On his eighth birthday, Billy Miller blows out the candles on his cake and makes a wish that something exciting would happen. A few minutes later there are sirens in the street outside; Billy’s 92-year-old neighbor, Mr. Tooley, has died. In the week that follows, while Billy’s artist dad is away at art camp, Billy, his little sister Sal, and his mom start cleaning the basement, a project soon abandoned—but not before a bat in the basement complicates Billy’s admiration for the animal, and the discovery of his parents’ old love letters make him cringe. Mom naps a lot, and Sal is a force to be reckoned with, whether asking Mr. Tooley’s family to give back the sympathy cards she drew, using Billy’s new markers to draw butterfly tattoos all over her legs (they don’t wash off), or delivering their parents’ old love letters to the neighbors while playing post office. The week unfolds in a string of events ranging from poignant to comical in their authenticity. Through it all, as he was in The Year of Billy Miller, Billy, who is white, is patient, thoughtful, slightly anxious (wondering if his birthday wish is why Mr. Tooley died, worrying about his dad being away) and very much eight in a story that, like its predecessor, gives perfect weight to the interior life of a child. (Ages 7-10)

“Full of heart and depth.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Henkes is a master of characterization. —The Horn Book (starred review)

“A first-rate choice for reading aloud.”—Booklist (starred review)

Billy Miller is back! This stand-alone companion to two-time Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes’s award-winning, acclaimed, and bestselling The Year of Billy Miller, Billy Miller Makes a Wish is a laugh-out-loud funny and accessible story about summer, family, and wishes that (almost) come true.

Billy Miller Makes a Wish is illustrated in black-and-white throughout by the author, and is perfect for fans of the Ramona books and the Clementine series.

On his birthday, Billy Miller wishes for something exciting to happen. But he immediately regrets his wish when an ambulance rushes to his neighbor’s house. Is Billy responsible? Award-winning author Kevin Henkes delivers a short, funny, and emotionally complex novel complete with misplaced love letters, surprising critters, art projects, misguided tattoos—and another surprise for Billy and his family, maybe the best one yet!

Illustrated throughout with black-and-white art by the author, this is a perfect novel for the early elementary grades and an essential choice for summer reading. A stand-alone companion to The Year of Billy Miller, a Newbery Honor Book.