Das Elixier der teuflischen Wünsche

by Tom Llewellyn, Nina Dulleck (Illustrator), Ilse Layer (Translator)

Gabriel kann es nicht glauben. In der Flasche soll ein Flaschengeist wohnen, der Wünsche erfüllt? Nie und nimmer! Doch kaum hat er Hunger, da bekommt er eine Pizza geschenkt. Und ebenso plötzlich steht sein Traumauto vor der Tür.

Allerdings haben die Wünsche ihren Preis: Jeder erfüllte Wunsch bedeutet für einen anderen Menschen ein Unglück. Gabriel will die Flasche unbedingt wieder loswerden. Doch da hat er die Rechnung ohne den Flaschengeist gemacht …

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Humor, Childrens, Horror, Juvenile

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2018

About the author

TOM LLEWELLYN is the author of five novels for middle-grade and young-adult readers, and one picture book. His books have been translated into five languages.

His first novel, The Tilting House, was published by Random House in 2010. Regarding his 2024 novel, The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith (Holiday House), Booklist said: "A truly memorable setting for a terrific tale."

Tom graduated with honors from the University of Washington's creative writing program. When he's not making books, he writes thought leadership for an investment company and serves as the co-founder of the street art project, Beautiful Angle. Tom was born in Tacoma, Washington, where he raised his four brilliant children. He lives in Tacoma with his amazing wife, Deb.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

". . . wishes don't come for free. When one person wins, another loses . . . and the bottle came from the Devil, so there's a catch. If you die with it in your possession, the Devil claims your soul."

Recently reduced circumstances have led 13-year-old Gabe Silver and his family to reside in a rundown apartment building, ruled over by an obnoxious landlady. There Gabe meets the other strange and unusual tenants, and frequently locks horns with an unfriendly girl who lives in the neighborhood. He's bored and pretty unhappy, but things get a little too exciting when he buys a magic bottle that houses a wish-granting imp.

The fact that wished-for items are not conjured out of thin air, but taken from another person presents an interesting moral dilemma for the young protagonist, who soon learns that nothing is free but love and friendship. I honestly bought this one for the illustrations by the lovely and talented Gris Grimly, but ended up enjoying the story, as well. It turned out it be a bit more serious than I expected, though the ending had a delightful, laugh out-loud twist.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a funny and heartwarming story that made me feel happy and nervous at the same time. It also is a very nice story and I wanted to read it again. Sadly I can’t because I have so many books to read. But l’m sure I’ll get to it.😽

[Karschtl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tolle Idee, aus der aber bald schon die Luft raus ist

3,5 Sterne

Doktor Faustus, Timm Thaler, Gabriel Silver - sie alle erliegen der Versuchung all ihre Wünsche erfüllt zu bekommen, und verkaufen im Gegenzug ihre Seele an den Teufel. Wobei Gabriel, der Protagonist in diesem Buch, ein kleines Hintertürchen offen hat: wenn er seinen kleinen Flaschengeist verkauft bevor er stirbt, muss er selbst nicht dran glauben. Ha, nichts leichter als das! Denn wer würde ihm nicht so eine tolle Wunderflasche abkaufen, die alle erdenklichen Wünsche erfüllt? Selbst wenn für jeden Wunsch jemand anderer etwas 'verliert'.

Das Konzept ist zwar nicht neu, aber immer gut für ein tolles Jugendbuch. Und ich hatte viel Spaß mit der Geschichte, bis sie mir dann irgendwann entglitten ist. Ich kann noch nicht einmal genau sagen, wieso sich bei mir plötzlich ein Dämpfer einstellte, aber dafür weiß ich ab wann: ab dem Punkt in der Geschichte, an dem Gabriel die Flasche verkauft, was überraschend früh geschieht. Wahrscheinlich hatte ich ganz andere Erwartungen, die in dieser Art nicht erfüllt wurden. Ich dachte, Gabriel wird seine Wünsche für sinnvolle Dinge einsetzen (Pizza? Whirlpool?), oder seinem Gewissen folgend herausfinden wollen wie er sich was wünschen kann ohne dass jemand anderer zu Schaden kommt. Oder er wird das Rätsel um den Flaschengeist an sich lösen und den ganzen Hokuspokus zu einem Ende bringen. Doch nichts davon passiert, stattdessen gibt es eine unnötige Episode um die Malerin Hashimoto, die wahrscheinlich für die jugendliche Zielgruppe noch weniger interessant (oder verständlich) ist als für mich.

