Summary from GoodReads:

It’s 1964 and ten-year-old Felix is sure of a few things: the birds and the bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he’ll never forget.

LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone’s turntable, and Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy.

Back in his beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, with a new cast of endearing characters, Wally Lamb takes his readers straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School—where Mother Filomina’s word is law and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski is sure to be minding everyone’s business. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette, straight from QuÉbec, and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin’ and Hopin’ barrels toward one outrageous Christmas.

From the Funicello family’s bus-station lunch counter to the elementary school playground (with an uproarious stop at the Pillsbury Bake-Off),Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a vivid slice of 1960s life, a wise and witty holiday tale that celebrates where we’ve been—and how far we’ve come.

My Review:

I really wasn’t sure how this book would go, as I had two completely different expectations from it.  I thought either it would be sappy and sweet, or it would be a book that had me laughing my butt off.  Wishin’ and Hopin’ definitely fulfilled the latter expectation and then some.

Think.. A Christmas Story mixed with the Frank’s story of growing up in Catholic Ireland.  While Felix, the ten-year-old who is telling his own story, doesn’t live in Ireland, he does live in the fantastic world of 1964 US of A – a world where Beetles, Beehive hair-do’s, Bandstand, Catholic Schools and Annette Funicello reign.

There are so many priceless moments in this book, and I don’t want to ruin them all for you, but I have to say that one of my favorite moments was an appearance made on television (which, according to the epilogue, was based on a real-life moment).  I seriously laughed until I cried and everything was written so well I could visualize it happening as I read about it.

I wasn’t alive during the 1960′s, so this story wasn’t a trip down memory lane for me.  But I’ve seen enough movies, read enough stories and talked to my folks about the 60′s enough to feel a connection with Felix’s story and to appreciate it for what it was – a funny, insightful, nostalgic look at the world through the eyes of a 10 year old.  And while things have changed today and classrooms have become completely different, there are still ten year olds out there experiencing the same wonder and living in the same innocence that Felix lived and experienced.   That’s what made this book such a beautiful start to the Christmas season, reading-wise for me.  An innocent, heart-warming story filled with charm, family and life.

About the Author

Wally Lamb’s first two novels, She’s Come Undone (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, 1992) and I Know This Much Is True(HarperCollins/ReganBooks, 1998), were # 1 New York Timesbestsellers, New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and featured titles of Oprah’s Book Club. I Know This Much Is Truewas a Book of the Month Club main selection and the June 1999 featured selection of the Bertelsman Book Club, the national book club of Germany. Between them, She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True have been translated into eighteen languages.Lamb is also the editor of the nonfiction anthologies Couldn’t Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters…

For more reviews on Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”