Wish by Barbara O'Connor (4/5)

The book, Wish, by Barbara O’Connor is a heartfelt story of a young girl named Charlie Reese who had wished to experience a real family every day since fourth grade. As time passed on she had to move from Raleigh, North Carolina to the Blue Ridge Mountains to live with her Aunt and Uncle due to family circumstances. As her new place with her Aunt and Uncle seemed too strange and uncomfortable, she eventually befriended a young boy named Howard. Howard helped the uneasy Charlie transform her opinion about her new living space into something greatly pleasant. Throughout their bond and friendship, she also met a stray dog which she named Wishbone and slowly adopted the dog to become her best friend for life. From this I began to realize how important it is to have friends in everyone’s life. For the reason that each and every person does not always seem to be happy in the situation of their household, just one friend can make a difference to that. Which, in this case, Howard was Charlie’s hope of change in her emotions. In addition, the impact I received from this book was that it was memorable. To further explain, ever since Charlie established her character change, I found myself reflecting on the importance of friendship and the ways in which connections with others can help us navigate difficult feelings. Her journey made me realize that sometimes, a single person can inspire us to see the world differently and embrace our true selves. To conclude this book review, I believe that this novel was ultimately a nice book to read. For it incorporated the genuine feeling of a young girl with her heartbreaking living story, it raises the thoughts of belonging to the world. The portrayal of Charlie’s struggles and triumphs invites readers to consider their own personal events of connection and acceptance that led to making it relatable for anyone who had also felt left out before. For potential readers in the future, I recommend this book whenever you are bored, wanting to find a story that has personal growth and friendship involved.