The Wish List

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
Miramax Books
2000
Supernatural
I.L. 6th and up
252 pages

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I. Synopsis- Meg Finn broke into a house only once with Belch as returning a favor for letting her borrow his video camera to humiliate her step-dad. Yet, things got out of control when they are caught by the owner, Lowrie McCall. Belch’s dog attacks him and Meg wants to get help while Belch doesn’t care. She runs out with him chasing her with a shotgun, taken from Lowrie. He corners her against an old gas tank and when he fires straight up into the air, a single pellet hit the gas tank, killing them both. Their spirits are going down a tunnel. Finally they come to a fork in the tunnel, up goes to heaven while down goes to Hell. Belch goes down, but Meg goes slightly up but hits the wall of the tunnel. She is informed by a tunnel mite that she has a purple spirit trail which basically means that she has equal points to go to Heaven or Hell. She is given a chance to go back down to the earth and help gain points to go to Heaven. She is sent back 2 years after her death and the only one that can see her is Lowrie. He gives her a list of four things that he has always wanted to do in his life: 1) Kissy Sissy (kiss a girl named Sissy), 2) Kick a soccer ball over the ball in Croke Park, 3) Burst Ball (punch a guy named Ball, and 4) Spit over the Cliffs of Moher. Meg finds out that she can enter Lowrie’s body and he becomes stronger because she has taken over.

II. Evaluation of Work as Literature-
Theme- The theme of this book is that basically if you do enough good works, then you’ll go to Heaven. This theme is represented again and again through the entire book by Meg having to do good deeds to get into Heaven. Another theme which can be gleaned from this book is to live life to the fullest. This is demonstrated by Lowrie’s wish list which he requires Meg to help him with

III. Personal Comments- Even though this was a very good book, I just couldn’t bring myself to agree with the spiritual side of things as it says that if your good deeds outweigh the bad deeds, then you will get into Heaven. Another thing that bothered me is the portrayal of Peter. He seems like he hates it in Heaven and hates his job, which is not something I would expect of him.