Book Band: Purple Ideal for ages 6+
Short, but action-packed, Chitra Soundar’s story has all the ingredients to make a tasty, satisfying story. There’s a magic lamp, seven wishes and a genie, and it all culminates with a delicious birthday cake. Manju and her cat Cumin are puzzling about what to give Manju’s mum for her birthday when they discover a magic lamp.
A genie grants them seven wishes – surely they can conjure up the perfect present now, but it proves harder than they think and takes all seven wishes to get a gift that’s just right. In the new Bloomsbury Young Readers series this is a fun, accessible story perfect for children just getting ready to read on their own.
A Tips for Grown Ups section and suggestions of fun further activities are helpful, an added bonus.

Manju wants to get a present for her Mum's birthday but Cumin her cat isn't sure about the toy elephant or robot. So when they find Grandma's magic lamp, Manju is granted seven wishes to find the best present. But each wish starts to go wrong and soon the house is filled with a rock band, aliens and pirates! Can Manju and Cumin wish for the perfect gift?
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This story brings elements from traditional tales into a modern setting to create a lively, amusing and entertaining tale about the difficulty of using a magic lamp to get exactly what you wish for.
This lively tale for newly confident readers brings familiar elements from traditional tales into a modern setting to which children can relate. Manju tries to use the wishes granted to her by the genie of the lamp to get her Mum the best present ever, but finds it's not that simple. There is subtle characterisation as well as an original take on the theme of the difficulty of making wishes so that you get exactly what you wished for. The story will appeal to younger children's love of chaos and mischief while having a satisfactorily happy ending.... Read Full Review
When having your wishes granted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; Manju’s Magic Wishes is a fun, accessible and engaging read.
Manju’s Magic Wishes is one of the books in the Bloomsbury Young Readers series. It’s a fresh and appealing reading scheme with a great range of titles. On the inside covers there are reading strategy tips for grown ups supporting young readers, and also some suggestions for fun follow-up activities.
It’s Manju’s mom’s birthday but she hasn’t yet got her a present so she enlists the help of Cumin, her astute pet cat and sidekick. Together they find a magic lamp in grandma’s room. Manju summons a larger-than-life purple genie who grants her not three but seven wishes. Manju tries to use them to find the perfect birthday gift but everything backfires and soon there’s chaos.... Read Full Review
This is a super book, easy to read, colourful and engaging.
This is a super book, easy to read, colourful and engaging.
Manju is trying to find the perfect gift for her Mother and I like that she isn't shopping in a store but thinking of what she has at home. She looks through her teddies and toys but its not perfect. Manju has a helpful cat called Cumin who always seems to be causing trouble but is in fact helping. Cumin leads Manju into her Grandmother's room.... Read Full Review
Manju wants to get a present for her Mum's birthday but Cumin her cat isn't sure about the toy elephant or robot. So when they find Grandma's magic lamp, Manju is granted seven wishes to find the best present.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Manju's Magic Wishes: A Bloomsbury Young Reader and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-8 years old
Manju's Magic Wishes: A Bloomsbury Young Reader features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Recommendations, Funny, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Featured Books for 5+ readers
Paperback. £5.39, down from the £5.99 cover price. In Stock.
Manju's Magic Wishes: A Bloomsbury Young Reader was written by Chitra Soundar and published by Featherstone an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Manju's Magic Wishes: A Bloomsbury Young Reader has 32 pages
Yes it is part of Bloomsbury Young Readers series
£5.39, reduced from £5.99. In Stock.