“To bad she hadn’t wished for protection. But how could she know that within one hour the most horrible curse would fling itself at her in coil through her long, beautiful shiny red hair?” I’ve always loved the dramatic irony that begins in the very first chapter. Wishing brings out the hopes and creativity of people and this book not only demonstrates this but shows the importance of being kind and wishing good things on other people, not just yourself. The ending is very sweet and leaves a hopeful, inspirational feeling

I finished this in one sitting. It moved at a good pace and was very enjoyable.

Griffin Penshine believes in wishes. She wishes on dandelion dust (the white parts). ladybugs and shooting stars. She notices the smallest details. She wishes to become a great bass guitarist and takes lessons towards that goal. She may not be the most popular at school, but she has good, loyal friends.

When she meets Mr. Schmidt's great-aunt Mariah Weatherby Schmidt, and is given a ring box with a collection of brightly polished 1897 Indian Head pennies, her world and wishing are turned upside down. There is something strange about these pennies and it isn't good.

It seems there is a curse that comes with the pennies. They are stolen wishes made by others. When you own these coins, you become a Wish Stealer. Any wishes you make will come true but opposite of what you wished. Wish for a sunny day? You'll get a rainy one. How can Griffin stop the curse. How can she not become a Wish Stealer? Griffin finds out how and sets out to make matters right. Each penny is a stolen wish.

The book is about positive thought, encouragement, loyalty and kindness. A good read for any age! ( )

A high 3.5 stars. This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

So, I thought this was going to be really bad. It wasn't, though - I really liked it! I mean, it looks kind of boring and/or cliche, right? Well, it sort of was but it sort of . . . wasn't. Griffin's efforts to return the pennies to people who need them (while wrestling with her new identity as a "Wish Stealer" - does that mean she's a bad person now?) leads her to a lot of great places, not to mention a lot of great people.

The basic premise is pretty unoriginal at first: a girl gets some magical objects foisted off on her that bring bad magic upon her head, and she must scramble to set things aright while discovering some truths about herself. However, once the story got going it never felt dry. I never paused while I was reading and thought "gee, this is so boring and unoriginal." I simply read it, and enjoyed myself doing so.

Griffin is dealing with a lot of stress, from worrying about her grandmother's health to hoping for a healthy baby sister to starting middle school. Her life becomes pretty hectic as the story goes on and she struggles to accomplish her goals, become/remain friends with a boy named Garret at school, and balance her fears about the baby and her grandmother all at the same time.

There are a few things that stick out a little bit, like the way Garret is supposed to be the hottie all the girls chase. Trivas mentions this a few times at the beginning, making him into the "popular but shallow" boy who will inevitably turn out to be more than he seems, but then drops the whole popularity thread and makes the popular girls actually tease him along with Griffin later in the book. It didn't feel congruous to the plot. Also, Garret and Griffin both start with G. I read extremely quickly, registering words basically by their first and last letters and nothing more. When I'm reading dialogue between two people whose names start with G (especially when the girl's name could also be a boy's name) it is . . . difficult. And slightly annoying.

Other than that, though, I really have no complaints. Wish Stealers was a great read, and one I would definitely recommend in the future. ( )

I liked the story (Griffin is a wisher who is cursed with a collection of pennies and their associated stolen wishes) but found the delivery a bit disjointed, lacked voice, seemed like a lot of people had input into this book and the author did not know how to say no to any of their ideas. There is the level with pithy sayings at the end of each chapter and the call to action for kids with the Pennies for Peace campaign. ( )

I loved how griffins story went to Mariah's story and how they changed. I liked how it told Griffins flaws and her middle school life. ( )