Lily and the Christmas Wish by Keris Stainton

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 160 

Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Released: 5th of November 2015

When a town's Christmas wishes get mixed-up, can one little girl and her dog put them right? 

The little town of Pinewood can't wait for Christmas this year. They're going to celebrate by putting up a giant Christmas tree in the town square, and asking all the townspeople to hang a Christmas wish on its branches. Everyone is feeling very festive, including nine-year-old Lily - although she's not sure she believes in wishes. Then a very strange storm blows in, scattering all the wishes...and Lily wakes up the next morning to a bit of a surprise. Bug, her adorable pug puppy, can talk! It's magic - and a wish come true! But it's not Lily's wish...

Lily and her little brother James soon discover that something must have happened during the storm - the town's wishes have been granted, but to all the wrong people! Lily, James and Bug must work out which wish belongs to who, and sort everything out before Christmas Eve - otherwise no one will get what they want for Christmas. 

What I Have to Say 

This was such a cute story and was a really good read for the holiday season. It may be a little late for the Christmas season, but it'll still be great to curl up and read in front of the fire, especially if we get snow. 

Set against the backdrop of a struggling marriage, Lily and her family see a wide range of quirky wishes, from "I wish my dog could talk" to "I wish I didn't have to go to school". It's fun to see what kinds of wishes people have made and who they belong to, as Lily, her brother and her dog reunite the owners with their wishes. 

This book was a little young for me, but I think that's part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. It's nice to kick back and read a story about a girl and her talking dog, full of Christmas spirit. It still covers serious issues, but it does that in a more positive light than in a lot of older books. It was a very relaxing read. 

Even though Christmas is over, I still strongly recommend it for a cosy winter mood.