Steven R. McEvoy's Reviews > Genie in a Bottle

This is the fifteenth time I have read a book in this series. I have been reading these stories with my girls for over 6 years now. I read a few of these stories with my oldest starting in 2016. Now my youngest is reading them to me, and her sister handed down the first several stories in the series. And we have added the rest to have the complete series, at least what is available to date. My youngest insists we review everything that we read together, so this review from 2022 is part of that effort. And my youngest had been writing her own reviews of the books she has finished for the last year and is planning on starting her own book blog. Between reading with my oldest and youngest this is the seventeenth time I have read a book in this series. The stories have great staying power. Even as an adult I can enjoy these books, not only the first time but rereading them again and again.

Mlynowski always does a wonderful job with the story in this book, and all we have read in the series so far. My oldest was a reluctant reader. Back then when we read, I would read two pages for every page she read to me. The whole family loves these stories from 8-years old to 80 years old. It is a fantastic series. The stories are fun and entertaining, but also have some valuable lessons and insight.

My youngest daughter and I both give this story a solid 5/5 stars, she says this is her second favourite to date. She was also surprised by what happened at the end with the surprise last wish by Abby and Jonah’s gifting. This story had a lot of twists and turns that she had not guessed and took her completely by surprise. She was totally taken by what happened at the end, especially with Karimah and the street children. She loved the surprise around what happened to Abby’s jewellery box once the story was resolved, yet again this time.

The description of this story is:

“Be careful what you wish for...When my brother, Jonah, and I travel through our mirror into the story of Aladdin, we're excited. There will be magic lamps and genies granting wishes. Right? Wrong. The genie we meet isn't QUITE as helpful as we expected. And if Aladdin's wishes don't come true, he won't get to marry the princess and live happily ever after! Now we have to:- Escape an enchanted cave- Find forty buckets of jewels- Plan a parade- Learn to fly a magic carpet. Otherwise we'll run out of wishes... and never get home!

I enjoyed Abby’s growth in this story, she is continuing to grow and mature. She is also becoming better at troubleshooting issues and problems during their adventures. I was surprised by some of the twists in this one. It is one of the best in the series.

We always enjoy Mlynowski’s twists and takes on old tales. Another great take on a familiar tale. The writing in these stories is excellent. My daughters and I love reading them together. And the retelling of this story surprised both of us at several different points and I am certain it will surprise you. It is a great book in an excellent series.