Product Description

Meg Finn is in trouble. Unearthly trouble. Cast out of her own home by her stepfather after her mother's death, Meg is a wanderer, a troublemaker. But after a botched attempt to rob a pensioner's flat, Meg, along with her partner in crime, Belch, ends up in a very sticky situation. Meg's soul is up for grabs as the divine and the demonic try every underhand ploy imaginable to claim it. Her only chance for salvation is the Wish List. But how can she persuade the pensioner Lowrie to help her when she has wronged him? And even if she can persuade him, will she really have enough points to face up to St Peter? An unforgettable and gritty tale of life, death and an unexpected hereafter!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #520004 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Customer Reviews

A book that is both funny and deep. Highly recommended.
THE WISH LIST

Eoin Colfer's latest children's book, 'The Wish List', is one of the most unusual you will find. It manages to combine a deep and spiritual storyline with the funniest, most down-to-earth humour imaginable, and also has warm, sympathetic characters, who spring to life (or indeed afterlife!) from the page. The protagonist of the book is Meg Finn, aged fourteen,"bold but not bad". Her mother's death, her odious stepfather and a rough neighbourhood have all left their mark on her, the end result being that she is trapped into taking part in a burglary. However, the "job" does not go as planned; so much so, in fact, that by the end of chapter one both Meg and the leader of the break-in, Belch, are in the direst straits imaginable. Meg discovers that the keeper of the Pearly Gates is not as easy to con as the juvenile court. Fit for neither heaven nor hell, her aura an indefinite purple instead of the blue of the virtuous or the red of the wicked, she has no choice but to try to find a way to tip the scales in heaven's favour. The way involves Lowrie McCall, owner of the house she had tried to burgle, and the Wish List may be a solution for both. Unfortunately, they have reckoned without the evil, cunning and obstinacy of the Devil and his sidekick Beelzebub, for Meg's soul is of especial interest to Satan. His instrument: her ex fellow-criminal, Belch Brennan. Can all Meg's smartness defeat the immense powers of evil pitted against her? The story races along. Almost everything it touches, from the security guards at the national television station to St. Peter's mobile phone, is treated with the same dry humour, yet I never once found the scenario itself ridiculous. The earthly issues, as well as the unearthly ones, are of importance and relevance, in particular the way in which bad society and difficult family life can drag down a basically good person. Meg Finn is likeable as she is presented to us - we see her thoughts and her true feelings - yet it is fair to say that not many of us would feel any such empathy if we heard simply the bald facts of the break-in. This, for me, was a huge theme in the book: we should not judge someone until we know of the events and people who may have influenced them. Another issue raised in the book is the loneliness that can be experienced by old people, as evidenced in the life of Lowrie McCall. One character only, whom we do not meet in person, is never flippantly treated. Meg's dead mother is always tenderly spoken of, as though her love was the one blessing that Meg experienced in life. Whatever Meg's expressed longings, is what she really craves for to see her mother again? I cannot fault this book. Moving yet funny, intense yet easy to read, I would strongly recommend it for age 11 +. It will encourage tolerance, provoke shrieks of laughter, and - who knows - perhaps it may help prepare you for an unexpected hereafter!

even better than Artemis Fowl
I am a slightly reluctant convert to Artemis Fowl, partly because of the massive hype it has had, and partly because it's just a bit too slick. However The Wish List is a terrific book. Two teenagers break into an old man's flat, and one of them, Belch, wounds him. The other, Meg, has a spark of goodness still left in her and it's this that saves her from going to Hell when Belch causes them both the die. For Meg's aura is mingled, and although Beelzebub himself wants her for her evil cunning, she might win through to Heaven if she can go back to Earth and redeem herself by helping the old man she nearly killed.

The quality of imagination, the jokes and the fun could only have come from an Irish Catholic, but the appeal of the story is universal. Meg's grudging affection for the old man, and his relationship with her cause her unhappy past to unfold before the reader, and the final struggle between good and evil sends shivers up your spine. My 9 year old loved it as much as I did, and the last sentence made us both get out the Kleenex. One parfticularly enjoyable aspect is the fun Colfer has with technology - all the computer programmers go to Hell, and St. Peter and his opposite number have secret telephone calls. Thoroughly recommended as one of the funniest, most exciting and original children's novels.

The wish list
I discovered this book after reading the Artimis fowl series. It's one of Colfers earlier titles, with a fast paced storyline, makeing the book hard to put down.
It's a story about good and evil, Heaven and hell. The main character (Meg) has to redeem herself after her death to secure her place in heaven and is sent back to help an old man complete his wish list of 3 tasks. An amusing thought provoking and often sad read, it's a must for any fan of Colfer. The only criticism of this book is that its a bit short, but would be a good changeling read for a younger child.