Ich mag die Prämisse der Geschichte, und kann mir das ganze auch als super Jugendfilm vorstellen. Nur habe ich mich leider in der 2. Hälfte des Buches eher gelangweilt als gebannt und aufgeregt Gabriel und seine Freunde zu begleiten, wie ich es mir eigentlich vorgestellt hatte. Das Ende hingegen, also das letzte Kapitel (und dort ganz besonders der allerletzte Abschnitt), war wieder sehr gut und ein passender Abschluss.
[Ohne das Buch bisher gelesen zu haben (mit 8 Jahren ist er ist noch 2-3 Jahre zu jung dafür, denke ich), kam mein Sohn übrigens auf dieselbe Idee, die den Schluss des Buches bildet! Ich habe ihm erzählt worum es in dem Buch geht, und was das große Problem bei der Sache ist. Und er haut einfach so eine Lösung raus. Respekt, ich wär da ja nie drauf gekommen! Kinder denken da vielleicht viel einfacher aber dafür schlauer als wir.]

[Kat San Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most unique, and most thought-provoking middle grades I’ve read in a very long time. It’s full of love, friendship, and adventure.

An absolutely wickedly fun and endearing story. I loved all the quirky characters, and fell in love with Gabe, Joanna, and Henry.

Interwoven in this really scary story of losing one’s soul, was a story with a whole lot of heart.

[Clemy-chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess to having bought this book, more for the cover and illustrations than out of genuine interest for the story. And yet, it was a pleasant enough read, with some quirky characters and "a series of unfortunate events" style humor and narration.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia 6th grade

The Bottle Imp of Bright House by Tom Llewellyn is a book about a boy who has just moved into the bright house apartment, he buys a bottle imp from a man while in the town one day. He is told to wish for anything and it will be given to him, but there is also a dark side. If he dies with the bottle then his soul belongs to the devil himself. At first he despises the bottle imp until he makes his first wish, after that he believes in the bottle imp and is impressed. So he makes more and more wishes, until his friends tell him that he should be careful because he does not want to die with it. This book is very mysterious and fun to read because there are so many amazing unique, quirky, characters. My only complaint would be that it is a little boring and tiring towards the end, but the actually ending is so intense. I connected to this book because first of all i love making wishes and secondly all the characters are unique in there own way like the real world. I would definitely recommend this to to pre-teens or teens.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabe Silver's family has fallen on hard times and they've had to move into a rattletrap apartment building in Tacoma. When he is approached by a man with a magic bottle that grants wishes it seems like all his dreams will come true. However, wishes come at a price--someone's gain is someone else's loss. And the last person left with the bottle loses his or her soul. What is Gabe going to do? This is a well-written story, and I live in Tacoma so I recognize some of the scenery. However, it's hard to get a grasp on the era in which the story takes place. It's modern, but many of the illustrations and events are more typical of earlier times. Nevertheless, it provides an interesting look at the whole "wish fulfillment" concept, leading readers to think more deeply about its consequences. Oh, and it also is about friendship, greed, and consequences.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

With artwork by my favourite children's illustrator, Gris Grimly, of course I had to pick up this book. Even better, he always seems to team up with great children's book authors.

Gabe Silver, buys a bottle that contains an imp, that will grant him his wishes. However, there are stipulations that end with the devil obtaining his soul when he dies unless he sells the bottle to the next owner for a less than what he paid. Of course there are consequences for his wishes.

Delightful read perfect for young tween readers and others who are young at heart.

[Dani]

Admittedly, I wanted to buy this book because I'm a fan of Gris Grimley (the book's illustrator) but reading the blurb I was also so intrigued by what Llewellyn would make of this premise.
I was not disappointed; the story is utterly original and such fun to read and let me tell you, most of the book's dialogues alone were worth its purchase.
I finished this story with a cheshire smile on my face and a sneaking suspicion there will be another Llewellyn book in my future.

