The 12th Candle

by Kim Tomsic

Overview

Middle school meets magic in this hilarious and heartfelt novel about a girl whose life flips when she wishes on an enchanted candle—perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski and Wendy Mass.

Sage Sassafras’s life is cursed! No, really. Since birth, Sage has been plagued by the Contrarium Curse that’s set her at odds with classmate Priscilla Petty.

Every time something goes right for Priscilla, it goes terribly, horribly wrong for Sage. And things always go well for Priscilla.

Sage blames the curse for all her middle school misery—from losing a friend to failing gym to gaining a reputation as the girl whose daddy’s in trouble. So when Sage is given a magical candle on her twelfth birthday, she seizes the chance to turn her luck around—with a wish to reverse the curse.

But when the consequences of her wish take a terrible turn, Sage has to team up with her worst enemy—before she’s doomed to a life of opposites forever. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062654984
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,034,371
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.67(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kim Tomsic was a classroom conversationalist and got in trouble (a lot!) with teachers for talking. The trouble spanned from the East Coast to the West Coast, because she was a military brat and the new girl at eight different schools. In between friendships, she discovered that a good book can be a welcomed companion. Her closest friends know that her favorite foods are ice cream, peanut M&Ms, and Li Hing Muis, and her favorite word is “possibilities.” Kim has two grown children and now lives in Arizona with her husband and dog; The 11:11 Wish is her first middle grade novel and is followed by The 12th Candle. Visit her at kimtomsic.com or kimscritiquingcorner.blogspot.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Tomsic demonstrates that wishes have a power of their own, no matter the good intentions behind them. [Sage has a] colorful group of friends whose engaging dialogue and ever-evolving relationships capture the essence of middle-school interaction." — Booklist

“A thoughtful look at curse versus choice and an encouragement to youngsters to make their own paths.” — Kirkus Reviews

Sage is a believable feisty twelve-year-old, who has been trying to outrun her family’s tarnished reputation for as long as she can remember, and her vulnerability to the preening Priscilla is keenly relatable. — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

PRAISE FOR The 11:11 Wish: “Debut author Tomsic infuses Megan’s first-person narrative with lots of personality and a distinctive voice, and secondary characters are all complex and multidimensional. Light fantasy firmly grounded in the realities of middle-school emotions.” — ALA Booklist

“Readers will empathize with [Megan’s] tenuous position and her tenacity despite the hilarious situations she gets herself into. A fine, funny fix.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Tomsic puts a pawsitively magical twist on middle school mayhem. Whimsical and wacky, The 11:11 Wish is a romp of a read sure to please young teens and tweens.” — Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor Winner and New York Times Bestselling Author of Savvy

“Full of unexpected twists and turns, this sweet, funny book is pure magic.” — Tara Dairman, author of All Four Stars

"The book briefly touches on the seriousness of bullying and having a parent in prison, but overall it treats its subject matter with a light hand, and there’s plenty of appeal in the notion of magic and wish fulfillment. Readers will contentedly follow Sage to the neatly wrapped happy ending." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

Tomsic puts a pawsitively magical twist on middle school mayhem. Whimsical and wacky, The 11:11 Wish is a romp of a read sure to please young teens and tweens.

Ingrid Law

Full of unexpected twists and turns, this sweet, funny book is pure magic.

Tara Dairman

"Tomsic demonstrates that wishes have a power of their own, no matter the good intentions behind them. [Sage has a] colorful group of friends whose engaging dialogue and ever-evolving relationships capture the essence of middle-school interaction."

Booklist

Sage is a believable feisty twelve-year-old, who has been trying to outrun her family’s tarnished reputation for as long as she can remember, and her vulnerability to the preening Priscilla is keenly relatable.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Tomsic demonstrates that wishes have a power of their own, no matter the good intentions behind them. [Sage has a] colorful group of friends whose engaging dialogue and ever-evolving relationships capture the essence of middle-school interaction."

Booklist

PRAISE FOR The 11:11 Wish: “Debut author Tomsic infuses Megan’s first-person narrative with lots of personality and a distinctive voice, and secondary characters are all complex and multidimensional. Light fantasy firmly grounded in the realities of middle-school emotions.

ALA Booklist

Sage is a believable feisty twelve-year-old, who has been trying to outrun her family’s tarnished reputation for as long as she can remember, and her vulnerability to the preening Priscilla is keenly relatable.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

10/18/2019

Gr 4–6-Twenty-five years ago, pink lightning, a phenomenon occurring when lightning strikes during a snow and thunderstorm, struck and destroyed the friendship between Sage and Priscilla's mothers. Thus started the "Contrarium Curse" which now continues between their daughters. Then, on Sage's 12th birthday, she's given a magic wish-granting candle, which she hopes will get her dad out of prison, her mom out of desperate financial straits, and Sage out from under the thumb of bully Priscilla. It doesn't take long to find out that the wish she hoped would solve all her problems changes things—into a new configuration that might just be worse than the old one. Too bad the rules forbid "unwishing." This is a sweet story that offers commentary on bullying and stresses the importance of thinking before acting and being a good friend. Sage takes ownership of her own poor choices and learns that kindness can be a "curse-reverse." VERDICT Although there are no surprises and only a token nod to diversity here, upper elementary school readers seeking a happy ending won't be disappointed. Purchase where Wendy Mass's "Willow Falls" series is popular.-Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX

School Library Journal

2019-06-30
Middle school years are hard enough without an actual curse ruining your life!

Sage knows this firsthand. Sage's narration is plucky, if a bit one-note, through most of the story as she describes how the Contrarium Curse negatively affected her mother and Mrs. Petty when they were students, turning friends into adversaries. It's preordained that Sage and schoolmate Priscilla Petty won't get along. Priscilla makes fun of Sage, and she's had more darts in her arsenal ever since Sage's daddy was imprisoned for trying to rob a bank. Given a magic candle, Sage wishes for a reversal of the curse, but it doesn't work as she had hoped. The consequences are disastrous, as expected. Magical thinking can't hold a candle to the true solution, which includes forgiveness, reconciliation, and acts of kindness. These discoveries, as well as finding the courage to confront Daddy's crime, allow Sage to grow. Primary characters seem to be default white, while some secondary characters are people of color. The feel-good ending satisfies, although Sage's father's appeal is realistically left pending.

A thoughtful look at curse versus choice and an encouragement to youngsters to make their own paths. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews