I hope you can help me figure this out. I don’t remember much except it involved several siblings who find an object in the attic of their relative (aunt, grandparent, unsure) that brings inanimate objects to life – one was a lion skin rug, I think. The object might have been an orb but honestly I could be confusing it with Eilonwy’s ball from The Black Cauldron.
I do remember one of the characters talking about being able to make a wish on a piebald horse if you didn’t remember that you could make a wish. Does this ring any bells? I hope you can help.
This might be The Apple Stone by Nicholas Stuart Gray. The magical object is found inside an apple rather than in an attic, and I don’t remember the bit with the horse (and the apple stone doesn’t require you to wish, it just changes whatever it touches). Otherwise, this fits.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1361720.The_Apple_Stone?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=JxfmtmtXPc&rank=1
Thank you! I posted this ages ago and never got a notification on your response!