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145th out of 296 books
—
189 voters
The Wish
by
Gail Carson Levine (Goodreads Author)
Ah, the ancient mysteries of life. Why are the popular people popular? What's different about them--what makes them special? In The Wish, award-winning author Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted, Dave at Night) explores the age-old question with a simple premise: a girl who is granted one wish by an old lady on the subway wishes to be "the most popular kid at Claverford." A...more
Paperback, 197 pages
Published
(first published May 3rd 2000)
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Sep 13, 2007
Debbie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
teens
Shelves:
young-adult-lit
Ever since her Language Arts teacher read her journal to her class, Wilma has become worse than simply unnoticed. Everyone makes fun of her and she is shunned even by the other outsiders. One day, Wilma does something nice for an old woman, who in turn grants Wilma one wish. Even though she thinks the old woman is crazy, she makes a wish--to be the most popular kid at school. Suddenly, Wilma has more friends than she knows what to do with. But there's a catch...
The Wish is a cute story, perfect...more
The Wish is a cute story, perfect...more
Oct 13, 2007
Elizabeth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone...but mostly girls
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book is about a girl who doesn't fit in with anyone, or anywhere. The only friend she has is her dog. She wishes she was popular, she would do anything. One day she gives up her seat for an old lady and immediately, everything changes.
This is my favorite book of Gail Carson Levine's, once you start reading it you absolutely cannot stop...it just pulls you in and won't let you go.
This book is about a girl who doesn't fit in with anyone, or anywhere. The only friend she has is her dog. She wishes she was popular, she would do anything. One day she gives up her seat for an old lady and immediately, everything changes.
This is my favorite book of Gail Carson Levine's, once you start reading it you absolutely cannot stop...it just pulls you in and won't let you go.
Not my favorite book from this author, but an OK read. I could have done without all the kissy-kissy boyfriend stuff, since what 8th grade girl needs to have a boyfriend? Not what I want for my daughters. But the overall message of the book, to just be who you are and not focus on performing for people that you want to impress is a good one.
11 likes · like · see review
A very, very fast read. Finished in under 2 days. Very good book about if we really want to be popular.
2 likes · like · see review
The Wish
Sometimes you want something so badly, your brain imagines how perfect it would be to have it. But once you manage to get it , you worry that you will not always have it. Well for eighth grader Wilma Sturtz this thing is friends, not only friends but popularity. She has had none of either ever since her best friends moved away. She went from being a nobody to being truly unpopular ever since she read allowed to the class an essay about her dog in language arts class. One day, on the trai...more
Sometimes you want something so badly, your brain imagines how perfect it would be to have it. But once you manage to get it , you worry that you will not always have it. Well for eighth grader Wilma Sturtz this thing is friends, not only friends but popularity. She has had none of either ever since her best friends moved away. She went from being a nobody to being truly unpopular ever since she read allowed to the class an essay about her dog in language arts class. One day, on the trai...more
1 like · like · see review
Just reread this! Well, more like skimmed through, as I often do with books I've already read. It's still a great read (I tend to change my mind about novels I liked/didn't like as I grow older, but this one stays the same). Wilma is a very lovable character. I recommend The Wish to children (mostly girls) of age +11.
...and I still haven't gotten around to reading more of Gail Carson Levine's works. Ah, so many books, so little time! If I could, I think I'd read every single book currently exist...more
...and I still haven't gotten around to reading more of Gail Carson Levine's works. Ah, so many books, so little time! If I could, I think I'd read every single book currently exist...more
This book by Gail Carson Levine is different from many of her books that I've read (and I do seem to be on a kick of reading a whole lot by this author). For one thing, the setting is contemporary NYC, not a magical, mythical kingdom that seems to be somewhere in the medieval past. Secondly, the main character is not a princess or otherwise royal. She's just a regular eighth grade girl.
However, like with other books by Gail Carson Levine, there is magic, a fairy (or a witch, it's never fully exp...more
However, like with other books by Gail Carson Levine, there is magic, a fairy (or a witch, it's never fully exp...more
I really liked this book because it is very suspenseful and is a page-turner for me. It contains alot of fantasy and mystical things that you may not find in reality like about her most desired wish becoming true. I think this book is trying to say some wishes are better not granted because when it is, it seems like you are loving it but the wish becoming reality does not make up your identity, only the desire for it makes you unique. Too good of something can turn into a bad thing, that is what...more
I chose this book, because I wanted a book that would delight me. When I found this on my bookshelf, I thought that I would enjoy the book and I was right. This story is a book about a girl named Wilma who is one of the most unpopular kids in school. This all changes when she offers her seat to an old lady on a bus. The lady was so touched by Wilma, that she decided to grant Wilma a wish. She granted Wilma one wish, and that was to be the most popular kid in school. It takes a second for Wilma...more
It's an intruiging talent, making people like you against their will. Asimov's Mule character had it in Foundation and Empire, contributing most of the emotional weight that series had. Bitterblue achingly explored the devastation such a power can leave behind when wielded by someone without scruples.
