Wishes Are Free

Awarded the Bronze Medal in Readers' Favorite Children's Coming of Age Category, 2024

Winner of Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Excellence

Winner Readers' Favorite Five Star Medallion

Perfect for anyone who loves funny, touching, unforgettable stories of family and friendship.

Ten-year-old Rose O'Reilly and her best friend from birth, Linney, vowed they'd be together until the day they would meet up in heaven floating on clouds of pink cotton candy. Then boom, Linney moves 2,000 miles away.

Feeling abandoned, Rose turns to Grandpa, whose wife, his own best friend, has recently died. They hold chat cafes in the kitchen on Sundays. It helps them to forget how much losing your best friend hurts. With Grandpa's help, Rose learns that friends are everywhere if you have a big heart and know where to look.

Your grandpa can be your friend. Or a boy with cerebral palsy, and a lost dog, or a classmate who comes to school with unexplained bruises. Still, there's that achy hole in Rose's heart Linney left behind. She asks Venus, the Evening Star for a new best friend, for Grandpa to come to live with them, and for a dog of her own. May as well wish for a dog, too, because wishes are free.

It's a tall order. Even for Venus.