This is a review of a charming pair of books by Joe Stiple. This dual includes The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride and its sequel, The Final Wish of Mr. Murray McBride.
The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride (Book 1 of 2)
Jason has a list of five things he wants to do before he dies. Together, Murray and Jason race against the limited time each has left to complete the wishes one-by-one. And, the wishes are not easy ones to complete.
Jason's Wish List
Five Things I want to do before my heart dies and I go to Heaven:
- Kiss a girl (on the lips.)
- Hit a home-run in a major league baseball stadium
- Be a Superhero
- Find a nice boyfriend for mom
- Do real magic
~By the amazing Jason Cashman
Wish number 2 is helped by the fact that old Mr. Murray McBride happens to have been a professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and that they live in a small town in Illinois just 20 miles from Chicago's Wrigley Field.
As Murray and Jason work on the 'wishes', along with Jason's best friend Tiegan (the 10-year-old girl who lives next door), Murray remembers what it's like to be young, and Jason fights for the opportunity to grow old.
Their worlds are turned upside-down when tragedy strikes, and an unexpected gift is the only thing that can make Jason's final wish come true.
The story continues on with the sequel ….
The Final Wish of Mr. Murray McBride (Book 2 of 2)
Then, he meets Alexandra Lopez, an 11-and-a-quarter year old Guatemalan girl who loves America so much that she always dresses in red, white & blue. Trouble is, her father, Juan, entered the United States illegally when she was a baby, so they are effectively undocumented aliens. Now they face deportation. This presents a terrible problem because Alexandra has Type I Diabetes and would die without her insulin. The tiny Guatemalan village they come from has no doctor or any type of medical facility and getting insulin regularly would be very chancy there.
Inspired by his old friend, Mr. Murray McBride, Jason decides the only thing he can do to help is to give Alexandra five wishes before she must leave.
Jason & Alexandra set off to check off as many wishes as they can, but when Jason's transplanted heart begins to fail, he must choose between his obligation to the past, and his hopes for the future.
Summary
These two Mr. Murray McBride books by Joe Siple are heart-warming. These Coming-of-Age & Family Life stories will make you laugh; they will make you cry, and they will completely capture your heart. I highly recommend them.
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This sounds like a pair of very touching books! I think my mother and I would both enjoy these books. Thank you for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThese Mr. Murray McBride stories are truly heartwarming, Mouse. I'm sure you, and your mom, would enjoy them.
DeleteThese stories sound heartwarming and filled with the empathy and kindness this world could use a lot more of. Thank you so much for recommending them.
ReplyDeleteThat is very true. Thanks for your visit to my book reviews.
DeleteThe Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride and The Final Wish of Mr. Murray McBride sound such beautiful, touching and heart warming books. I think I would enjoy both of them. Thank you so much for your recommendation and review.
ReplyDeleteThey really are special books, Raintree Annie. And one follows the other, so they are good to read back-to-back.
ReplyDeleteOh I know I would enjoy these books Pat. I love stories that touch a deep part of my being and these just fit right in there. Thanks for this review and two more books to add to my growing list of Must Reads!
ReplyDeletePleased you are happy with my recommendations, Olivia. They really are special stories.
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