Billy Miller Makes a Wish

“When Billy Miller blew out the eight candles on his birthday cake, he made a wish. He wished that something exciting would happen.” Those opening lines start this fun adventure. Billy had no idea how many exciting things could happen in a short time, and not all of them are the good kind of excitement. Just a few minutes after his wish, an ambulance shows up on his street and takes his neighbor, old Mr. Tooley, away. This isn’t what Billy had in mind! And he’s worried because his dad is going away the next day to art camp. More exciting things happen. First there is a bat in the basement, then Billy’s little sister Sal finds their parent’s love letters in the basement and plays mailperson, delivering them to neighbors. Will things ever get back to normal?

Kevin Henkes has a terrific franchise of chapter books with the Billy Miller series. The characters are sweet and relatable, the family is grounded and whole, and the stories are satisfying. This story is well written, has enough excitement, and is sufficiently challenging to keep emerging readers engaged and looking for more books to read. This is a real winner.