Wish me dead by Helen Grant

Penguin, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-141-33770-8.
(Age 15+) 'It all started with a little wooden box in the old witch's house hidden away in the middle of the forest. I didn't mean the first one, it was only meant to be a bit of fun. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. I wished that Klara Klein would die and it happened. I wished for the local busybody who destroyed my family to die and it happened. With each wish I make the body count increases due to the wishes I make and my wishes alone.'
For shy Steffi Nett what started as a bit of fun with her friends has turned into something deadly. One night Steffi and her friends decide to go to the town's haunted house which was believed to be the home of a witch and try out the myth of putting hexes on people. After the first wish comes true, the group of friends are eager to find out if other wishes can be realized. With the death rate increasing with each wish made, is it possible that the wishes could be used for good and possible to save a life?
Helen Grant's story is about a shy girl who is too scared to speak up to other people. This leads to her parents being able to map out her future for her without a say or her friends being able to push their weight around and making Steffi do what they want her to do. Although the pace of the story was slow at the start, I found the rest of the book had a fast flowing storyline and I found it hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book for older readers as some younger reader may find parts of the book upsetting. An example that would upset younger readers would be the details of the deaths of Klara Klein and the local busybody. I enjoyed being able to follow the storyline along and working out the mystery but at the same time I was taken by surprise at times as I didn't expect certain turns in the plot. After reading Wish Me Dead I would like to read other novels from the same author as I enjoyed the style of mystery this author was able to put in her book.
Lauren Pfeiffer (Student)