Charlie Reese has been making wishes since the fourth grade- or rather, she’s been making the same wish since then. After being sent to live with unfamiliar relatives far away from the city, she doesn’t think her wish will ever come true. As she befriends a boy named Howard, a dog named Wishbone, and gets to know her family more, she might find that her wish isn’t what she wanted after all.

As always, I love a good story set in the south. WISH takes place in rural North Carolina, outside of Asheville, and the author captures the setting magnificently. The visual descriptions are excellent, and Charlie’s family and friends are very realistic in terms of Southern representation. Charlie’s slow acceptance of her new living situation is both heartbreaking and touching. One of my favorite parts about Charlie is her anger. It’s not too common for a book to feature a very angry 11 year old girl, but WISH does it perfectly. Charlie is upset about a number of things and is easily angered, and a big part of her journey is learning to manage that anger with the help of her friend, Howard. She makes mistakes, but she learns how to take responsibility for her actions and apologize when necessary.

WISH is an emotional, touching story of a girl, her family and friends, and her dog that will leave you with hope.

Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2016/10/review-wish-barbara-oconnor/