THE WISH LIST
by Eoin Colfer
An abused teen and a bitter old man find affection and redemption in this heartwarming . . . slapstick comedy? A bungled robbery leaves Meg and her pathetic partner Belch dead. Belch goes straight to hell, but Meg dies perfectly balanced between good and evil. She’s given one last chance to save her soul by bringing some meaning to the last days of her intended victim, crotchety old-timer Lowrie. Soppy, perhaps, but for the humor of Lowrie’s delinquent tasks for Meg, from trespassing to fisticuffs. Helping Lowrie won’t do Meg much good if each of her good deeds moves her a little bit closer to hell. And Belch, more moronic than ever, has been sent back by Beelzebub to guarantee her failure. Worse, the temptation to use her reprieve for some late vengeance against her abusive stepfather might overwhelm Meg’s mission. A lightweight and moving chuckler. (Fiction. 11-14)