Oliver and his mother are moving into his great-aunt's apartment. Oliver is grateful having had to move around multiple times after his dad's death. He just wants to start his own restaurant and follow in his father's footsteps, but his mother wants more for him. Sent off to the rich kid school where it is very obvious that he is a scholarship kid, Ollie wants more. One night, in a fit of anger he writes a note and throws it down a mail slot oddly placed within their apartment. Then, the thing he wished for, came true. Not knowing the consequences or caring about them, Oliver keeps making wishes.

Then he tells his only friend Colette about the wishes, and she wants to make some too, even though she has more than any person needs. We slowly learn about the consequences that are occurring due to their wishes, and with each wish the reader feels the terrible danger they're getting close too. It isn't until the next door neighbor reveals her evil plan that Oliver even stops to realize what is happening.

A book about being careful what you wish for, and being grateful for what you have, this is a adventure of kids thinking everything will be easier if they just ask. Filled with little illustrations that feel very Dahl-esque, this is a worthwhile read.

I'm a big fan of Vera Brosgol's graphic novels and picture books, and I was really impressed that she was able to transition to writing in prose. The pictures are great but not always necessary (until we traveled to the other dimension). The themes discussed in this book are something I wish I saw more of in the middle grade space.

An illustrated novel with a lovely story of new beginnings, friendship, and being careful what you wish for. I think the drawings add so much to the story, and the characters themselves are fun and engaging.

If you could wish for anything, what would you wish for? Would you still wish for it knowing that there will be unintended consequences in the world? When Oliver and his mom move into a new apartment, Oliver discovers a magical mail slot that grants his every wish. Finally, Oliver can get things that other kids get like new sneakers and pizza for dinner. Things really start to go awry when he starts making bigger wishes like a fighter jet! Every wish comes with consequences. When Oliver realizes his actions are affecting others, will he stop making wishes? And what is going on with his creepy neighbor? This is a fun, imaginative read. Kids will really connect with Oliver and love going on his adventure with him.

Return To Sender is unlike any other middle grade novel I've read. It starts out with the typical fantasy, wish granted trope, but quickly turns into a high stakes sci-fi thriller. In the end, the novel begs the bigger question of: is getting what we want worth it even if others are hurt in the process? And: what would life be like if we were simply content with what we already have?

This middle grade delight covers topics like the death of a parent, depression, home and food insecurities, inequalities in education and health care, and the idea that sometimes we're unhappy simply because we find out what other people have, even if those things are truly frivolities. Oliver's character is so likeable, and I felt so much empathy for him as he deals with extreme anger over the unfair struggles his family has experienced, as well as the extreme pressure he feels to take care of his mother.

I cannot wait to order this for my school library and start hyping it up next school year. I loved how this ended, and can see there being a sequel of some sort.

I loved the theme of this book and the arc of Oliver’s character. I even loved the ending which is typically where a book goes south for me. My only issue was the climax. It was confusing and so different from the rest of the story. Without that, this for sure would’ve been a 5 star read.

It took me a lot longer to get through this one because I didn't think like I had all of the information in the middle. There were pieces that were disjointed however the story boils down to Oliver and his mother working through the grief of the husband/father dying and his dream of a restaurant and being comfortable went with it. Because of that they moved into a former family member's apartment that was left to them and Oliver's mom took a job working maintenance at the new fancy school Oliver is now attending.

Enter the magical mail slot in the house where Oliver begins wishing for things to help and they're coming true but not always in the way he's wishing.

I think I need to see the final version before I make a definite decision as the digital unfinished copy probably doesn't do it justice with Brosgol's creativity!

"Return to sender" felt like a pretty fresh concept to me. Granted there are other wish fulfillment novels, the mechanics of Oliver's mysterious mail slot were a novel concept. His slow realization of the ramifications of his actions and what he had to do kept the story moving along. With a snappy and funny friend/sidekick, and a loving and understanding mom, I was really satisfied with all the characters in the book.

Loss of a parent, a child taking care of mom, cooking as survival but also as the child's last link to the departed father.
The main character (Oliver) realizes that life is not fair in many ways. When they move, he meets a new friend, a girl who is often in trouble (lots of humorous scenes). She is very rich, like most of the students of the new school, but she is lonely and unhappy. Oliver misses his father, and he is afraid to find his own path, but he is very kind to others. Then comes the opportunity to make wishes that come true (although there is a price). The gifts start to give Oliver control over things he usually can't change.
There is an antagonist (plus mean kids). This character plus magic realism helps to balance the sad moments and gives a lot of action and entertainment to this unique adventure.

2.5 This started so well but ahhh!, what happened? Oliver is living in a new apartment and attending a new, very posh school. The apartment has a mail slot, the school has a bully, the apartment neighbor is creepy, and Oliver and his mother are grieving his father's death and have very little money. Magic plays a big part in the story. The overall moral of the story, "be careful what you wish for", is good. But the narrative lost strength in the end, becoming way too bizarre. The illustrations are great. Kids may enjoy it more than I did.

