The Wishing Game is a 2023 novel by Meg Shaffer that details a young woman’s trepidatious journey to adopt a boy. Impeded by her financial situation, she invests all her hope in contest borne of the whimsical machinations of the world’s most famous children’s author. The story dwells at the intersection of magical realism and romance, touching on The Requirements of Being a Good Parent, The Value of Stories, and The Power of Wishes and the Need for Hard Work. The Wishing Game is Shaffer’s debut novel.

This study guide refers to Penguin ebook edition published in 2023.

Content Warning: The study guide and source text discuss statutory rape, child abuse, neglect, and trauma.

Plot Summary

One night on Clock Island, the illustrious children’s author Jack Masterson picks up his pen for the first time in six years. A year later in California, Lucy Hart works hard to save every penny toward her goal: adopting Christopher, a child at her school who lost both his parents and now resides in foster care.

Just as Lucy learns the adoption is likely impossible, the world receives surprising news. Jack Masterson has returned with a new book, but there’s a catch: He’ll give the unpublished manuscript to the winner of his contest.

Jack sends a blue letter to each chosen contestant, and it soon becomes clear that he has chosen individuals who as children were brave enough to come find him over the years—just like the children in his novels. Lucy was one such child. Because of her family’s neglect, young Lucy ran away to Clock Island and met Jack; his pet raven, Thurl; and his new illustrator, the young Hugo Reese. Although Jack called the authorities and sent her home, he promised her that perhaps one day she could be his sidekick.

In the present day, Lucy accepts the invitation, knowing that winning the contest could guarantee Christopher’s adoption. She flies to Clock Island and meets Hugo Reese, who is still as devastatingly handsome as she remembers him. The other contestants (Andre, Dustin, and Melanie) have already arrived, and Lucy realizes they have equally dire circumstances that would benefit from acquiring the unpublished manuscript and selling it to the highest bidder.

When Jack eventually makes his entrance, he reveals that the contestants will have the opportunity to fulfill their childhood dream of playing their favorite character. During the contest, they’ll play many games, each worth up to two points. The first to reach 10 points will win the contest and the manuscript. Contestants who can’t meet the contest’s challenges will be disqualified.

As Lucy progresses through the games and challenges, she confronts Dustin, who wants to cheat to win; Richard Markham, a lawyer who wants to acquire the manuscript all for himself; and Hugo, for whom she has burgeoning feelings. When a storm hits Clock Island, however, Lucy learns that by the end of the week, Christopher will be moved to a different foster home far away.

Panicked, Lucy attempts to leave the island during the storm despite Jack’s insistence that she wait and finish the contest. Only Hugo can convince her to stay, and Lucy learns of the tragedy that led Jack to disappear for six years: A girl named Autumn Hillard ran away from an abusive home and, like Lucy, tried to reach Jack by boat—but she drowned along the way. Encouraged to stay and finish the contest, Lucy doubles down, once again determined to win.

When she’s asked to face her deepest fear, she doesn’t expect to find her sister, Angie. When the sisters were young, their parents focused only on Angie’s illnesses, and Angie wanted her parents’ love all to herself, telling Lucy that she wasn’t wanted in the first place. Now, Angie reveals the less-than-ideal circumstances of her childhood, in which their parents used her for their own validation. Troubled, Lucy reexamines her childhood.

On the contest’s final day, Jack asks one last question. Lucy calls Christopher for help, knowing he might not answer. Despite his deep fear of phones, Christopher answers and gives Lucy the answer she needs—but too late. None of the contestants win, and Lucy packs her things, still determined to adopt Christopher.

As she packs, Jack finds her and offers her the key to the house. He asks if she still wants to be his sidekick. Three months later, Lucy and Christopher, now officially mother and son, move to Clock Island to live with Jack and Hugo.