colfer knows how to grab his readers: The first 10 pages contain a robbery, a pit bull attack, a shooting, and the death of the two main characters in a fiery explosion. And he knows how to hold them, with a combination of action, B-movie cliche, black humor, and gritty, muscular prose that hints at more violence than it actually reveals. It's no wonder he's the darling of the video-game generation. Reluctant readers and avid ones all enjoy his books, and with good reason.

Wicked is the key word here, in all its senses. It describes Colfer's humor, his no-kid-gloves approach to his readers, and, quite literally, the plot. He manages here a view of the afterlife that is cynically funny without being out-and-out blasphemous (and least to this reviewer) and makes a weird kind of sense to boot. While this book lacks anyone quite as funny as Foaly in the Artemis Fowl books, it makes up for it with a bit more heart -- nothing soppy, of course, this is a Eoin Colfer book after all, but just the hint of a warm glow in the testy developing relationship between a crusty old never-was and a hardened little never-will-be. Colfer may talk tough and mean to thrill his audience, but it's just possible he has a heart of mush.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the author's view of the afterlife. What are his beliefs? Do they differ from your own beliefs?

Book Details

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