I may be Archie Crumb’s biggest fan…what an absolute star!
Having had teaser chapters sent by Scholastic, I was already a fan of Archie but was worried about him. Once the book arrived, I just sped through it and as I turned the last page, I was a fully fledged member of Archie’s fan club.
Life is pretty tough for Archie Crumb…his parents are divorced, he has a step mum and a little sister, Mum spends all of her time asleep or pretending to be asleep. He is surviving off spaghetti hoops and has one friend, a neighbour called Mouse!
Though no one knows all of this there are some concerns from neighbours and parents. Archie makes excuses and white lies to keep everything going at home, believing life would be worse if others got involved.
When Archie bumps his head, he happens to meet his all time favourite football player and is given 9 wishes. Told to think them through and make them count, Archie immediately just wants pizza, an Xbox and a day off school. Making this wish is the first step in all the events that will come to pass. When it actually comes true, Archie rushes to tell best friend, Mouse.
Putting these wishes to the test helps Archie and Mouse to very clearly learn that it is all in the wording! With a few mishaps along the way, Archie must try to learn from these and figure out how to fix them!
This book deals with depression, divorce and bullying in such a relatable way and there will be children out there who need the messages of hope and offers of help. There will be other children who will just love the story of Archie’s wishes. An absolute belter of a story.
Incredibly moving and fantastically written, this deserves a place in every KS2 classroom!
My Shelves Are Full 