The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Lucy Hart, whose childhood was one of neglect and loneliness, found her comfort in books, her favorites being the fictional Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. In The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, coming out at the end of May, readers learn that Lucy and several other children ran away from home hoping to live with the author on his private Clock Island off the coast of Maine.

If this seems far-fetched, in 1987, a 15-year-old boy actually hopped a plane from New York to Florida in hope of living with his favorite author, Piers Anthony. In this debut novel, Lucy, now 26, along with three of the other runaways, are invited to attend a special event on the island.

Lucy is a kindergarten teacher’s aide who longs to adopt a student named Christopher who has been scarred by the overdose death of his mother and father. But in a minimum wage job, Lucy can barely provide for herself, sharing an apartment with roommates from whom she  must borrow a car if she needs to go somewhere.

The Clock Island contest will allow the winner to receive the only copy of Masterson’s latest book in the Clock Island series. Lucy must compete along with three other former runaways to win the rights to this book which would provide enough money for her to give Christopher a proper home. The other runaways have equally important wishes: Dustin’s wish is to pay off his student loans that allowed him to become a doctor, Andre’s wish is to find a kidney for his ailing father, and Melanie’s wish is to keep her independent bookstore afloat.

Masterson along with his lawyer have devised a series of riddles and games each contender must play. The one who earns 10  points will receive the one and only copy of the writer’s new book. While Lucy wins the first round, she soon finds herself neck to neck with the now two contenders as Dustin was dismissed for breaking the rules and being rude to Lucy when she wouldn’t go along with him.

Hugo Reese, the handsome illustrator of the Clock Island books, is on hand to help guide the contenders in their challenges. He has been living on the island for some time as almost a surrogate son of Masterson’s, but he wants to leave the island now and strike out on his own.

Of course, the question is, who will win the coveted new Clock Island book? If Lucy can pull it off, the funds from selling the book rights to a publisher would pay her way to obtaining custody of Christopher, her greatest wish. But what happens if she loses? The contest is more than a game for her. Winning could change her life—and Christopher’s-- completely.

This is definitely the book for fans of Willie Wonka, Dorothy in Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Harry Potter, young adults and grownups alike.

Meg Shaffer is a part-time creative writing instructor and a full-time MFA candidate in TV and Screenwriting at Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri. The Wishing Game is her debut novel.