Wishing Season

by Anica Mrose Rissi

Overview

A moving middle grade story by Anica Mrose Rissi that will appeal to readers who loved The Thing about Jellyfish and Hello, Universe, about the enduring bond between twins: Anders, who has recently died, and Lily, who has to balance her grief and confusion with a brother who isn’t quite gone—and how to navigate a world that is moving forward without him.

Of course Anders wasn’t lonely in the afterlife. He still, like always, had Lily.

Lily doesn’t believe in making wishes. Not anymore. Not since Anders died.

Wishes can’t fix the terrible thing that happened. Wishing won’t change how it feels.

But Lily does believe in the impossible. She has a secret so extraordinary, so magical, no one would believe that it’s true.

No one except Anders, of course.

Nothing about this summer is turning out how Lily would have wished. But wishes, like seasons, can change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063258907
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/27/2023
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	309,860
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.79(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Anica Mrose Rissi  is the author of Always Forever Maybe and Nobody Knows But You, along with several books for younger readers. She lives in Princeton, NJ, and Deer Isle, ME. Visit her online at www.anicarissi.com,

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/01/2023

After her twin brother, Anders, dies of a sudden infection following a cancer diagnosis, 11-year-old Lily Neff “folded herself into his absence” until she finds him lingering near the tire swing in their Maine island’s woods, “real and present and hers” but invisible to everyone else. When summer arrives (which Anders calls “wishing season” thanks to the months’ plentiful dandelion puffs), Lily retreats daily to their secret meeting place—“the overlap”—for relief from their spiraling single mother, her callous former best friend, and her guilt around helping keep Anders’ symptoms secret from their mother. But Anders can’t move beyond the overlap, and Lily can’t know what being dead is like, making her feel less connected to him. When Anders doesn’t appear in the overlap, Lily distracts herself by helping teenager Quinn do chores for neighbors, and as Lily forges new relationships in her community, the overlap begins to shrink, leaving her wishing desperately for a way to control it. Building a small-town atmosphere via a frank third-person narration and concrete, considered prose, Rissi (Hide and Don’t Seek) builds an empathetic voice that cradles Lily’s grieving process and experience of change. Characters default to white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Stack Wishing Season next to Bridge to Terabithia. Anica Mrose Rissi paints a picture and sings a song with a tremendous, unforgettable voice.  As emotionally healing as it is ultimately joyful." — Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor Author of One Crazy Summer

"Beautiful and moving, this book will make you cry. But it will also mend your heart. A story that reminds us that love will help see us through, even in the darkest of times." — Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor Author of Other Words for Home

"Tender, heart-shifting, and deeply absorbing, Anica Mrose Rissi’s latest novel is a magical exploration of what it means to love and let go. A truly beautiful and profoundly intimate story." — Corey Ann Haydu, author of Eventown and One Jar of Magic

“With beautiful prose and quiet humor, Anica Mrose Rissi tells a story of grief and loneliness and love and joy, the meandering, maddening mess that is healing from a great loss, and the (kind, awkward, surprising) people who help you through it. A quietly powerful tale that feels like an ageless classic.”  — Claire Legrand, author of Some Kind of Happiness

"A startlingly honest portrayal of grief, Wishing Season carries us through the bewildering beauty of a perfect Maine summer and a season of terrible loss. I loved this wise, lovely, delicate story of what we hold onto, and how we let go." — Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island

"By turns gentle and forthright, this well-paced story leads readers to questions about loss and the durability of relationships. A droll, well-paced, and deeply moving book about loss and friendship." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A heartening portrayal of a resilient character." — Booklist

"Building a small-town atmosphere via a frank third-person narration and concrete, considered prose, Rissi builds an empathetic voice that cradles Lily’s grieving process and experience of change." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This achingly sad but also hopeful story set on a small Maine island poses questions about the power of our connections—to other people, to animals, and to the world around and beyond." — Horn Book (starred review)

"In this beautifully written and character-driven novel, readers will identify with Lily and be immersed in coastal Maine scenery. Young readers dealing with grief or facing tough situations will find comfort in Lily’s relationships and discover new ways to discuss their feelings; a must-purchase for any library." — School Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2023

Gr 5 Up—When her twin brother Anders dies, 11-year-old Lily's world comes to a screeching halt. Her mom becomes unresponsive, and everyone in her small Maine town starts to treat her differently. What everyone doesn't know is that Anders isn't gone, at least not for Lily. It must be an "Us Thing," something that only Lily and Anders share, because the "overlap" is a special place where they spend afternoons together playing croquet and building squirrel forts. But when Anders starts to show up later than usual and the boundaries of the overlap start to shrink, Lily must devise a plan to keep her connection with Anders or lose him forever. With help from a cast of strong Maine women, Lily is able to come to terms with her grief and continue living in a world without Anders. In this beautifully written and character-driven novel, readers will identify with Lily and be immersed in coastal Maine scenery. All characters read as white. VERDICT Young readers dealing with grief or facing tough situations will find comfort in Lily's relationships and discover new ways to discuss their feelings; a must-purchase for any library.—Maryjean Riou

School Library Journal

★ 2023-04-24
Eleven-year-old Lily Neff struggles to accept the death of her twin brother, Anders.

Summer break has begun, but Lily, emerging from the school bus and trudging up to her home on Deer Isle, Maine, isn’t looking forward to it. Her single mother, deeply depressed following Anders’ death from cancer four months earlier, doesn’t greet her—and Lily doesn’t expect her to. Lily also feels Anders’ death keenly, but she has a secret: She can go to a space in the field behind her house that she calls the overlap, and Anders shows up, just as solid as he was in life. The two play and talk together, and this eases Lily’s grief. Less a ghost story than a poignant allegory, the scenes of Lily and Anders together are peppered with an appealing gallows humor (“Anders grinned and took a practice stroke. ‘Croquet chaos. I like it. Rule Three: Dead kid starts,’ ”) that sidesteps the maudlin and adds a delightful layer of wit. As the weeks go by, Anders appears less frequently and becomes less substantial, and Lily panics, trying not to lose him. Meanwhile, Lily is befriended by Quinn, an older girl, and starts to accept a new friendship. By turns gentle and forthright, this well-paced story leads readers to questions about loss and the durability of relationships. The island setting is authentically and lovingly described, adding measurably to the story’s ambiance. Characters read White.

A droll, well-paced, and deeply moving book about loss and friendship. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews