Wish

by Barbara O'Connor

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Written in gorgeous prose that makes this tender story even more meaningful, Wish is all about the meaning of family, home and the people (and pups) who make the journey worth it.

Dream, the standalone companion to Wish, coming to bookstores on 8/26/25!

The #1 New York Times–bestselling middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places. Perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Kate DiCamillo.


Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.


Don't miss Barbara O'Connor's other heartwarming middle-grade titles:
Wonderland
How to Steal a Dog
Greetings from Nowhere
Beethoven in Paradise
Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester
Halfway to Harmony

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374302733
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	08/30/2016
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Barbara O'Connor was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She has written many award-winning books for children, including How to Steal a Dog and The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.

Editorial Reviews

*A New York Times Bestseller*

“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...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...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.” —School Library Journal

“At school, at home, and in the community, the characters and settings are well drawn, but it’s the narrator’s convincing, compelling voice that will draw readers into the novel and keep them there until her wish finally comes true.” —Booklist

“The many ways [Charlie] wishes form something of a catalog of folk and family traditions and are delightful all by themselves....Speaking in an honest voice revealing her hurt, resentment, and vulnerability, Charlies explains how her wish comes true. A warm, real, and heartfelt tale.” —Kirkus Reviews

“O’Connor again finds the sweet spot for young readers who are beyond early chapter books but not quite ready for the cynicism and/or complexity of much tween-into-teen lit. Bertha, Gus, and the Odoms are certainly awash in goodness, but their big-heartedness never devolves into sentimentality.” —The Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books

“O’Connor has the setting and colloquial mountain speech down pat, but most important, she gets at the heart of Charlie’s unhappiness, showing that wishes may come true, but perhaps not in the ways we expect.” —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

2016-07-20
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)

Kirkus Reviews

2018 Louisiana YR Choice Book Award, Nominated
Louisiana YR Choice Book Award, Nominated