Wish

Sent to stay with her aunt and uncle in Colby, North Carolina, an angry girl makes the same wish daily.Charlie's daddy's in jail, her mama stays in bed all day, and her older sister's living with a friend. Daily, the almost-11 white girl wishes for her broken family to heal. (The many ways she wishes form something of a catalog of folk and family traditions and are delightful all by themselves.) When the social worker sends her to live with Bertha and Gus, Charlie feels like "a loser that nobody wanted" and hates living with total strangers in a hillbilly town. Bertha and Gus, on the other hand, seem truly thrilled to have Charlie with them, even when she's rude, sulking, or getting into trouble at school. Charlie doesn't know what to make of affable, white Howard, the class geek, who walks with a limp and befriends her even though she ignores him. With Bertha and Gus, Charlie finds a stable, loving home. With Howard, Charlie finds a steadfast friend who helps her catch a stray dog she names Wishbone. After weeks living with Bertha and Gus, playing with Howard and Wishbone, and slowly fitting into Colby, Charlie learns Mama wants her to come home. But where is home? Speaking in an honest voice revealing her hurt, resentment, and vulnerability, Charlie explains how her wish comes true. A warm, real, and heartfelt tale. (Fiction. 9-12) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese is heartsick that she's been sent to live with an aunt and uncle she doesn't know in the boondocks of North Carolina, because her dad, Scrappy, is in jail getting "corrected" and her mama can't get up off the couch to care for her. O'Connor (How To Steal a Dog) pens a touching tale of resilience sure to resonate with children who have ever felt like they didn't belong. Charlie feels she doesn't fit in and has built up a tough exterior, which, coupled with a short-tempered fuse, gets her nowhere in her "temporary" home with kind Aunt Bertha and Uncle Gus. Charlie resists becoming friends with Howard, an odd but kindhearted boy with an "up down walk" who comes from a boisterous and loving family, which is far from what Charlie is used to. Every day, Charlie has to find something lucky in order to make a wish, a ritual she's done every day since fourth grade, whether it is a bird singing in the rain, or blowing on an eyelash. Feeling kinship with a stray dog, Charlie is overcome with desire to give "Wishbone" the loving home she, too, is desperately searching for. When Wishbone disappears and she is compelled to search for him, Charlie learns there are people worth holding on to and what you wish for may not be what you really want. VERDICT Poignant and genuine, this is a tale that will resonate with readers long after they finish it and have them cheering for the underdogs-both of the two-legged and four-legged varieties.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

dictionary - ''With a little luck, you can get what you wish for''- This book is, hands down, literally the BEST book I have ever read. I knew immediately from the cover of the book this would be a good book. Wish is about a girl named Charlie who has 2 parents that argue and fight all the time. She already knows her mother is probably not even thinking about her, looking up at the ceiling and drinking diet coke for supper. Her dad is in jail and probably doesn't think about her, either. She was sent to live with her uncle and aunt, and her older sister Jackie is left back in their town. Charlie is forced to leave her home, sister, school, and friends. Everyone in her new school treats her like she has cooties. Until she meets Howard. With the help of her new friend, they capture a stray dog, a dog that seems to be the perfect match for Charlie. A stray who has no true family, like her. She falls in love with it immediately. She plans to name it Wishbone, and makes an oath to capture and keep the dog. Howard's plan helps her catch the dog. Her sister, Jackie, comes to visit. She tells her when she leaves, that nothing will change about their family. At the end of the book, she no longer wants to leave the city. She could've, but she wanted to stay with her aunt and uncle. Her aunt told her the same thing Jackie said, nothing would change. But there was a chance she had to leave. With a little luck, she stays in the city. But the most important thing happened- She had a true family. Her wish finally came true. This book is so emotional! I highly recommend it.