When Wishes Were Horses

by Cynthia Voigt Narrated by Emma Love

Overview

What would you wish for? In this young middle-grade novel by the Newbery Medal- and Newbery Honor-winning author, four kids in the same town are each granted two wishes. Full of magic, adventure, friendship, family, surprises, and lots of dogs, this is for readers who love Katherine Applegate and Sara Pennypacker.

How do such things happen? Something appears, sudden as disaster. It wasn't there and now it is. An envelope arrives, in your mailbox, on your dinner table, your dresser, your computer keyboard. It's in your hand. You are alone when it finds you. No one else sees it, to ask about it or take it from you. There is only your name on the envelope. Inside, two pieces of pale gray tissue paper, each the size of a playing card, and simple instructions:

ONE WISH AT A TIME

WHISPER IT TO ME

BE WISE

Magic? Impossible. But what if . . . ?

Casey, Zoe, Billy, and Bug live in the same town. They don't know one another . . . yet. But mysteriously, they are connected by magic. Specifically, they've each been given two wishes. What would you wish for? Casey yearns for a dog. Zoe wants her parents to stop fighting. Billy has always wanted a unicorn. Bug would love a Lego kit, a really complicated one. And do their wishes come true? The answer may surprise you.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

07/08/2024

In this gentle, thoughtful tale, four children are unexpectedly granted two wishes each. Notice arrives in the form of an envelope containing two sheets of gray tissue paper and a note reading “ONE WISH AT A TIME. WHISPER IT TO ME. BE WISE.” Bug wishes for a skateboard but soon discovers that it doesn’t afford him the happiness he expected. Zoe, tired and frustrated by her parents’ constant arguing and their inability to see how it affects her, wishes for an end to the “Ugly Fights.” Though her wish seemingly comes true, her family continues to fall apart in other ways. Casey chafes against her hardworking mother’s prickly nature and impulsively wishes for a dog she knows she won’t be allowed to keep. And Billy uses his wish to summon a unicorn to be his friend. Though the entries briefly overlap, Newbery Medalist Voigt (Toaff’s Way) presents each child’s story as a self-contained narrative. The all-knowing narration creates distance from the reader and adds mystique to the wishes and their origins, making for a modern fairy tale that capitalizes on ambiguity and mystery. Characters are depicted on the cover with varying skin tones. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

Two girls and two boys, tweens living in the same town. . . choose their wishes in different ways, depending on their personalities as well as personal circumstances. After their wishes are granted, each one deals with the consequences of their decisions. . . . Voigt. . . tells four separate, parallel, realistic stories; each one is magical and memorable in its own way” — Booklist (starred review)

“In this gentle, thoughtful tale, four children are unexpectedly granted two wishes each. . . . Though the entries briefly overlap, Newbery Medalist Voigt (Toaff’s Way) presents each child’s story as a self-contained narrative. . . . [A] modern fairy tale that capitalizes on ambiguity and mystery.” — Publishers Weekly

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160620251
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/13/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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