But none of that weight is present in The Wish, which is squarely set on distinguishing superficial popularity from "real" popularity. Sure, Wilma wonders from time to time how people would act if t...more
But none of that weight is present in The Wish, which is squarely set on distinguishing superficial popularity from "real" popularity. Sure, Wilma wonders from time to time how people would act if t...more
Lily Block
2-8-13
Book review
The Wish
Are you the unpopular girl in your school? Do you just want to fit in? Are you just looking for a friend? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this book is right for you. The Wish is about a girl named Wilma who lives in New York City. Wilma had always only had two best friends who she hung out with, until this year when they moved away to different schools. All of the cliques at Claverford Elementary had already been formed, and all Wilma wanted...more
2-8-13
Book review
The Wish
Are you the unpopular girl in your school? Do you just want to fit in? Are you just looking for a friend? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this book is right for you. The Wish is about a girl named Wilma who lives in New York City. Wilma had always only had two best friends who she hung out with, until this year when they moved away to different schools. All of the cliques at Claverford Elementary had already been formed, and all Wilma wanted...more
1 like · like · see review
In my opinion, the book The Wish was a pretty good book. It was a book that made you think and taught the main character a lesson. I like to read books that teach lessons because I feel like I have also learned a lesson. The Wish was about a girl, who was in the 8th grade named Wilma Sturtz, who is known as the outcast of the school. She gets picked on, bullyed, and nobody cares. When going home she helps an old lady on the subway and gives up her seat to her. The old lady granted her one wish,...more
I just finish reading this book called Wish by Gail Carson Levine. This book is about a girl name Wilma Sturtz Who Is in 8th Grade and she doesn’t have any friend at her new school and she feels that she can’t fit in that school but one day when she was riding in bus after school she give her seat for a old lady and the old lady asked her what she wish for and she ask for to be the most poplar kid in her school and when she went to school after talking with the old lady everybody start to like h...more
Oct 22, 2012
Kirstie Pelot
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
english-356-1-12
Wilma Sturtz is unpopular and invisible at school. She has no friends and is miserable. But then one day, she offers her seat to an old woman on the subway and the woman offers to grant her one wish. Wilma wishes to be the most popular girl at her middle school. Suddenly everyone in school loves Wilma and all the guys are wanting to be her date to the school dance. The popular girls at school want to be her friends and she even has a secret admirer writing her poetry. However, she soon discovers...more
This was a fun book about a girl named Wilma. Wilma is very nice, but is extremely unpopular because of an embarrasing story she wrote for English about her dog.
When Wilma gives up her seat to an old woman on the bus, the woman offers to grant her one wish. Wilma is, of course, skeptical, but wishes to be the most popular girl in her school. The woman says that her wish has been granted, and as soon as Wilma crosses the doorstep into her school, boys are writing her love notes! Everyone wants t...more
When Wilma gives up her seat to an old woman on the bus, the woman offers to grant her one wish. Wilma is, of course, skeptical, but wishes to be the most popular girl in her school. The woman says that her wish has been granted, and as soon as Wilma crosses the doorstep into her school, boys are writing her love notes! Everyone wants t...more
I love this book! It's amazing. I've read it four or five times, it's that good. "The Wish" is about a girl who doesn't fit in at her school (she's invisible, she's not very popular, you get the picture, right?). Until she helped an old lady, who turned out to actually be a witch. The witch granted her one wish, so she wished to be the most popular girl at her school. Now, the girl had tons of friends, and everyone liked her. People wanted to be like her, everyone wanted to be her friend, and AL...more
1 like · like · see review
Gail Carson Levine is kind of my hero. This book was a short, easy read -- directed towards middle schoolers, I plowed through it in 2-hours because it was too good to put down. Poor Wilma, the main character, is completely humiliated by her classmates after her teacher reads (aloud, to her entire class) an embarrassing essay she wrote from the point of view of her dog. They taunt her and tease her and even worse IGNORE her, until she meets a magical woman on a bus and gives up her seat for the...more
Nov 02, 2010
Izlinda
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
teen-angst-growing-up
I stumbled upon this book when browsing the children's section in my library (as opposed to the young adult or adult sections). I liked other Gail Carson Levine books I read so I hoped this would be good. Even Ella was shelved as a children's book so I figured even another children's book would be accessible.
