I loved the theme of this book and the arc of Oliver’s character. I even loved the ending which is typically where a book goes south for me. My only issue was the climax. It was confusing and so different from the rest of the story. Without that, this for sure would’ve been a 5 star read.

It took me a lot longer to get through this one because I didn't think like I had all of the information in the middle. There were pieces that were disjointed however the story boils down to Oliver and his mother working through the grief of the husband/father dying and his dream of a restaurant and being comfortable went with it. Because of that they moved into a former family member's apartment that was left to them and Oliver's mom took a job working maintenance at the new fancy school Oliver is now attending.

Enter the magical mail slot in the house where Oliver begins wishing for things to help and they're coming true but not always in the way he's wishing.

I think I need to see the final version before I make a definite decision as the digital unfinished copy probably doesn't do it justice with Brosgol's creativity!

"Return to sender" felt like a pretty fresh concept to me. Granted there are other wish fulfillment novels, the mechanics of Oliver's mysterious mail slot were a novel concept. His slow realization of the ramifications of his actions and what he had to do kept the story moving along. With a snappy and funny friend/sidekick, and a loving and understanding mom, I was really satisfied with all the characters in the book.

Loss of a parent, a child taking care of mom, cooking as survival but also as the child's last link to the departed father.
The main character (Oliver) realizes that life is not fair in many ways. When they move, he meets a new friend, a girl who is often in trouble (lots of humorous scenes). She is very rich, like most of the students of the new school, but she is lonely and unhappy. Oliver misses his father, and he is afraid to find his own path, but he is very kind to others. Then comes the opportunity to make wishes that come true (although there is a price). The gifts start to give Oliver control over things he usually can't change.
There is an antagonist (plus mean kids). This character plus magic realism helps to balance the sad moments and gives a lot of action and entertainment to this unique adventure.

2.5 This started so well but ahhh!, what happened? Oliver is living in a new apartment and attending a new, very posh school. The apartment has a mail slot, the school has a bully, the apartment neighbor is creepy, and Oliver and his mother are grieving his father's death and have very little money. Magic plays a big part in the story. The overall moral of the story, "be careful what you wish for", is good. But the narrative lost strength in the end, becoming way too bizarre. The illustrations are great. Kids may enjoy it more than I did.

I've been a fan of Brosgol's graphic novels, so I was excited to read her chapter book debut, and it did not disappoint. I flew through this book! Oliver's plight was very relatable, and it was interesting seeing how the circumstances worked to get him his wishes. I definitely didn't see the twist with his neighbor coming, and the end tied everything up nicely. I would have liked one more denouement to see what Lucas was up to, but that might be one thing too many.

Homeless after her husband's death, Oliver's mother inherits a NYC apartment. Working as a janitor allows Oliver to attend an exclusive prep school. Discovering a mail slot that grants magic wishes leads Oliver on a dangerous path. Spot illustrations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, heartfelt adventure that brought to mind the whimsy of Roald Dahl. Oliver has had it rough - his dad has died, his mom's struggle through her own grief has led them to living with one relative after another, until they finally take up residence in an inherited apartment in New York City, where Oliver's mom has procured a job and placement for her son at an expensive private school. Oliver unhappily goes along, not wanting to upset his mother, until he discovers a magic wish-giving letter box in his apartment. What happens next could have been predictable, but Brosgol takes this "be careful what you wish for" story through unexpected twists and turns. I was pleased to find a lot of heart in this story, as Oliver learns about the consequences of his wishes. The illustrations throughout add humor, and while some characters at first seem like caricatures, they do become fully formed as Oliver begins to see past his own perspective.
Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the advanced copy. I will definitely add this book to our collection.

4 stars

I just love Vera Brosgol's graphic novels, so I couldn't wait to see what this fewer images / more words option would have to offer. As expected, so SO much!

Oliver is 10 years old, but he has some hefty challenges and responsibilities to manage, When his father died, his mother understandably crumbled. While she sank into a depressive state, which is referenced several times throughout the novel, Oliver took care of her and also himself. To some degree, though his mother is much more functional, Oliver still has a lot of responsibility and worry, not to mention his own grief to address. On top of the death of his father and difficult state his mother has been in, Oliver and his mother have recently relocated. This means a new house, new neighbors, new school, and new kids and norms. The new school highlights Oliver's lower socioeconomic status by placing him with a number of privileged peers. But all of the money in the world can't buy them something very special and quite magical that Oliver has on lock.

Oliver is such a likeable character, and it's always heartbreaking to find a young person who is facing so much difficulty. It's also often easy to connect with them, and that definitely happens here. Although the book is full of serious motifs and challenging moments, there are also careful touches of lightheartedness and so much hopefulness that help to balance emotions.

I came in a devoted Brosgol fan and am leaving with the same enthusiasm for this wonderful author.

Brosgol has been known for her stunning art in graphic works like Be Prepared, yet Return to Sender just might be my favorite work of hers yet even with minimal illustration. Setting the fantastical wish element in such a regular, realistic scenario of a sad boy struggling at a fancy prep school worked perfectly. The whimsy and humor never missed a beat.

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.