In a GIRL’S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT and the series it spawned, Ms. Klasky established herself as a mistress of the light magical touch. Now she’s back with a fun new romp about a romantically challenged woman and the genie that changes her life.

HOW NOT TO MAKE A WISH is quirky and creative. The heroine is a stage manager, and I probably learned more about the theater from this book than I ever did in my college classes. Ms. Klasky takes full advantage of the odd personalities that comprise the world of acting, and her heroine is forced to endure one zany theater misadventure after another.

As always, the supporting cast is well-drawn and lovable. Ms. Klasky has a gift for nostalgic detail and character quirks, and by the end of the book you can already predict what the heroine’s lawyerly father is going to say about her lifestyle changes. You know what kind of Chinese food the characters love, and you’d even be a little surprised if her promiscuous roommate settled down with one guy.

If there’s anything to complain about in this book, it’s that our heroine makes remarkably modest wishes. If I had a genie in a lamp, you’d better believe that I’d be a gazillionaire by the end of the day. But the wishes our heroine does make cause her no end of trouble.

This book made me giggle a lot. Ms. Klasky writes with great affection for her characters, for her subject matter, and for her readers. It’s hard to read a book like HOW NOT TO MAKE A WISH and not feel like a genie just gave you a hug and produced a hot cup of cocoa out of thin air.