What You Wish For

August 8, 2011
Short stories that revolve around wishes form this volume created to raise money for Book Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to build libraries for Darfur refugees living in Chad. Mixing poems, stories, and even a comic, the book includes offerings from 18 all-star authors such as Meg Cabot, Alexander McCall Smith, Cornelia Funke, Joyce Carol Oates, Nikki Giovanni, Ann M. Martin, and R.L. Stine. Works range from humorous to poignant, but the theme of wishing unites the volume. Cynthia Voigt’s retelling of Cinderella, which puts her stepfamily at the forefront, is a standout; others include Francisco X. Stork’s heart-wrenching story of a 15-year-old living in a group home while his mother is in prison, and John Green’s profound and funny contribution, told in lists, about a boy who falls for the picture of the orphan his mother is supporting in Kashmir. The essay that closes the book, by Book Wish cofounder Logan Kleinwaks, offers a clear, concise picture of the plight of the more than 100,000 refugees from Darfur and their wishes for a better future. Ages 12–up.

September 1, 2011

This charitable benefit anthology gathers all-stars for both hits and misses on the theme of wishing.

Twelve stories are accompanied by five poems and one warmly vivid graphic short. Francisco X. Stork introduces Pablito, Breaker-Breaker and Sherry B in a stellar tale of teens supporting one another in a group home. Sofia Quintero's "The Great Wall," about a Jamaican-American girl with a thing for the Chinese-food delivery guy, is entertaining enough to overcome its brick-to-the-head lack of subtlety. Meg Cabot's nerdy hero, seeking a friend, is heartbreakingly funny. The stories cover First World problems, far from the Sudanese refugees described in the saccharine foreword by Mia Farrow, but that distance only helps the collection. John Green's "Reasons" directly addresses some of the moral issues underlying the desire to rescue people from other countries in a thought-provoking piece about a boy in love with a sponsored Kashmiri child. Ann M. Martin's epistolary tale shows two girls with different sets of financial and social problems finding support in each other's friendship. As for the poetry, with offerings from Naomi Shihab Nye, Marilyn Nelson, Gary Soto and Nikki Giovanni, even these tiny verses are lovely.

With so many top-notch writers on tap, it's surprising this collection is only solid rather than exquisite; still, those readers willing to brave anthologies will be rewarded. (Anthology. 11-13)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 5-10-The 18 stories and poems in this anthology by an all-star cast of writers are about the wishes, hopes, and dreams of young people. They range from realistic fiction with yearnings for family, friends, and fitting in, to retellings of fairy tales. Nate Powell's "Conjurers" is in graphic-novel format, and Ann M. Martin's "The Lost Art of Letter Writing" is an epistolary tale. Proceeds from the book will help fund libraries in refugee camps in Darfur. None of the stories is set in that region, though John Green's poignant "Reasons" focuses on a middle-school boy's obsession with Aisha, a Kashmiri orphan whom his mother sponsors through a Save the Children-type relief organization. This is a quality collection of writings by well-known and respected YA and adult authors.-Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2011
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* In her foreword to this moving anthology, actress Mia Farrow says that every child she has met in Darfur and in other war-torn African regions has a dream, a wish for a better future. This collection of stories about the power of wishes is being published to help raise money to establish libraries in the Darfuri refugee camps of eastern Chad, thereby, perhaps, making a few of those wishes come true. Contributing their work free of charge, the writers offering stories and poems are a who's who of children's book authors, including R. L. Stine, Jane Yolen, Naomi Shihab Nye, Francisco X. Stork, Karen Hesse, Cornelia Funke, and a baker's dozen of others. There isn't a weak story in the book, but, of course, a few are standouts. Cynthia Voigt's The Stepsister, a potent, reimagined version of Cinderella, includes a shocking twist during the archetypal shoe fitting; Ann M. Martin's The Lost Art of Letter Writing is an epistolary story about two girls who become forever friends through their correspondence. Meg Cabot's The Protectionist is a funny tale about a small boy in need of a large friend. And John Green's Reasons, told in lists, is a sweet-spirited, inventive, and wistful tale about a boy who has lost his heart to a girl who lives in the disputed region of Kashmir, more than 11,000 miles away, and who, he says, is not aware that I exist. It could be argued that this is advantageous, since certainly none of the girls who do know I exist are particularly fond of me. Here's a wish: that this collection might find the widest readership possible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2012
The theme of wishes unites eighteen stories and poems from well-known authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Nikki Giovanni, Gary Soto, Cornelia Funke, R. L. Stine, Cynthia Voigt, and others. Created to aid literacy in Darfuri refugee camps, the volume's selections are humorous, poignant, and provocative. This solid collection underscores how wishes and dreams can buoy the human spirit.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)