Return to Sender by Vera Brosgol

A year after his father’s death, Oliver and his mom get a new start when his great-aunt passes away and leaves her apartment to them. Starting a new school where Oliver sticks out like a sore thumb against so many rich kids is hard. New strange neighbors are hard. Then Oliver discovers something in the apartment that starts to make things easier: a magical mail slot.

All he has to do is write down his wish, slip it in the mail slot, and his wish is granted. This seems wonderful, until Oliver starts to realize that the way his wishes are granted has unintended, negative consequences for other people. On top of that, his neighbor seems to know about the slot and keeps snooping around. Who is granting these wishes and what will happen when Oliver loses control of what matters to him?

Reading Level: 8-12
Read Aloud Age: 10+

I was very drawn to the cover of this book (yes, I do often judge a book by its cover) but, that’s why reviews are so important, right? The story started out with great character development, interesting story lines, and a lot of intrigue. The black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout the text also give a nice visual to the world and characters the author has created.  The author’s tackling of social media and the issues it causes for children was an interesting and appreciated side commentary.

While the magical elements stay fairly steady through about 3/4 of the book (although the wishes grow more extravagant and we see the consequences of the that), the last quarter of the book takes an unexpected and rather odd turn. I was rather disappointed in the sci-fi direction it took that felt misplaced and unsatisfying. While a happy ending is had, the resolution fell flat.

There are many things of which to be aware of as well (listed below). There is one obvious “check the LGBTQ box” moment when in passing, a mom of a baby and “her wife” are mentioned.  While the story had great potential and enjoyable writing, because of all the language issues (listed below), it’s not one I can recommend that you hand to your child to read independently. It could, perhaps, be read aloud with much editing on the fly, but with a less than stellar ending, frankly, it’s not worth it.

Language:
OMG is used several times.
“Make my life hell.”
Damn, moron, weirdo, freaking, weenies (name calling), jerk, stupid, heck, gosh, flipping, and jeez are all used, many multiple times.
God’s name is used as a swear word twice.
“Kick his butt.”
Instead of frittata, someone calls them “fartatas.”
Someone says they want to stab a bully.
An adult is said to “curse.”
A workout center is called a “weird church” by a child.
A child talks about a zombie eating brains.

Questionable Behaviors:
Oliver lies MANY times throughout the book because he doesn’t have a way to explain how his wishes are granted. While it’s not exactly condoned, he never apologizes or reflects on the impact of his lies, although he does see the impact his wishes make and is remorseful over that.
There are many instances of online bullying.
A dad humiliates his son by saying his grades are embarrassing.
A boy vomits and soils his pants when sick.
A bully sets up a fight and a punch is thrown.
Someone smoking a cigarette is mentioned.
Oliver steals a pair of shoes.
A “rude gesture” is referenced.
A child writes “BUTTS” on a wall.

Other Things to Know:
It’s stated that kids are supposed to have fun, and adults are supposed to be the responsible ones.
One child tells another “You are a good person.”
A punishment (in the sci-fi ending) is listed as “her consciousness will be extruded and her body will be digested.”
Minor characters are swallowed by a dragon.
There is a battle scene with animals.
It is discussed how Oliver was almost taken away from his mother after his father died because she went into a deep depression and couldn’t function. Dealing with feelings of death of a loved one are talked about often.