3rd grader Max is very imaginative. He uses his imagination to escape from his problems (he's bullied at school, his parents have divorced, he doesn't have a dog).

One day Max imagines himself into the Wishworks, where he is promised that the wish he makes will come true in real life. Then the story turns into a version of the old story where the husband and wife get three wishes (the man wishes for a fish and the woman is mad at him so she wishes the fish on the man's nose and then they have to use their last wish to get the fish off the nose) only with a a dog.

It was a little boring for me because it was completely obvious what was going to happen, and lot of the story is taken up with Max's adventure fantasies, which do not contribute much to the story but may be enjoyable for kids who have similar fantasies (fighting dragons and stuff like that).

The black and white illustrations are very nice. ( )

Okay but I like this author's other books much better. ( )

Imagine getting everything you wish for? Max, the new kid in school, is finding it difficult to fit in. So he delves into an imaginary dream world where there are kings and a store called Wishworks, Inc. The owner of the store grants wishes for a nominal fee of $20.00. Wishes from Wishworks, Inc. are guaranteed. So Max decides to make a wish. Does his wish come true? Well you’ll just have to find out.

I highly recommend this book for 3rd and 4th graders. It has a little fantasy and a dose of reality. ( )

First of all this is too high a reading level for most of this group. This is an end of third grade book for sure, and kdg's would find it far too long to sit for. I actually fell asleep three times reading this book, all before page 20. Max wishes for a dog and gets one, not exactly the type of dog he had hoped for and I'll bet the dog somehow fends off his (Max's) tormentors. ( )

Max discovers that the ratty, difficult, real live stray dog that joins his family is nothing like the noble beast he had imagined. A gentle read for new chapter-book readers that values both the love of pets and the power of the imagination. ( )