Eh, this is another story about a character obsessed with popularity and wanting to be popular and all the hi-jinks that come about when she wishes to be the most popular person at her schoo...more
Eh, this is another story about a character obsessed with popularity and wanting to be popular and all the hi-jinks that come about when she wishes to be the most popular person at her schoo...more
I usually like books from this author- Ella Enchanted, Fairest, etc. But this one was horrible.
A fairy gives a wish to a girl who wants to be popular. Then, as that happens, she realizes that she really doesn't have to act different and that being popular can mean a lot of things- such as, just being nice to other people or helping those who are in need. It seems that the author is really showing that people can be liked just for being who they are. But, at the end when the spell wears off, no...more
A fairy gives a wish to a girl who wants to be popular. Then, as that happens, she realizes that she really doesn't have to act different and that being popular can mean a lot of things- such as, just being nice to other people or helping those who are in need. It seems that the author is really showing that people can be liked just for being who they are. But, at the end when the spell wears off, no...more
Feb 12, 2010
Jillian -always aspiring-
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childhood-reads,
reviewed
I read this when it first came out in paperback -- and my eleven-year-old self LOVED it. I had come off of reading Ella Enchanted only to stumble upon this book not too long after. (Sad to say, I did not have another Gail Carson Levine fix for about eight years -- until Fairest came out.)
This past summer, I was amazed to find that -- upon re-reading this book -- I could still enjoy it. (I cannot say the same for other books I liked as a child.) The plot, while simplistic (what pre-teen girl didn...more
This past summer, I was amazed to find that -- upon re-reading this book -- I could still enjoy it. (I cannot say the same for other books I liked as a child.) The plot, while simplistic (what pre-teen girl didn...more
I can't say it was the most awesome book ever, but I definitely think I would have enjoyed it a lot when I was about 12. Wilma Sturtz is one of the most unpopular girls at Claverford, a private middle school in New York City. She's smart and she's nice, but she just can't break into the "in" crowd, and she's afraid befriending other unpopular kids will ruin any chance she might have at a social life. One day, Wilma gives up her subway seat to an old lady. The witch -- for so she is -- rewards Wi...more
This is a really relatable book about a girl who is bullied/teased everyday by the popular girls. All she wants is to fit in, so when she tells an old lady who appears to be (a fairy,witch?? i really don't remember) she grants her wish and becomes the most popular girl at her school. Seamed great when i was reading, what could go wrong now? But the thing is, she is graduating soon, so after her graduation, she isn't part of her school anymore. and the wish is off.
This book was really powerful,...more
This book was really powerful,...more
Entah kenapa sejak membaca buku Ella Enchanted, saya jadi suka dengan novel-novelnya Levine. Termasuk yang satu ini. Ceritanya tentang Wilma, seorang gadis remaja tanggung yang tiba-tiba menjadi tanpa teman sejak dua sahabatnya pindah sekolah. Dan keadaan bertambah buruk sejak gurunya membacakan essay yang bertema 'my secret life'nya yang menceritakan perumpamaan dirinya dengan Reggie, anjing piaraannya. Sejak itu semua teman-teman di sekolahnya mengenalnya sebagai Wilma yang suka mengendus-endu...more
Original review at The Little Bookworm
After writing a disastrous essay, Wilma is made fun of, then ignored. Tired of being a nobody, she makes a wish to be the most popular girl at her school when she is granted one wish from a fairy godmother for a good deed. Now everyone is school loves her and Wilma is very happy. But once she realizes how specific her wish was, Wilma has to figure out how to extend her wish or lose her popularity forever.
Ariadne Meyers is the reader of this audio book. I men...more
After writing a disastrous essay, Wilma is made fun of, then ignored. Tired of being a nobody, she makes a wish to be the most popular girl at her school when she is granted one wish from a fairy godmother for a good deed. Now everyone is school loves her and Wilma is very happy. But once she realizes how specific her wish was, Wilma has to figure out how to extend her wish or lose her popularity forever.
