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.
There are possibilities here for children to think about the way they express themselves and the real meaning of language.
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. Will she ever get her mom the right kind of birthday surprise?
I think newly confident readers will love Manju’s Magic Wishes; they will relish the chance to read a proper chapter book, but it won’t be too daunting because the chapters are short, fully illustrated and written in a clear and well-sized font. There’s lots of humour as Manju unintentionally wastes wishes amid the mayhem. The cheerful, brightly coloured illustrations are full of fun and plenty of action.
The book focuses around a family of BAME characters; Manju and her mom are Indian. I really enjoyed the references to Indian culture: the food, the language and the clothing. Representation like this is so important in children’s books; all children need to see themselves in the books they read.
Manju’s Magic Wishes is a fun, accessible and engaging read.
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. There she finds something to help her!
Manju meets a genie who grants her 7 wishes.....at first it seems like a lot but Manju quickly works her way through them, but nothing is quite right for her mum.
With one last wish to spare will Manju think of the perfect gift or will she be left with nothing??
A funny book, able to be enjoyed by both younger and experienced readers.
A delightful twist on the Aladdin story, contemporary illustrations and engaging storyline.
A delightful twist on the Aladdin story. Manju's Magic Wishes is a delightful cautionary tale for young children, reminding them to be careful what they wish for! The contemporary illustrations complement the story beautifully. A really engaging read for key stage one pupils and those children starting to read independently. The additional fun time exercises at the end of the book provide perfect ideas for any book club/literacy session.