When Wishes Were Horses

Starred review from July 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Two girls and two boys, tweens living in the same town, receive identical envelopes with the same intriguing, unsigned note: "ONE WISH AT A TIME / WHISPER IT TO ME / BE WISE // Magic? / Impossible. / But what if . . . ?" The tweens 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. Bug discovers that he enjoys helping others attain their wishes more than dealing with the unforeseen repercussions of his magically granted wish. Seeing her parents' "ugly fights" as a threat to the family, 11-year-old Zoe makes a wish intended to avoid a crisis, but it backfires. Can her second wish undo the damage? Casey carefully words a wish intended to make her single mother reconsider her hard-line no-dog policy. Billy makes an amazing but somewhat selfish wish and an unselfish one, each involving a unicorn, and learns from both. Voigt, whose novel Dicey's Song won the Newbery Medal, tells four separate, parallel, realistic stories; each one is magical and memorable in its own way. An engaging choice for reading aloud and discussing in a classroom setting.

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July 8, 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.

September 15, 2024
Be careful what you wish for: In this fast-paced, lightly magical read, fifth graders Bug, Zoe, Casey, and Billy each receive two wishes. In four parallel short stories set in what appears to be the same neighborhood, each character receives two pieces of tissue paper, each representing a single wish. Bug asks for material items but later discovers greater joy in sharing and helping others. Zoe initially wants her parents to stop their "Ugly Fighting" and ultimately makes a wish that declares a positive hope for her family. Casey desires a dog and also wishes for her mom to open her heart. Billy impulsively asks for a unicorn--and then must figure out what to do with it. Each story explores the balance between selfishness and selflessness. A cautionary moral lesson lies at the heart of these narratives, with the characters' inner conflicts and social-emotional learning adding depth and captivating interest. As the stories progress, they become more philosophical and abstract, highlighting the transformative impact of connecting with other people and animals. The characters' lives encompass various family configurations and living situations, enhancing the book's appeal. Newbery-winning author Voigt skillfully weaves modern-day fairy tales that will resonate with readers, imparting timeless lessons about what truly matters in life. Kaulitzki's spot art adds a sweet and whimsical touch. The characters are minimally described and largely present white. This enchanting book will leave readers contemplating their own wishes and the deeper meaning behind them.(Fantasy. 7-11)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2024
Magic-wish stories, in folklore and fiction, are perfect vehicles for exploring unintended consequences. Voigt takes full advantage of this narrative device in a compilation of, essentially, four novellas featuring middle-grade children who are each given a pair of wishes. Bug wishes for a skateboard. Zoe wishes her parents would stop having "Ugly Fights." Casey wishes for a dog. Billy wishes for a unicorn. The upshot of these wishes includes alienation from friends, a parental separation, a threat to a tenuous living situation, and a sobering realization about the misuse of power in relationships. In each case, the first wish is the mess-up wish and the second is the tidy-up wish. In working out these dilemmas toward plausible happy endings, Voigt treads a skillful line between magic and concrete human realities, between getting what you want and discovering what you value -- all with convincing, flawed characters, child and adult, in a variety of family situations. The narrative voice, complete with direct address to the reader, is ever-present here, and the moral lessons learned -- honesty, compassion, generosity, humility, grit -- are made explicit in a way appropriate for fable, which is really the storytelling territory these tales inhabit. Sarah Ellis

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Magic-wish stories, in folklore and fiction, are perfect vehicles for exploring unintended consequences. Voigt takes full advantage of this narrative device in a compilation of, essentially, four novellas featuring middle-grade children who are each given a pair of wishes. Bug wishes for a skateboard. Zoe wishes her parents would stop having "Ugly Fights." Casey wishes for a dog. Billy wishes for a unicorn. The upshot of these wishes includes alienation from friends, a parental separation, a threat to a tenuous living situation, and a sobering realization about the misuse of power in relationships. In each case, the first wish is the mess-up wish and the second is the tidy-up wish. In working out these dilemmas toward plausible happy endings, Voigt treads a skillful line between magic and concrete human realities, between getting what you want and discovering what you value -- all with convincing, flawed characters, child and adult, in a variety of family situations. The narrative voice, complete with direct address to the reader, is ever-present here, and the moral lessons learned -- honesty, compassion, generosity, humility, grit -- are made explicit in a way appropriate for fable, which is really the storytelling territory these tales inhabit.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)