Ollie moves into his great Aunt Barb's apartment with his mom and figures out that there is a magical mail slot that grants him wishes.
While he is getting settled in at his new school, he makes a new friend in Collete, but soon starts to get jealous of her and other classmates. He never really wanted for anything before, but now that he sees all that they have he thinks it's unfair that they can have all this and not him. He starts to wish for things, but doesn't realize that every wish has a consequence.
He slowly learns that that's why his Aunt may have stopped making wishes because she figured out that sometimes the consequences were big and creating big ripples in the world.
His neighbor Eliza wants the apartment, as she wants to make wishes of her own. But when he and Eliza get pulled into the mail slot, they discover a whole other world.
I was not expecting what happens when Ollie is pulled into the mail slot and thought it was a little weird, but it made other things make sense.
I thought this was a good book to see how children are affected by grief and different things happening around them.
You never know how much your little gesture can affect the world around you.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Very solid middle grade that I think a lot of kids will get a big kick out of! Some parts felt very disjointed and I couldn't figure out where we were or what was happening--perhaps just a formatting issue that won't appear in the final hard copy? I appreciated how Oliver struggled with concepts of privilege and felt it was handled very effectively.

I really enjoyed spending time with Oliver and his magical mail slot. The writing was well done and reads well for middle grade. I loved the themes of appreciating what you have, the importance of family, and how hard it is to see others with abundance while you have little in material things. The lesson is not heavy handed and whole the book does deal with difficult issues, it is handled appropriately for its audience. I continue to love everything Vera writes and can’t wait to recommend this book to my patrons!

This is Vera’s first novel that doesn’t rely on pictures. Vera has written many delightful picture books and graphic novels. I’ve enjoyed her other works so much, I wanted to read this one! I am so glad I did! Return to Sender is a fun science-fiction read where a mysterious mail slot makes any wish you write down come true. Infusing quirky characters, deep problems of death, grief, depression, social classes, and dealing with desire. I laughed and felt the life lessons in my heart! I would read another book with these characters! The characters are likable fourth graders and a single mom who works for her son’s future. I highly recommend this to any elementary student who enjoys adventure, mystery, and magic!

I cannot read this as intended as NetGalley will not allow me to open it up on my Kobo and I refuse to use Amazon for anything.

I really enjoyed Brosgol's first foray into writing a story without relying on so many pictures. It went in an unexpected but delightful direction. I hope she continues down this path as well as keeping up with great PBs and GNs. I'll be there to read EVERYTHING!

Book #43 for the year, #9 for February
This story was provided by the publisher in exchange for a non biased review.

Review of "Return to Sender" by Vera Brosgol - Oliver's Take

Introduction:

Hey, I'm Oliver Bakh, and I guess you could say I've been through the wringer with this whole "Return to Sender" thing. Vera Brosgol wrote about my life - or at least, a wild version of it where wishes come true in the weirdest ways. Let's dive into my story, shall we?

Summary:

So, after my dad passed away, my mom and I moved into this cramped, old apartment in Manhattan. I started at this fancy school where everyone had more money than sense, and I felt like I didn't belong. Then, I found this magic mail slot that made my wishes come true. But, uh, not in the way you'd expect. It was like a rollercoaster of "be careful what you wish for" moments.

Main Characters:

Me, Oliver Bakh: Yeah, that's me. I'm the kid who wished for a better life and got more than I bargained for.
My Mom: She works super hard at my school, cleaning up after all those rich kids.
Great-Aunt Barb: She's not around anymore, but her old apartment was the start of all this madness.

Plot Points:

The Big Move: We moved into this new place, hoping for a fresh start. Spoiler: it was anything but.
Magic Mail Slot: I found this slot that made wishes come true. It was cool... at first.
Wish Chaos: Every wish got crazier, like pizza raining from the sky or tripping over rare sneakers.
Another Dimension Adventure: Me and my friend ended up in this other world because of my wishes. It was nuts but kind of cool?
Learning Stuff: I realized maybe I didn't need all that stuff I thought I wanted.

Passages:

"Be careful what you wish for…" - My new life motto, thanks to that mail slot.
"Oliver wishes his life could be easier. And then one day, after slipping a wish into a mysterious mail slot, it suddenly comes true." - That's when things got interesting.
"Pizza for dinner? Yes! The rarest sneakers in the world? Yes!" - I thought I was the luckiest kid ever.
"Everything he could ever want, without spending a cent?" - It sounded like a dream until it wasn't.
"With courage and persistence and imagination, Oliver finally discovers he already has everything he needs." - Yeah, that was me learning the hard way.

Ratings Breakdown:

Story: 4.5/5 - It was like living in a comic book, but with homework.
Characters: 4.5/5 - I mean, I'm pretty cool, and my mom's the best.
Artwork: 5/5 - The drawings made everything feel more real, even the crazy parts.
Themes: 4/5 - It's like, deep stuff about wanting, having, and being happy with what you've got.
Overall: 4.6/5 - It's a wild ride, but hey, it's my life, right?

Conclusion:

So, "Return to Sender" is basically my story, but with a magical twist. If you ever feel like your life is boring or you wish for something you think you need, just remember - wishes can be tricky. But, in the end, I learned some cool stuff about myself and what really matters. If you want a laugh, some adventure, and maybe a little life lesson, check out my story. Just don't try to find a magic mail slot; trust me, it's not worth it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! I thought that it gave Roald Dahl vibes in the best way possible. It was a lot of fun, enjoyable, and fantastical, and I can imagine many kids liking this book!

I loved this book but wish there was no mention of specific ages or grades for the characters. My middle school students will most likely balk at reading a book about 9 and 10 year old protagonists even though the story is wonderful and Brogsol’s graphic novels fly off our shelves.