WISHFUL THINKING

For 18 years, Hazel has dreamed about meeting her birth mother, but when she’s given the opportunity she realizes she might be too late. A sequel to Wish (2010), this outing reuses the concept of wish-lined magical dresses tailored to grant the heroine’s heartfelt desires, but it takes a more fantastical turn. Hazel travels back in time from present-day San Francisco to 18 years in the past on Martha’s Vineyard, where she finds herself face to face with her mom. Looking back on a lifetime of bouncing between foster homes, Hazel attempts to leverage her wishes to alter her life’s painful past and in the process makes peace with her own present identity. Without missing a stitch, the text unfolds easily and enjoyably for readers new to the series. However, despite its unique initial premise and well-developed protagonist, portions feel predictable, and certain elements of time travel are glossed over. The result is good-enough fun without much staying power. (Fantasy. 14 & up)