Book Review: The Seventh Wish by Toby O'Day

Book Review: The Seventh Wish by Toby O'Day

When fourteen-year-old Julian Ryan gets his hands on the 7-7-7 golden horseshoe at Shamrock Downs Racetrack, he is transported into the Leprechaun Kingdom courtroom, where Lawrence, who is a leprechaun, claims rightful ownership of the horseshoe. The Seventh Wish, by Toby O'Day, artfully reels the reader in with a cinematic introduction of the horseshoe and the book's main characters: Julian Ryan and Lawrence, the leprechaun. Geared toward young adults, this book entertains on various levels and is reminiscent of adventurous fantasy novels such as C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

The story begins at Shamrock Downs Racetrack, where Julian's horse, Winnie's Wish, is on her way to victory. The horseshoe on Winnie's Wish initiates the visit to the Leprechaun courtroom, where the judge states that six humans must make a selfish wish, with the seventh and final wish belonging to Julian Ryan-before the horseshoe can go back into the hands of the leprechauns. Interestingly, the leprechaun clan desires to return to their homeland of Ireland, but cannot do so until they retrieve all seven of their ancestral horseshoes.

O'Day's creativity is evident in her construction of the leprechaun world. For example, he creates cluricans, "a nickname for our offspring. Cluricans sometimes give leprechauns a bad name, and it's the cluricans' jests that you'll read about in the newspapers." The leprechaun lineage, ancestral roots, as well as the leprechaun lifespan have been well drawn up; they are genuine and believable.

The story progresses with Lawrence the Leprechaun developing a fancy for Erin the Wise One, and the revelation of Lawrence's ability to "shapeshift" into any human-or leprechaun for that matter. The overarching theme of The Seventh Wish is good versus evil; however, the story digs deeper into good decision-making, priorities, and the consequences of seeking shortcuts throughout life, as witnessed by Twylla, the troll. Twylla is intent on getting her hands on the golden horseshoe, knowing that it can help the trolls take control of the world.

Using the leprechauns and fantasy, O'Day discusses important topics in teenagers' lives, such as choosing a career and making important personal decisions. Lawrence's quote at the book's center states, "Humans are supposed to decide what to do by the time they are a teenager. We've noticed that many of you humans don't really know what you want to do until your life is half over." Indeed, there are certainly strong educational themes hidden in this fantastical story that can be useful for young adults.

Part of the mesmerizing charm of the book is how a fourteen-year-old and a leprechaun go about distributing their wishes. The first wish is distributed to a homeless man who loses his family, his businesses, and everything else of meaning. He wins the New York State Lottery on 7/7/07. A young person receiving such a colossal responsibility with the potential for changing the world is extremely intriguing. The Seventh Wish delivers a moral lesson through an enthralling and thoroughly riveting plot line. Ultimately, this is a must read book for all young people-or young at heart-who love a captivating adventure story with endearing characters.

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