"This magical Middle Grade adventure pops with peril, pluck and ice cream!"
Packed with page-turning peril and the power of hope, Sarah Merrett’s A Place of a Thousand Wishes melds magic, mystery, friendship and courage to conjure a classic tale of good versus evil.
While Mason and his dad make marvellous ice cream, times are tough — production is tricky in their pre-refrigeration era (to say the least), and then a stranger creates a commotion that ruins his dad’s ice cream cart. Into this, the legendary Darlington the Miraculous comes to town — a man who claims to possess the power to grant wishes through floating them up, up and away in magical bubbles.
Moreover, father and son receive an invitation to visit Darlington Manor. Though his dad refuses to go, believing Darlington to be a “shyster”, Mason makes his own way to the grand mansion, and meets the infectiously courageous Clem en route.
On arrival, Mason learns he has incredible connections to Darlington the Miraculous himself (they share the same remarkable gifts), and also discovers the identity of the sinister man who was responsible for ruining the ice cream cart. Then, when Darlington disappears, it falls to Mason to find him, with support from Clem, of course.
Alongside serving a feast of fast-paced adventure and family secrets, A Place of a Thousand Wishes is also a heart-warming story of daring to dream and the magic of friendship. While Mason’s deepest wish is for his life to be fun, Clem — an orphan who’s dodging the dreadful workhouse — is convinced there’s no point in wishing for anything: “I’m bottom of the pile.
No hope for the likes of me”. Mason’s moving response to this pretty much sums up the overarching theme of this novel: “There’s always hope. You have to hope for good things. Dream of the life you want and then make it happen”. As such, A Place of a Thousand Wishes amounts to a charming mix of magic and the power of positive thinking.

From the critically acclaimed author of The Others, a tale of magic and evil, and the maker of the world’s best ice cream
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the best books for 9-12 year olds · the best books for teenagers
From the critically acclaimed author of The Others, a tale of magic and evil, and the maker of the world’s best ice cream Perfect for fans of Sophie Anderson and Katherine Rundell Time 1899. Mason makes the world's best ice cream but a sinister and dangerous stranger wants to destroy his business.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed A Place of a Thousand Wishes and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
A Place of a Thousand Wishes features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Recommendations, Fantasy / Magical, Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
A Place of a Thousand Wishes was written by Sarah Merrett and published by Everything with Words an imprint of Everything With Words
A Place of a Thousand Wishes has 313 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.