[Angelica Antonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very fun. Very much needed wholesomeness in a story about finding friends in unlikely places through unlikely situations and learning a lesson along the way. I loved the characters. I kinda wish there was a sequel cause I wanted to keep hanging out with them but I’m also glad it doesn’t so they don’t milk them either.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed a bit young for it's intended audience (or at least for the main character's age) and the characters, who I think were supposed to evoke the same kind of whimsy as Roald Dahl, just fell flat. It was, however, different and I appreciated that.

[Irem Sunar-Ozat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story. It's a fun, easy-to-read book for middle graders. I also loved the way Llewellyn managed to tell the importance of taking responsibility for the decisions we make, without sounding teachery. The story is also a nice blend of spooky and fun.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this because I loved Gris Grimly’s artwork. The artwork was great (and there wasn’t enough of it!). The story was interesting and makes you think a bit, but it was slow to get into. I liked how it ended.

[Sarah Heavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t have loved this book more. Has all the greats of a good story- friendship, characters you relate to, watching children make decisions between what helps them but may hurt others. So many mysteries within a mystery. A must real aloud for school aged kids.

[Lexi Podzimek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The chapter titles gave away every single plot point
The characters felt like caricatures
Absolutely destroyed 4th wall (and not in a good way)
First chapter ruined it
Stars are for the ending and jokes only

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute MG story about the dangers of getting anything you want. I found the bottle imp to be an interesting twist to familiar storyline.

Great for fans of Roald Dahl.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Jill Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, but there were times that it was really strange. Definitely unusual characters.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and Gris Grimly’s illustrations were (of course) a marvelous addition!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am admittedly not the target audience for this book, but it seemed pretty slow.

[Meghan Davis strader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this as a read aloud with my kids and we all enjoyed it. It ran really wordy in some places and didn’t seem to end in a very realistic way; but it was an entertaining read.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non avevo assolutamente capito che questo titolo fosse un retelling di un racconto di Stevenson. Io non amo i retelling, e forse non lo avrei comprato.
Fatto sta che abbiamo un ragazzino che deve trasferirsi in una casa più modesta con la famiglia, e viene in possesso di questa bottiglia in cui è contenuto questo Imp, demonietto/genietto che esaudisce desideri a scapito di altri. Se desideri un nuovo posto di lavoro per tuo padre, qualcuno lo perderà.
Una sorta di maledizione che ovviamente lui prende sottogamba.
La trama non mi ha preso, il protagonista molto infantile e il finale è come scritto in fretta e furia.
Non lo rileggerò.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be used to illustrate the meaning of "Be careful what you wish for....". You will get your wish, but someone else will be loose.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, be careful what you wish for, and never, never make a deal with the Devil. In this particular story, thirteen-year-old Gabe Silver is terribly disappointed when his family moves into Bright House. Down on their luck financially, his parents work several jobs, and his father has signed a one-year lease for their new apartment. It's a dump, though, and so crowded that Gabe barely has room for the mattress in his bedroom. When his path crosses that of a wealthy elderly man, Gabe buys a bottle with an imp inside who can grant all of his wishes. This sounds ideal, but there's a catch to those wishes, as there always is. As Gabe makes his wishes, he comes to realize that his fortune results in someone else's misfortune, and he wants to be rid of the bottle. Middle grade readers will enjoy the build up to the end as the bottle changes hands several times. Although some of the characters haven't been drawn as carefully as might be desired, I liked the "Dear Reader" address used in parts of the book and the fact that this story is an homage to master storyteller Robert Louis Stevenson. And the ending is delightful as the Devil may not have had the last laugh, after all. There are some scary elements blended throughout the story alongside plenty of humor, and always, anyone who reads this sort of thing will wonder what he/she might have wished for and if having that wish granted would be worth the price.

[Portia]

fun read from the NEW shelf with Athena.

[Sarah83 sbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dem Teufel ein Schnippchen schlagen... Wie oft war dies schon ein Thema in der Literatur... Und nun kommt ein junger Mann, noch fast ein Kind, daher und will sich mit dem Teufel anlegen.
Dabei klingt es anfangs fast zu simpel. Man kaufe eine kleine Flasche mit einem Geist und man wünsche sich, was man will.
Aber Moment, wir reden von dem Teufel, das kann nicht ohne Hintergedanken sein ... Klar, will der Teufel auch an diesem Tausch gewinnen, doch wie er das tut und wie unser Held in besiegt, das müsst ihr schon allein herausfinden.
Viel Spaß dabei.