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 … 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.
From award-winning author Barbara O’Connor comes a 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.
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it was wonderful
I love this book! I think so many kids with broken homes can relate to Charlie, the MC. She’s full of bitterness and anger, but the reader wants nothing more for her than to love and be loved. The book really shows the healing power of a stable environment, good friends, and furry four-legged pets.
For my full review, please visit: https://www.krwardbookreview.com/2021/05/wish-by-barbara-oconnor.html
it was amazing
* Minor Spoilers*
I was recommended to read this book by my daughter and she got it 100% right that I would love it. This book may be young adult, however reading it as an adult it doesn’t come across as such. It is easy to read and makes you want to keep reading it, I read it in 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down. Charlie breaks my heart! She comes from a broken home and is just so sullen and neglected that she took on a mean attitude to survive. I was so happy when she caught Wishbone and gained/accepted Howard as a friend. I loved the ending and it made my cry. Highly recommend this book to all ages!
This was a cute, moving book. I loved Charlie. She has a hard life and is dealing with it the best way she can. I also love all the characters in her community. Howard is a great character and best friend. Pineapple!
Book 11 towards my goal of 240! 3/5 stars for this middle grade read. The best part of this book was that it’s set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in North Carolina. Didn’t love the main character. Has a good lesson. Loved the cover! Narration is great!
One of the strongest voices I’ve read in a while with deeply developed characters. Very rarely do we hear country voices in the middle grade best sellers. A worthy read!
I LOVE this book!
I LOVE IT
i didn’t finish it…
Charlemagne Reese a.k.a. Charlie gets a new home and a new loyal friend with an “up-down” walk in this wonderful story. Howard reminds me of the sturdy and peaceable Albert in FISH IN A TREE, a reliable friend, a person you can trust. “Pineapple.” Howard says this secret code word to remind Charlie to keep her temper.
Charlie knows more ways to make a wish than you can imagine!
Wishbone is the stray dog that Charlie wants to belong to her so it can stop being a stray. Just like Heidi who had to choose between the life in the mountains and in the big city of Frankfurt, Charlie has to choose between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Raleigh. Barbara O’Connor brilliantly shows how a place changes after you live there for a while and the shabby, rundown houses look like homes with a beautiful view.
I love the relationships between and in the families in this story. Howard’s messy, active, loveable family and Charlie’s Uncle Gus and Aunt Bertha who owns seven cats and about seven million stories. “Gus is a man you can trust,” Bertha tells Charlie. It’s a beautiful thing to have friends you can trust when you’re in a tight spot.
Beautifully written, spot on motivations, gripping and clear action. Some things are never explained, just like real life. It’s nuanced: mistakes are made by everyone, but some characters make attempts to fix them. I do love the Bible Bucks.
This book feels a little like Kate Di Camillo’s BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and a little bit like ONE FOR THE MURPHYS. If you liked either of those, you’ll like this one too! A book worth reading more than once.
Charming! I so rarely enjoy kids’ books because the themes are usually too juvenile too, but not this one. Even though Charlie’s travails ring true for a young girl, we can all identify with her readily, I think, and the environment of the story reminded me a lot of Anne of Green Gables, which is one of my favorites. The theme — finding love in unexpected places, and therefore a place to belong — is told in a way that a child could understand, but of course is itself ageless. Very uplifting.
It just caught my attention! LOVED it