Wilma is experiencing the utter misery that comes with being unpopular in middle school. Before she meets the old lady on the train, she’s had a few opportunities to make friends, but nothing has really worked out. So when she’s given the chance to make a wish, any wish, Wilma can’t help herself. She wishes to be the most popular girl at her school.
The back story about Wilma in middle school is short, but I think is pretty fantastic. Because Wilma is not some eyeglass-wearing, calculus loving, chubby, (insert other loser stereotype here) girl. She’s a completely normal girl, who happens to not be popular. This is important, because in middle school, a lot of kids are ostracized that don’t really even have a discernible reason for not being accepted as part of the group.
You might expect something from Gail Carson Levine to be heavy on the magic and fantasy even if it is set in modern day New York, but The Wish despite the fairy godmother is really just about a girl who wants to be accepted. I found it very appealing, Wilma uses her magical popularity to be more like herself, not less and I think a lot of adult readers will be pretty happy with Wilma’s choice of boyfriend too. The problem is, without all the magical touches, this doesn’t feel like a book by Levine, which may put off regular readers of her princess books.
Set in New York City, The Wish offers plenty of urban settings, from tiny apartments to soaring lofts, plenty of public transit and of course, Central Park.
As mentioned above, there is a romance in this book, but is it very basic and juvenile. For that reason, please keep this book for children you won’t mind having read about kissing sessions, but also for those young enough that they won’t find the situations corny or too embarrassing to enjoy. It’s absolutely best for that sweet spot of the tween years.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Kids date. A boy offers to let Wilma sit on his lap. There is a prom-like dance and many people ask each other to go. Boys write her notes; some ask her on dates. A dog does some crotch sniffing. In true junior high school fashion, a boy asks a girl to tell another girl he likes her. There is handholding. There is an incredibly awkward first kiss. A boy tells a story about his brother’s first kiss and how he accidentally kissed a bubble the girl had blown with gum and ended up with gum all over. There is an extended planned kissing session. It’s probably more than you’d want a younger kid reading about, but even though there’s a lot of kissing, that’s really all it is, just kissing. A girl admires her figure before a dance, noticing she has breasts.
Profanity – “Hell,” “jerk,”
Death, Violence and Gore – A snowman is decapitated. During a sleepover party the girls joke that sculptures could come to life and hack their bodies to shreds. There’s a small bit about a dog that died in the past and worries that a grandparent might pass away.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – In trying to explain the wish and spell, the girls suggest that maybe the cafeteria food was drugged.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.
