I daresay you have often thought what you would do if you had three wishes given you…and felt certain that if you had the chance you could think of three really useful wishes without a moment's hesitation. These children had often talked this matter over, but, now the chance had suddenly come to them, they could not make up their minds.

When 5 children discover the Psammead—a malevolent sand-fairy—who says he can grant wishes, the children cannot believe their luck! All their wildest secret dreams will come true: beauty beyond compare, riches greater than kings, the ability to fly. But wishes are not always what they seem, and every wish the fairy grants goes wrong for the children.

With each wish, the children attract more danger and consequence. They eventually must learn that their struggles cannot be wished away, and that every wish they are granted spreads ripples of misfortune for themselves and those around them. But the power to have one's heart's desires fulfilled is incredible valuable, and the temptation to continue wishing may be too much for the children to resist, even once they know those wishes will come at a price.

From Edith Nesbit, one of the earliest authors of children’s literature, comes Five Children and It, a fantastical and timeless tale of the risks and consequences of careless wishes.