The Collectors

Written by Jacqueline West

Narrated by Ramón de Ocampo

Even the smallest wish can be dangerous. That’s why the Collectors are always keeping watch.

The Collectors sweeps listeners into a hidden world where wishes are stolen and dreams have a price. Fast-paced, witty, and riveting, this contemporary fantasy adventure has magic woven through every page.

It's the first book in a two-book series from Jacqueline West, the New York Times–bestselling author of The Books of Elsewhere series. For fans of Serafina and the Black Cloak, The Isle of the Lost, and The Secret Keepers.

Van has always been an outsider. Most people don’t notice him. But he notices them. And he notices the small trinkets they drop, or lose, or throw away—that’s why his collection is full of treasures. Then one day, Van notices a girl stealing pennies from a fountain, and everything changes. He follows the girl, Pebble, and uncovers an underground world full of wishes and the people who collect them. Apparently not all wishes are good and even good wishes often have unintended consequences—and the Collectors have made it their duty to protect us. But they aren't the only ones who have their eyes on the world’s wishes—and they may not be the good guys, after all.  

Jacqueline West, author of the New York Times–bestselling Books of Elsewhere series, draws readers into a story about friendship, magic, and the gray area between good and evil. The Collectors is for fans of Cassie Beasley’s Circus Mirandus and Jonathan Auxier’s The Night Gardener.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9780062855114

Jacqueline West

Jacqueline West is the author of the New York Times-bestselling middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere, the Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book The Collectors, and several other novels for young readers and teens. An award-winning poet and occasional actress, she lives with her family in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Reviews for The Collectors

[longdogmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It felt magical from the first page, and it was quite creative and unique in its premise. What I especially enjoyed what the way you, like Van, the main character, which side was bad and which side was good. It seemed like there were good people, who thought they were doing right on both sides and Van was stuck in the middle. One minute he would think one particular side was right, and then the other, then back again. He came to realize that one shouldn't just take a position without really learning more and investigating into ALL the facts behind certain positions. Things aren't always what they seem, nor are people, which Van learns as he finds out more about the family life of another boy.It's a story that can make a child think and ponder, and that's a good thing. Even wishes that seem all good could come true in bad ways. Sometimes when you get what you think you want, you discover it's not really that great. Life is never as simple as it seems. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and have already ordered it.

[sgrame_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Van likes to collect little unnoticed trinkets. He's small and usually goes unnoticed, so his hobby fits right in. Until one day, when a girl notices him- one who has a squirrel on her shoulder and leads him into an adventure where this hearing impaired boy can hear animals talk and hold a magical creature called a wish-eater in the palms of his hands. He learns there are consequences of making a real wish, and sometimes these are not what the wish-maker intended. Van also gets caught in the middle as 2 groups discover his special abilities and want him to help them, and there's no telling which group is more dangerous. This is a great fantasy adventure for grades 4-7.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Weird, and quite good. A very good presentation of the idea that there's not always a right side - Van has to deal with multiple conflicting truths. I was annoyed by the (omnipresent in YA books, it seems) refusal to actually _talk_ to the other person. Pebble apparently thought her locust or termite simile conveyed something - it didn't much to me, and it didn't seem to convey anything at all to Van, for one example. There's a great deal of rushing around and pushing Van around, and flat no _explanation_ of either side (on the other side, there's a great deal of kindly talk, but it's more persuasive than explanatory). Lucky for the Collectors that Van encountered Pebble first. Still, it was an interesting story and several neat new concepts - I hope there will be a sequel.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Van notices things other people don't. He finds coins and all manners of things as he explores the city. He also relies on hearing aids to help him hear. When he suddenly finds he can hear a squirrel talk and runs into a mysterious girl twice, he is drawn into the world of the collectors, a group that captures wishes. He meets a man who collects Wish Eaters, creatures who grant wishes. He must decides which side he is going to support in this world that goes largely unseen by other people.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although he tends to go through life generally unnoticed, Van himself is very good at noticing things. Little things that other people would never see. He finds out one day that he can even see some people whom other, normal, folks can't, and that's where his adventures begin. These usually invisible people are Collectors - they steal away wishes before the Wish Eaters can get them. But Van soon discovers that it's not at all easy to discern which side is the right side in this struggle, and that things like good intentions can have disastrous effects.I loved this Schneider Honor Book, both for it's excellent and imaginative story, but also - and especially - for how Van is portrayed as a boy who wears hearing aids but how that isn't a major plot point. Van is just Van and his hearing aids are a part of how his life works, NBD. As it should be.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The CollectorsByJacqueline WestWhat it's all about...Van is the young son of a famous opera singer. They live wherever his mother sings. This makes Van the newest kid in his class...wherever they go. Van is also deaf and wears hearing aids but there are certain situations where he just does not hear what people are saying. Van also likes tiny things. He seems to find something odd and unique wherever he goes. He loves looking down for small discarded treasures. One day he sees a girl and her squirrel...that would be Pebbles and her squirrel Barnavelt. Van can both see them and hear them and this is just not supposed to happen. This also marks his entrance into the creepy world of the Collectors. Why I wanted to read it...I love middle grade books that are mixed with a healthy dose of fantasy. This book had that delightful dose. What made me truly enjoy this book...I loved this book because of its wondrous mix of good guys, bad guys and those that are in between. Van gets braver and stronger and that is something he needed. The idea of wishes coming true when you feed the Wish Eaters was fun and then just a tiny bit scary. Well...actually...a lot scary! Wait until you find out what happens when the Wish Eaters are fed! Yikes! Why you should read it, too...Middle grade readers who love a book about a boy who can become a sort of a hero and who love adventures that take place in dark and kind of creepy places...will love this book. I can’t wait to see what Van does next! I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.