Brandon Robshaw

A good chapter book for grade schoolers. Overall, the book is enjoyable with some laugh-out-loud scenes.

Our main character Sam is just starting in a new school where there are bullies. He sees a shooting star and casually wishes for a million wishes. He gets them.

There are a few big themes going on here. One is that a life without struggle really isn't worth anything. This starts with ennui, as Sam finds that he gets bored despite being able to wish himself to be a giant, or a superhero, or show more whatever. He is unsatisfied by being able to get anything he wants, but he also feels it's pointless to even walk, since he can wish himself anywhere.

The next level becomes real struggle and conflict. As he tries to solve bigger problems via wishing, he only finds that the world becomes less and less likable.

Sam also finds that he is happiest when he is able to make other people happy. A big part of the book is an existential quest for Sam: what would make Sam happy?

The book is solid, very readable, good food for thought, would be great in a classroom with the obvious essay question: "What would you wish for?" It didn't quite catch me, though. Perhaps the intended audience (younger than me) would find some of Sam's crazy adventures more interesting. show less

This wonderful story is a bit reminiscent of writing by Roald Dahl. I had the audio version and the author, Brandon Robshaw, reads his novel. The audience is about 8 years and up. The story involves a young boy and what happens when he wishes he had a million wishes, and the wish comes true. At first it is fun and exciting to be able to have the food and drinks he wants. But as time goes on he wishes for more serious things - for example, he wishes his father wasn't going to lose his job. show more Without giving away the plot, the author has written a great story with a believable main character. I think young people would love the book. I know I did. show less

Big Wish by Brandon Robshaw
I really enjoyed this juvenile fiction audio book. It is another take on wish granting stories that I remember from my own childhood (like in Aladdin). Sam, an 11-year-old boy and the main character, wishes upon a shooting star and receives a million wishes. Then Sam begins his wishing. He goes about wishing for fun, hilarious stuff like giant hamburgers, shrinking to the size of an ant, and creating his own personal supervillain to fight. Then he realizes that he show more can put his wishes to good use and starts wishing for other people. He wishes that his best friend’s dad will heal and for his own dad to receive a promotion at work. I love the fact that the author makes Sam realize that having everything in life by just a wish isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. In the end he solves the dilemma of his wishes. This will be a very educational and thought provoking book for children ages 9-12. I highly recommend this book not only as a good read, but as a learning experience that will require children to use their critical thinking skills. show less

Sam sees a shooting star and makes a wish - he wishes for a million wishes but then things don't quite go according to plan and he has to use up wishes to make sure he doesn't get into awkward situations. For example (page 24) when he thinks of a wish it comes true - i.e - a tiger in his room - and he can't stop it happening, so he has to make a wish that says his wishes only come true if he says them aloud. When wishing to be huge or tiny with his best mate he has to add "and all our show more clothes get bigger/smaller too" or otherwise he and his mate end up naked. (He also has to wish that everybody in the world forgets what they see when he wishes he is a giant) As the days progress, Sam starts to get a bit bored as his parents are both super happy in their jobs, his sister has her old boyfriend back and his best mate's dad is cured of cancer. Sam can do anything but there is no CHALLENGE to his life any more...what will he do.
Suitable for Year 5 upwards, this is a funny and engaging take on the "careful what you wish for" story. As an adult reading this, I could predict what was going to happen to Sam but I wonder if younger readers would anticipate the dilemmas that he finds himself in. I really liked the ending. show less