Wishful Thinking

By Amerigo Pinelli and Anthony Wacholtz

Jalen, Mia, Elsie, and Zoe discover a mysterious book that promises to make their wishes come true. The friends joke about what their wishes would be and then forget about the book. But over the next few days, they realize that having wishes come true isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Can the kids find a way to get their old lives back before it’s too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669033950

Amerigo Pinelli

Long ago, Amerigo Pinelli met a pencil when he was a child living in the heart of the city of Naples, Italy. From that moment on he started to play, joke, fight, and make peace with it. Today, he works in animation and publishing, and he also teaches kids in the comics school of Naples. He thinks making a living doing the thing he enjoys the most is a great gift, and he considers himself very lucky. His three daughters Chiara, Teresa, and Irene fill his life with color and joy. They are really unpredictable! For him and his wife,Giulia, it's impossible to get bored!

Book preview

You tried to get away, but you couldn’t help returning to this odd little town. Every time you wandered, you stumbled onto its streets. It sits along the highway, and off the beaten path. It’s in the depths of a forest, and in the middle of a desert. It’s surrounded by mountains, and balanced on the edge of a deadly cliff. It’s the place where weird things happen, where the unreal becomes real.

Welcome back to RAVENS PASS. It’s been waiting for you.

A full moon shines behind ravens perched on a twisted tree. Mountains are in the background. Fog fills the scene.

CHAPTER 1

THE BOOK

We’ve been at the library all afternoon, said Zoe. My parents are going to start wondering where I am. Plus, I was supposed to help Carter with his homework. Any other ideas?

Your brother’s homework can wait, Zoe, said Elsie. This project is twenty percent of our grade. If we can’t even pick a topic today, we’ll never finish the presentation by the end of the month.

Zoe, Elsie, Jalen, and Mia were sitting at a computer in the Ravens Pass Junior High library. Their English teacher, Ms. Hassing, had let them pick their own groups for a presentation on a famous world landform, but they couldn’t agree on a topic.

I’ve already suggested the Pyramids of Giza, said Jalen. Why don’t we just go with that?

Because three other groups are doing the Pyramids, said Mia. You know Ms. Hassing hates when the groups do the same topics. But we do need to hurry up—I’ve got volleyball practice in twenty minutes.

I’ve got some new videos I want to upload tonight too, said Jalen. There’s a great one of me making a half-court shot with my back to the hoop—it’s incredible! What are you up to tonight, Elsie?

"I’ll probably give Last Bot Standing another try, said Elsie. I’m not very good at that game, though. I’ve barely unlocked anything. If I won every now and then, maybe people would actually watch me when I stream."

Yeah, when you’re an awesome content creator like me, you have to give the people some great material, said Jalen with a smirk.

Elsie scoffed. "You have seven followers—and