The Collectors

Van is small and quiet, and people have a tendency to overlook him, but he notices everything.  He may not be able to hear well, but he can focus in on the small things in the world around him like no one else he knows.  He travels the world with his mother.  They live in the city where his mother is performing in the opera and then move on to the next. 

One day Van notices something he shouldn't--a girl in a long black coat taking pennies out of a fountain.  She's accompanied by a talking squirrel.  Not only can the squirrel talk, but Van has no problems hearing him.  It's like the squirrel is talking directly into his mind.  He follows the girl and her squirrel and discovers the truth, wishes are real!  Pebble is a collector.  It's their job to collect wishes before they can get out into the world.  As Pebble tells him, some wishes are silly, but others are dangerous. 

No one is supposed to know about the collectors.  No one has ever even seen them before.  Van is sworn to secrecy and sent on his way, but he can't stop thinking about the collectors and the creatures who help them collect the wishes. 

He soon discovers the collectors aren't the only ones after the wishes, and they haven't told him the whole truth.  He's stumbled on a strange new world full of rivals where everyone seems to be keeping secrets.  Can Van uncover the truth before he makes a terrible mistake?

This series opener by Jacqueline West is a fun fantasy adventure featuring a character with a disability.  While Van's hearing loss sometimes leaves him confused, it is also often an advantage.  It's an interesting premise, but I couldn't help questioning the impossibility of collecting ALL the wishes and other creatures important to the story.  Maybe those questions will be answered in subsequent books.  Recommended for fantasy fans.