This book is a bonbon for any baby boomer. . . . Lamb gets Felix s voice just right and he does a spot-on job of evoking the special joys and trials of parochial school in the 60 s...Put a bow on this book and warm somebody s heart. -- St. Petersburg Times Wally Lamb the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed I Know This Much Is True and She s Come Undone delivers a holiday treat with Wishin and Hopin --an unforgettable novella that captures the warmth and joy of the holiday season. It s 1964. LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House Meet the Beatles is on everyone s turntable and ten-year-old Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade--easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy. But there are several things young Felix can depend on: the birds and bees are puzzling television is magical and this is one Christmas he s never going to forget. Poignant and hilarious in a vein similar to Jean Shepherd s A Christmas Story and David Sedaris s The Santaland Diaries Lamb s Christmas tale focuses on a feisty parochial school fifth grader named Felix Funicello--a distant cousin of the iconic Annette!