Billy Miller Makes a Wish (A Miller Family Story) (Hardcover)

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Billy Miller Makes a Wish (A Miller Family Story) By Kevin Henkes, Kevin Henkes (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Kevin Henkes, Kevin Henkes (Illustrator)
$16.99
Not in stock at Boswell. Available to order.

Staff Reviews


This is a loving family story told by an eight-year-old boy who's just starting his summer vacation, with third grade still far off in the distance. To an adult, it's a sweet and simple book, but it sounds just like a child working through all the normal fears and celebrating the joys of growing up. It's not simple for him. Just before his father leaves on a professional art camp trip, Billy makes a birthday wish that something exciting will happen. Then he faces his own troubling thought that maybe his wish is the reason things have gotten too exciting. He has to cope with losing a neighbor, the endless complications his feisty little sister causes, and some scary house issues. He has a strong and creative family to help him, and the excitement can be great, too! Billy will be just fine. This is a companion novel to The Year of Billy Miller. In an introductory letter to the reader, Kevin Henkes says he had an unusually hard time letting go of Billy and his family after finishing the first book, so he went back to write about them again. I can see why. Give this to a young reader looking for a very relatable fictional friend.

— Tim McCarthy

Description


“Full of heart and depth.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Henkes is a master of characterization. —The Horn Book (starred review)

“A first-rate choice for reading aloud.”—Booklist (starred review)

Billy Miller is back! This stand-alone companion to two-time Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes’s award-winning, acclaimed, and bestselling The Year of Billy Miller, Billy Miller Makes a Wish is a laugh-out-loud funny and accessible story about summer, family, and wishes that (almost) come true.

Billy Miller Makes a Wish is illustrated in black-and-white throughout by the author, and is perfect for fans of the Ramona books and the Clementine series.

On his birthday, Billy Miller wishes for something exciting to happen. But he immediately regrets his wish when an ambulance rushes to his neighbor’s house. Is Billy responsible? Award-winning author Kevin Henkes delivers a short, funny, and emotionally complex novel complete with misplaced love letters, surprising critters, art projects, misguided tattoos—and another surprise for Billy and his family, maybe the best one yet!

Illustrated throughout with black-and-white art by the author, this is a perfect novel for the early elementary grades and an essential choice for summer reading. A stand-alone companion to The Year of Billy Miller, a Newbery Honor Book. 

About the Author


Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It; A HouseA Parade of ElephantsChrysanthemum; and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.



Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It; A HouseA Parade of ElephantsChrysanthemum; and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Praise For…


“Billy Miller’s birthday wish, for ‘something exciting [to] happen,’ attunes him to all kinds of excitement in his life. . . . Henkes’s focus on small transitions in growing up and seeing the world acknowledges and celebrates the complex emotional life of childhood. Billy’s year of being 8 begins like a leaf unfolding, slow and steady . . . The sweet surprise of the summer, revealed when Papa returns, promises new and interesting chapters in Billy’s life. Full of heart and depth.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“In this welcome sequel [to The Year of Billy Miller], school is over for the year and Billy is a ‘second-and-a-half grader’ now worrying about his eighth birthday wish. . . . Henkes is a master of characterization, deftly using dabs of telling details to build his characters. . . . When Mama and Papa share exciting news at the end of the story, Billy changes his mind about that wish he had regretted. ‘Now he wouldn’t change it for anything.’” — Horn Book (starred review)

“A first-rate choice for reading aloud, this episodic, consistently captivating chapter book draws readers into Billy’s world immediately. Small, kid-friendly drawings illustrate details mentioned within the narrative, but the vividly portrayed characters come to life through the words alone. A companion book to Newbery Honor Book The Year of Billy Miller, this warm family story features the same down-to earth humor and seemingly simple, beautifully crafted writing. A quiet gem.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Billy Miller is back with all-new everyday adventures. As he blows out the candles on his eighth birthday cake, he makes a wish for something exciting to happen. . . . Henkes’s phenomenal ability to tap directly into the hopes, fears, and annoyances of an eight-year-old boy with beautiful clarity make this not only relatable for young readers, but for adults as well. . . . A darling addition to early middle grade collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] short, well-paced follow-up to Newbery Honoree Henkes’s The Year of Billy Miller . . . Henkes’s sequel offers a refreshingly honest portrayal of kid life . . . Henkes captures the warmth of Billy’s family . . . as well as his guileless voice as he navigates common trials and tribulations of childhood.” — Publishers Weekly

“In this tender, lightly illustrated story, Mr. Henkes captures the angst, humor and quiet everyday dramas of life in a growing family.” — Wall Street Journal



Product Details
ISBN: 9780063042797
ISBN-10: 0063042797
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: April 6th, 2021
Pages: 192
Language: English
Series: A Miller Family Story