The Perfect Wish by Eytan Halaban


When a tenth grader from Long Island saves the life of a Sheba princess—they fall madly in love and anger the gods of an ancient people.

Jimmy Paterson, 16, has great plans to be a famous explorer—to find something new and put his name on maps forever. Jimmy sneaks off to Ethiopia to chart a mysterious river. While lost in the mountains he stumbles into the hidden land of Sheba, which has been thriving since King Solomon’s time. Diamonds serve as paving stones and the most beautiful girl Jimmy has ever met, Princess Tamar, 16, will soon be queen—that is, if she isn’t killed first by the High Priest who wants Tamar for his son, Prince Amnon, 17. While Jimmy fights to save Tamar’s life, he knows that time is ticking, and the only chance he has to live is escaping Sheba. Tamar, too, realizes that Jimmy’s life lies beyond Sheba’s borders, which not even the Queen of Sheba can cross. Tamar and Jimmy must decide how far to go for love, and at what price.

 

“a nice contemporary tale combining the legends of Sheba, Solomon, and the Ancient East.”

          —  Portland Book Review
  Read the full review HERE