Camilla Chester’s latest middle grade novel, Thirteenth Wish, will have you on the edge of your seat as you read, wide-eyed at the time-travel scenarios that are built in layers that compliment the storyline.

Jayden’s 13th birthday hasn’t gone the way he was expecting. Everyone’s busy and he’s been left alone in the house with nothing but a birthday cake to keep him company. Moping around he notices that the some of the books in the hall are sticking out farther than they should be from their home in the family bookcase. As he investigates, a dimple in the wallpaper reveals a panel that was once a door.

Excited at what he might find, he enters the hidden lair to discover a child’s bedroom. Not just an ordinary room, a room full of history and secrets with old slippers under the bed and model aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling with decades of dust covering their paint. Exploring this new addition to his home, Jayden lies down on the bed. Unknown to him as he closes his eyes he is transported to another time, there he meets the boy from the room – Pip.

Crossing lands filled with dragons, his dream-like state carries Jayden farther from home, a journey that takes years and yet he stays the same age. Pip and Jayden meet a young girl called Sally. She seems familiar to them but at the same time he’s sure he hasn’t met her before. Does Sally hold the key to his return to the present day? Has he missed his birthday? Does anyone know where he is? Are they even looking for him?