13 Going on Thirty meets It’s A Wonderful Life with this MG time loop romance.
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Birdie believes 8th grade is her year to get a boyfriend and finally be seen as “normal”. She and her best friend and neighbor, Deve, do everything together so of course she wants to get boyfriends and girlfriends together. She doesn’t get it when Deve gets upset with her. When West African god, Anansi appears to her in the form of a tween named Nancy, Birdie learns she gets three wishes. As she goes through each wish she learns more about herself and how great her life is already.
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I just adored this MG romance book. Nashae Jones is quickly becoming a top author in this genre. I loved the crossover from Courtesy of Cupid and the West African culture included. I believe this is such a unique title for this age group they’re going to be obsessed when it releases January 14!

CW: OCD, bullying, divorce, cyberbullying

AS YOU WISH was such a hilariously funny middle grade rom com! Kids are going to absolutely love this one (and so did I)! The characters are relatable, the plot engaging, AND there's funnel cake and a trickster spider god. What more could one want?

This cute book gets a 4.5 rating. Birdie, the daughter of an over the top anxious mother has developed enough quirks of her own that she finds herself at the bottom of the popularity food chain. She wishes that things are different and Anansi, the trickster, decides to give her three chances to wish herself into a new life. Interspersed with Birdie's story is the story of her grandmother's experience with this same tricky wish grantor. There is some heartache, some self discovery, some romance. As you wish is a squeaky clean, perfect book for young middle grades on up.

I was given an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Be careful what you wish for--the Trickster is up to their tricks! Jones has an impeccable and delightful ability to bring characters to life and to invoke all the feels. Her research on Anansi and West African folklore takes the reader beyond the rom-com and deeper into the Trickster lore. "As You Wish" is a delightful and charming story about friendship, mental health, first love, discovering your worth and realizing you can be the hero in your own story.

I love that stories like "As You Wish" are coming out into the world! I can imagine so many seeing themselves in Birdie's messy life--like the first time I recognized my own self in Meg Murray. It's life changing.

An absolutely hilarious middle grade romcom full of charming characters, one laugh-out-loud moment after another, brilliant use of mythology, and a sweet first dating story. I hope this book is added to every library and middle grade classroom!

I loved the use of the West African trickster god, it added that element that I was looking for from the description. The plot was wonderfully done and was engaging and had that mythology element that I wanted. I enjoyed the concept of be careful what you wish for and how it worked in this story. Nashae Jones wrote this perfectly and was glad to read this.

This book is a must-read for middle-grade readers and anyone who enjoys a heartfelt story sprinkled with magic. It is witty, authentic and has well developed characters.