The Wish

The Wish

by: Gail Carson Levine

Levine, G. (1999). The wish. New York: HarperCollins.

 Thinking back to middle school, many people would cringe at their "popularity," or lack there of in Wilma's case.  She is in 8th grade and once all of her friends have moved away she is truly unpopular and very unhappy.  One day when she is taking the subway home she offers her seat to an old lady, who in turn says she will grant her one wish.  Wilma wishes to be the most popular girl at her school, which soon becomes a reality.  This wish, however, was not granted without consequences.  She receives the attention of even the weird boys she wishes wouldn't associate with her, and also her popularity is confined to her school.  Wilma tries desperately to cling to this popularity, but in the end realizes true friends and happiness are the important things in life and making wishes is not as easy, or right, as it may seem.

I liked the way this story was written because it reminded me of a movie I once saw on Disney Channel. I think that the students would enjoy reading this story in the upper grades because becoming popular is something they probably have considered at some point in their life.  However, if they can learn through Wilma's example that sometimes wishes have consequences, it would show them how insignificant popularity is in the grand scheme of life.  This story also stresses friendship, which in older grades begins to get tested.  This book is well done and very appealing to the middle school students.
PBL Project (Lesson plan)
Reviews