Charlie Reese is 11 years old and has made the same wish every day since 4th grade.
Her world is turned upside down when family problems arise and she is sent to live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with people she’s never met before.
Charlie is forced to navigate a new home, a new school, and figure out how to manage away from her family back home.
She knows all the ways to make a wish (on a star, an eyelash, a yellow railroad car) and keeps wishing every day for her dream to come true.
Along the way she finds an unexpected friendship in Howard and in a stray beagle dog named Wishbone.
Wish is written from Charlie’s point of view. It’s not easy to feel like you don’t belong, but Charlie is a fighter. At times, your heart will break for her and will also delight in seeing her growth as she comes to accept her circumstances.
This #1 New York Times–bestselling middle-grade novel is touching, engaging, and will open your heart to the true meaning of family. I can’t wait to read the standalone companion book Dream by Barbara O’Connor that comes out in August 2025.
If you love stories about resilience, found family, and wishes that come true in unexpected ways, you won’t want to miss reading Wish.
Helps with: empathy, resilience, sadness, hope, unconditional love, animal lovers, belonging, friendship, acceptance, fostering, and finding family.
Author: Barbara O’Connor
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2016