I've been a fan of Brosgol's graphic novels, so I was excited to read her chapter book debut, and it did not disappoint. I flew through this book! Oliver's plight was very relatable, and it was interesting seeing how the circumstances worked to get him his wishes. I definitely didn't see the twist with his neighbor coming, and the end tied everything up nicely. I would have liked one more denouement to see what Lucas was up to, but that might be one thing too many.

Homeless after her husband's death, Oliver's mother inherits a NYC apartment. Working as a janitor allows Oliver to attend an exclusive prep school. Discovering a mail slot that grants magic wishes leads Oliver on a dangerous path. Spot illustrations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, heartfelt adventure that brought to mind the whimsy of Roald Dahl. Oliver has had it rough - his dad has died, his mom's struggle through her own grief has led them to living with one relative after another, until they finally take up residence in an inherited apartment in New York City, where Oliver's mom has procured a job and placement for her son at an expensive private school. Oliver unhappily goes along, not wanting to upset his mother, until he discovers a magic wish-giving letter box in his apartment. What happens next could have been predictable, but Brosgol takes this "be careful what you wish for" story through unexpected twists and turns. I was pleased to find a lot of heart in this story, as Oliver learns about the consequences of his wishes. The illustrations throughout add humor, and while some characters at first seem like caricatures, they do become fully formed as Oliver begins to see past his own perspective.
Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the advanced copy. I will definitely add this book to our collection.

4 stars

I just love Vera Brosgol's graphic novels, so I couldn't wait to see what this fewer images / more words option would have to offer. As expected, so SO much!

Oliver is 10 years old, but he has some hefty challenges and responsibilities to manage, When his father died, his mother understandably crumbled. While she sank into a depressive state, which is referenced several times throughout the novel, Oliver took care of her and also himself. To some degree, though his mother is much more functional, Oliver still has a lot of responsibility and worry, not to mention his own grief to address. On top of the death of his father and difficult state his mother has been in, Oliver and his mother have recently relocated. This means a new house, new neighbors, new school, and new kids and norms. The new school highlights Oliver's lower socioeconomic status by placing him with a number of privileged peers. But all of the money in the world can't buy them something very special and quite magical that Oliver has on lock.

Oliver is such a likeable character, and it's always heartbreaking to find a young person who is facing so much difficulty. It's also often easy to connect with them, and that definitely happens here. Although the book is full of serious motifs and challenging moments, there are also careful touches of lightheartedness and so much hopefulness that help to balance emotions.

I came in a devoted Brosgol fan and am leaving with the same enthusiasm for this wonderful author.

Brosgol has been known for her stunning art in graphic works like Be Prepared, yet Return to Sender just might be my favorite work of hers yet even with minimal illustration. Setting the fantastical wish element in such a regular, realistic scenario of a sad boy struggling at a fancy prep school worked perfectly. The whimsy and humor never missed a beat.

Ollie moves into his great Aunt Barb's apartment with his mom and figures out that there is a magical mail slot that grants him wishes.
While he is getting settled in at his new school, he makes a new friend in Collete, but soon starts to get jealous of her and other classmates. He never really wanted for anything before, but now that he sees all that they have he thinks it's unfair that they can have all this and not him. He starts to wish for things, but doesn't realize that every wish has a consequence.
He slowly learns that that's why his Aunt may have stopped making wishes because she figured out that sometimes the consequences were big and creating big ripples in the world.
His neighbor Eliza wants the apartment, as she wants to make wishes of her own. But when he and Eliza get pulled into the mail slot, they discover a whole other world.
I was not expecting what happens when Ollie is pulled into the mail slot and thought it was a little weird, but it made other things make sense.
I thought this was a good book to see how children are affected by grief and different things happening around them.
You never know how much your little gesture can affect the world around you.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Very solid middle grade that I think a lot of kids will get a big kick out of! Some parts felt very disjointed and I couldn't figure out where we were or what was happening--perhaps just a formatting issue that won't appear in the final hard copy? I appreciated how Oliver struggled with concepts of privilege and felt it was handled very effectively.

I really enjoyed spending time with Oliver and his magical mail slot. The writing was well done and reads well for middle grade. I loved the themes of appreciating what you have, the importance of family, and how hard it is to see others with abundance while you have little in material things. The lesson is not heavy handed and whole the book does deal with difficult issues, it is handled appropriately for its audience. I continue to love everything Vera writes and can’t wait to recommend this book to my patrons!

This is Vera’s first novel that doesn’t rely on pictures. Vera has written many delightful picture books and graphic novels. I’ve enjoyed her other works so much, I wanted to read this one! I am so glad I did! Return to Sender is a fun science-fiction read where a mysterious mail slot makes any wish you write down come true. Infusing quirky characters, deep problems of death, grief, depression, social classes, and dealing with desire. I laughed and felt the life lessons in my heart! I would read another book with these characters! The characters are likable fourth graders and a single mom who works for her son’s future. I highly recommend this to any elementary student who enjoys adventure, mystery, and magic!

I cannot read this as intended as NetGalley will not allow me to open it up on my Kobo and I refuse to use Amazon for anything.