‘Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story’ by Wally Lamb

  For 10-year-old Felix Funicello, life seems pretty good.
  A fifth-grader at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School, Felix (a distant cousin of Annette Funicello, the movie star) is doing his best to stay out of trouble, but excitement has a way of finding Felix and his family and friends, making every day a new adventure. And with Christmastime approaching, there is sure to be plenty of fun to be had in Three Rivers, Conn.
  Author Wally Lamb takes his readers back to a kinder, gentler time with his lighthearted new novel, “Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story.”
  Through Lamb’s delightful storytelling, we meet the Funicello family, a lively Italian-American bunch who run the luncheon counter at the bus station. Momma Funicello is a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off, Pop keeps the customers happy, and sisters Frances and Simone add to the mayhem as only teenage girls can do.
  But it is Felix and his friends who are the stars of this holiday story. And they do what kids do best — have fun, try to get away with anything they can without getting caught, and generally have the time of their lives.
  When their regular teacher takes ill, Madame Frechette, a sexy bombshell of a substitute teacher from Quebec, takes over the class to the delight of Felix and his classmates, and to the chagrin of teacher’s pet Rosalie. Add the arrival of a new classmate from Russia, Zhenya Kabakova, and suddenly school doesn’t seem quite as boring as it used to. Pretty soon the whole class is speaking French, cussing in Russian, and learning all about the birds and the bees.
  Under Madame’s direction, the fifth-grade class prepares to present a few tableaux vivants (a living picture) for the upcoming Christmas program. With Felix in a reluctant lead role, and an unexpected famous visitor, the program is like nothing the school has ever seen before — or probably wants to see again.
  Wally Lamb, probably best known for his more serious, adult novels “She’s Come Undone,” “I Know This Much Is True” and "The Hour I First Believed," shows his lighter side as he captures a slice of Americana life in this absolutely charming novel. I found myself laughing out loud at more than a few passages and just truly enjoying the trip back in time.