The Miraculous by Jess Redman - ADVISABLE

The Miraculous by Jess Redman, 306 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2019. $23            

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Wunder Ellis is 11yo and he believes in miracles. He keeps a journal of all the miracles happening all around him and considers himself a specialist on miracles, or a miracologist. However, everything changes when his baby sister dies at 8 days old. Wunder is very upset and gets rid of his miracle journal. He meets Faye, a girl who wears a cape and has her own problems. They start exploring, hanging out at a big, abandoned house, meeting an old woman who asks for their help. This leads Wunder and Faye on lots of adventures and eventually to friendship and even healing.          

I liked how Wunder was such a positive and happy kid. He was always smiling and believed in the good in the world. He kept a journal of miracles, small and big, and he believed in all of them. That is, until his baby sister died. Wunder works through his grief and mourning and eventually finds a way to look at the bright side again. I liked that the book shows that life has its good times and  hard times and that we can get through the hard times and be happy again.       

Ellen-Anita, Librarian