Wish

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