Ariadne Meyers is the reader of this audio book. I men...more
This book was not the best book ever but it was okay. I liked that Wilma ended up happy at the end but I think she could have done even more to be happy at the end. It was pretty obvious she would end up happy but I wish she had some ups and downs before the end. I also wish we learned more about how Wilma was treated before the wish to notice how her life completely changed. I did like that Wilma realized she had made the wrong wish because she shouldn't have said to be popular but instead to...more
Another one of my favorites growing up. A girl becomes a social pariah after being humiliated by her English teacher. Then one day, she meets a woman on a train who grants her wish of being the most popular girl at Claverford Jr. High.
But what happens after the eight grade commencement ceremony when everyone graduates and moves on to a different school?
The writing didn't seem quite as superficial to me when I was in middle school, and popularity was everything. I STILL remember who the most popu...more
But what happens after the eight grade commencement ceremony when everyone graduates and moves on to a different school?
The writing didn't seem quite as superficial to me when I was in middle school, and popularity was everything. I STILL remember who the most popu...more
Oct 05, 2011
Kathryn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Kids
Shelves:
childrens
The Wish tells the story of Wilma Sturtz, a painfully unpopular young lady suffering through middle school. (I feel her pain.) When she helps an old lady on the bus, she is granted a wish. She wishes to be the most popular person at Claverford, the school she attends. Unfortunately, she hadn’t realized that she had only ten days left at Claverford…
You can probably fill in the various Lessons Learned (TM) from there. Though the book is somewhat predictable, the journey is very entertaining. Levin...more
You can probably fill in the various Lessons Learned (TM) from there. Though the book is somewhat predictable, the journey is very entertaining. Levin...more
Sorry, but I hated this book. The main character was just so stupid. I mean, if you had one wish, why would you wish to be the most popular person at your school? There are so many other awesome things you could wish for that would last you for longer. It's just not believable.
A book intended for middle-school girls, but fairly shallow ones. Not all middle-school girls think popularity and boyfriends and kissing are the most important things in the world.
A bit magical, as most of Levine's books are, this one is about an unpopular girl who has a wish granted by a fairy. Her wish -- to be the most popular girl in her middle school -- inevitably comes to an end when middle school ends, and she must go to high school. Will she still have friends? Will she still keep her b...more
A bit magical, as most of Levine's books are, this one is about an unpopular girl who has a wish granted by a fairy. Her wish -- to be the most popular girl in her middle school -- inevitably comes to an end when middle school ends, and she must go to high school. Will she still have friends? Will she still keep her b...more
1 like · like · see review
What a cute story! One day an old woman was on the bus. The main character gives her seat up for her for fear that she'll have a heart attack and make her late for school. To her surprise the woman grants her a wish. Wilma wished to be the most popular girl at her middle school.
It sounds like a good wish. But, she graduates from middle school in 3 weeks. And that's how long the spell will last. Or will it?
And if the spell wears off will all her new friends and new boyfriend still like her?
I w...more
It sounds like a good wish. But, she graduates from middle school in 3 weeks. And that's how long the spell will last. Or will it?
And if the spell wears off will all her new friends and new boyfriend still like her?
I w...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy | 4 | 6 | Sep 08, 2012 09:13am | |
| The wish reviw | 1 | 7 | Oct 18, 2011 11:05am | |
| The wish reviw | 1 | 3 | Oct 18, 2011 11:05am | |
| Fantasy | 1 | 3 | Oct 08, 2011 01:16pm | |
| Fantasy | 1 | 2 | Oct 08, 2011 01:14pm | |
| The Wish | 10 | 20 | Jan 03, 2009 05:31pm |
Just letting you all know: I'm only going to review books I love. There's enough negative criticism without me piling on. A book is too hard to write.
Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Yo...more
More about Gail Carson Levine...
Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Yo...more
Share This Book
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“She asks why I like her.
Might as well ask
Why I breathe.
Maybe tomorrow I won't
Breathe or like her
Anymore.
Maybe tomorrow the tides
Will stop.
Maybe tomorrow will bring
No more rainbows.
Maybe tomorrow
She will stop
Asking useless questions.”
—
70 people liked it
Might as well ask
Why I breathe.
Maybe tomorrow I won't
Breathe or like her
Anymore.
Maybe tomorrow the tides
Will stop.
Maybe tomorrow will bring
No more rainbows.
Maybe tomorrow
She will stop
Asking useless questions.”
“I saw the other loners the way everyone else did-as unappealing, as to be avoided at all costs. If I hung out with one of them, I thought, my unpopular status would get worse, not better, because it would be magnified by association.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
Dec 23, 2011 01:42pm