- Graphic Novels
- Ages 9–12
- Fantasy
You Wish
Book 1 in You WishView the full series
A lonely girl running a dusty desert gas station releases the power hidden in an old lamp and is pulled into a stunning supernatural world. A big-hearted fantasy quest debut for readers who wore out Bone and Amulet.
- Best for9–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length152 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr10 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Ten-year-old Avery McLean helps her dad keep a run-down gas station going in the middle of the desert, with no friends and nothing to do but teach herself card tricks for the rare passing motorist. Then she uncovers the power sleeping inside a battered old lamp, and everything changes. Alongside a strange new companion called Gribblet, Avery is swept into a dazzling, dangerous magical world where she must discover her own hidden power, save her family, and find answers to questions that will reshape her whole life. Jeff Victor's debut graphic novel is a warm, propulsive fantasy adventure with expressive art and a heroine easy to root for, pitched squarely at fans of the great middle-grade quest comics.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A middle-grade fantasy graphic novel that suits confident readers of about 9 to 12 reading on their own, and younger fantasy fans of 8 sharing it. The peril is adventurous rather than frightening, so most children handle it happily, though it is book one of a continuing story.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Patchy
Works well for
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Fantasy adventure fans
- Graphic novel lovers
- Magic and wishes
Avoid if
- Wants standalone
- Sensitive to peril
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Avery is stuck at a boring desert gas station until an old lamp hurls her into a supernatural world with monsters, secret powers, and a weird new sidekick named Gribblet. It has the sweep of a big fantasy quest with a girl her age at the wheel.
- Magic powers
- Adventure and freedom
- Being special or chosen
Why parents love it
It hits the same sweet spot as Bone and Amulet: cinematic art, a brave, likeable heroine and a world with real stakes but no nastiness. An easy handsell for a child ready to graduate to a longer, more layered graphic-novel series.
- Indie gem discovery
- Beautiful illustrations
In the series
You Wish.
2 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Jeff Victor.
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