Book Buddies: Dazzle Makes a Wish

DAZZLE MAKES A WISH is a sweet chapter book about friendship and sharing. Dazzle the Unicorn has always wished for a home and a child to love, but he has stayed on the store shelves - until a grandmother comes to buy him for her first grandbaby. However, when the baby is a boy and she notices how much he sheds, she decides to put him in her yardsale, where he is found by a librarian named Anne. At the library, Dazzle is a Book Buddy, a stuffed animal that children can check out for two weeks to practice reading to and play with.

One day, a girl named Maya, who is new in town, sees him at the library and brings him home. Her brother Mateo picks his own Book Buddy, a gnome named Nugget that he decides to call Wizard Wonderful. After getting home, Dazzle meets some fairies who have a special playhouse, Ruby, Opal, and Pinecone. Before long, Maya's mother has a favor to ask as she deals with some things for work, requesting that Maya and Mateo play with the daughter of the woman she is working with. They are happy to do so, but Isabelle has a rough style of playing and making trouble that neither of them like. Maya must decide how to handle it and make sure that everyone has fun - and the toys are safe.

What I loved: This is a sweet chapter book that deals with problems children will understand, particularly how to play with kindness and what it really means to share. While it may seem that Maya and Mateo are strong-armed into doing whatever Isabelle wants in the name of sharing, they soon learn that standing up to her and finding ways that they can all happily play is the best way. In the end, they all make new friends.

The story is told from the perspective of Dazzle and Maya, and Dazzle has his own wish for himself that he is considering as the story unfolds. While Dazzle wished for a home and a child to love, as a Book Buddy, he does not have this traditional toy life, but what he learns is that he has something even better - a home where he is loved by many children. The lesson seems to be that our wishes may not come true in the ways that we want, but sometimes what we have is also really great.

The story is lightly illustrated with key images here and there throughout, using the same style as on the cover in black and white. This felt like a bit more of an advanced chapter book, as there were several page spreads without any illustrations. As such, it will work for children who are advancing in their reading independence, though it could also be shared aloud with a caregiver. The writing is a bit oversized which will help with independence, and the language used is reasonably complex and varied.

Final verdict: Overall, DAZZLE MAKES A WISH is a sweet chapter book about friendship, sharing, and wishes.