Today is Thanksgiving in Canada, so it seems especially appropriate to feature a novel that reminds us that some families are struggling today. This is an absorbing read, especially for children ages 11 and up with challenging family situations.
Description from
the publisher:
Charlie
feels like she's always coming in last. From her Mom's new job to her sister's
life away at college, everything else always seems to be more important than
Charlie's upcoming dance competition or science project. Unsure of how to get
her family's attention, Charlie comes across the surprise of her life one day
while ice-fishing . . . in the form of a floppy, scaly fish offering to grant
her a wish in exchange for its freedom. Charlie can't believe her luck until
she realizes that this fish has a funny way of granting wishes, despite her
best intentions. But when her family faces a challenge bigger than any they've ever
experienced, Charlie wonders if some things might be too important to risk on a
wish.
The Seventh Wish
was
written by Kate Messner and published by Bloomsbury in 2016.
Why you want to
read this book…
It's great to find a story that shows how a sibling is affected when her older
sister faces a difficult challenge. It’s a realistic portrayal of how a whole
family struggles and has to come to terms with the crisis, while still carrying
on with all the other things they have to do in their lives. (This story
reminded me a bit of Jo Knowles’ novel, Still a Work in Progress, because it is
also told from the perspective of a sibling of a struggling character. See my review here.)
I
think this is the first novel I’ve read that includes both Irish dancing and
ice fishing! For me, the magic fish reminded me how sometimes we
wish for a quick solution that will make things better but in reality there are some difficulties we can only get through with time and hard, emotional work. The ending of the story was realistic and
hopeful.
“But
today, I’m tired of being the youngest in the family. I hate the way everybody
else’s plans matter more than mine.”
If you’re a
writer…
This
is a good story to study to see how to create a fully realized picture of the
many elements that make up middle school life – friends, family, activities and
interests, homework… It’s so interesting to see how the author manages to
balance all of these elements in the same story!
“Mom
doesn’t need that stomping and
kicking and forget-everything loudness the way I do, especially now.”
If you’re a
teacher…
Many
students need to cope with difficult family situations, like addiction, so I
think it’s an important novel to at least have available in the classroom. I really
liked the way the story showed the family taking time to work through the
situation. This story has connections to curriculum related to substance abuse
and addiction.
“We
can wish on clovers and shooting stars and flowers all we want. But in the end,
the only real magic is what’s inside us and the people we love.”
Opening Line:
“I’ve
only seen the ice flowers once.”
Other Info:
Kate
Messner has written many middle grade novels including Eye of the Storm,
Capture the Flag, The Exact Location of Home and the Ranger in Time series.
There’s
a teacher’s guide for The Seventh Wish on Bloomsbury’s website.
Sounds like a great story. I think a lot of kids can relate to everyone else in the family doing better, having more issues, and seeming to be more important. Fun how the story had a wish-fulling fish.
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