Wish

by Joseph Monninger

Overview

Bee’s brother, Tommy, knows everything there is to know about sharks. He also knows that his life will be cut short by cystic fibrosis. And so does Bee.
 
That’s why she wants to make his wish-foundation-sponsored trip to swim with a great white shark an unforgettable memory.
 
But wishes don’t always come true. At least, not as expected. Only when Bee takes Tommy to meet a famous shark attack survivor and hard-core surfer does Tommy have the chance to live one day to the fullest.
 
And in the sun-kissed ocean off a California beach, Bee discovers that she has a few secret wishes of her own. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375862137
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	02/14/2012
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Joseph Monninger has published eleven novels and three nonfiction books for adults as well as two novels for young adults, Hippie Chick and Baby. He lives in New Hampshire.

Editorial Reviews

"A compassionate, wholly absorbing story about 15-year-old Bee, her beloved 11-year-old brother, Tommy, who has cystic fibrosis, and their sometimes-flighty single mother, who travel from small-town New Hampshire to San Francisco via a wish-granting organization for kids with life-threatening medical conditions. Tommy, with a quiet, intelligent intensity, is a shark expert whose dream is to dive with great white sharks "because they are the apex predator fish and they fascinate me." Bee, responsible and high-achieving, is protective of Tommy and hopes that this trip to the Farallones will give him one exciting day "filled all the way up." But it's an unplanned expedition to Half Moon Bay and Maverick's Break, a surfing location known for its 50-foot waves, that affects both of them deeply. Writing from Bee's point of view using clear, distinctive prose that is interspersed with Tommy's intriguing facts about sharks, shark attacks, whales and the ocean, Monninger adroitly creates a moving, suspenseful story of survival that is part surfing adventure, part nature-and-science tale. A winning generosity of spirit infuses the narrative, particularly regarding shark/animal conservation."
-Kirkus Reviews, starred

"Fifteen-year-old Bee’s younger brother, Tommy, has cystic fibrosis and is an avid shark buff. After a wishgranting charity fulfills Tommy’s dream to see great whites up close, Bee, 11-year-old Tommy, and their mother fly from New Hampshire to San Francisco. But after the outing proves disappointing, and their single mother seems more focused on a new man than on family, Bee and Tommy travel down the coast to meet Tommy’s pen pal and hero, Ty, a surfer and shark-attack survivor. There, Bee finds friendship, including a potential romance with Ty’s 16-year-old younger brother, while Tommy gets his longed-for sea adventure, which ends up being difficult and inspiring. Bee’s intimate, first-person narrative is wholly compelling and emotionally resonant. Monninger creates diverse, well-drawn characters, and Tommy’s illness is portrayed without sentimentality, in straightforward detail. Interspersed among the breathtaking, vivid descriptions of events and settings are shark facts (further discussed in an author’s note) that illuminate nature’s brutality and beauty. What shines most, though, are the relationships among characters, particularly between conscientious, school-achiever Bee and courageous, touching Tommy. With mutual admiration, support, and love, they draw strength and perspective from one another and together gain further appreciation for human frailties and resilience. An absorbing, beautifully written novel that will affect readers on many levels." -Booklist, starred

From the Publisher

Bee will do just about anything for her younger brother, Tommy, who has cystic fibrosis, and she's happy to accompany him on a charity-funded trip to California to grant his biggest wish: to encounter sharks, the animal with which he's obsessed, in their natural habitat. The trip becomes a bit of a disappointment, however, when Tommy's serious and intent conoisseurship is diluted by what's really a glorified tourist whale-watching trip, and when Tommy and Bee's mother gets diverted, as usual, by men. Bee decides to make it up to Tommy by taking him on an unsanctioned excursion to see his email buddy and idol, a surfer who survived a shark attack, and she thus opens up a world of new possibilities, both wonderful and dangerous, for Tommy and for herself. Monninger is probably the best writer going at melding breathtaking human drama and fascination with the natural world; Tommy's shark obsession, credibly the thorough, tireless expertise of the bright kid who's studied way beyond most adults, gives the book an opportunity to explore the sharks' world as well as to convey key aspects of Tommy's character. Narrator Bee is moving as the disciplined, capable, and utterly devoted older sister, who respects her thoughtful little brother above everyone but still engages him in goofy sibling back-and-forth, and who hasn't really had much chance or desire to think of herself independently. Particularly heartwarming is the portrait of the group of surfers who take Tommy under their wing, giving him a chance, albeit a risky one, at experiencing a camaraderie and competency that for once isn't shadowed by his illness. Fans of Monninger's other works will recognize the fluid, thoughtful writing and vivid characters, and this could also be an eye-opener for shark aficionados looking to take their interest beyond the glitz of Shark Week.--(DS)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Fifteen-year-old Bee's younger brother, Tommy, has cystic fibrosis and is an avid shark buff. After a wishgranting charity fulfills Tommy's dream to see great whites up close, Bee, 11-year-old Tommy, and their mother fly from New Hampshire to San Francisco. But after the outing proves disappointing, and their single mother seems more focused on a new man than on family, Bee and Tommy travel down the coast to meet Tommy's pen pal and hero, Ty, a surfer and shark-attack survivor. There, Bee finds friendship, including a potential romance with Ty's 16-year-old younger brother, while Tommy gets his longed-for sea adventure, which ends up being difficult and inspiring. Bee's intimate, first-person narrative is wholly compelling and emotionally resonant. Monninger creates diverse, well-drawn characters, and Tommy's illness is portrayed without sentimentality, in straightforward detail. Interspersed among the breathtaking, vivid descriptions of events and settings are shark facts (further discussed in an author's note) that illuminate nature's brutality and beauty. What shines most, though, are the relationships among characters, particularly between conscientious, school-achiever Bee and courageous, touching Tommy. With mutual admiration, support, and love, they draw strength and perspective from one another and together gain further appreciation for human frailties and resilience. An absorbing, beautifully written novel that will affect readers on many levels. — Shelle Rosenfeld

Booklist

A compassionate, wholly absorbing story about 15-year-old Bee, her beloved 11-year-old brother, Tommy, who has cystic fibrosis, and their sometimes-flighty single mother, who travel from small-town New Hampshire to San Francisco via a wish-granting organization for kids with life-threatening medical conditions. Tommy, with a quiet, intelligent intensity, is a shark expert whose dream is to dive with great white sharks "because they are the apex predator fish and they fascinate me." Bee, responsible and high-achieving, is protective of Tommy and hopes that this trip to the Farallones will give him one exciting day "filled all the way up." But it's an unplanned expedition to Half Moon Bay and Maverick's Break, a surfing location known for its 50-foot waves, that affects both of them deeply. Writing from Bee's point of view using clear, distinctive prose that is interspersed with Tommy's intriguing facts about sharks, shark attacks, whales and the ocean, Monninger adroitly creates a moving, suspenseful story of survival that is part surfing adventure, part nature-and-science tale. A winning generosity of spirit infuses the narrative, particularly regarding shark/animal conservation. (afterword) (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews