Wish

A touching story about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places.

Dream, the standalone companion to Wish, coming to bookstores on 8/26/25!

The #1 New York Times–bestselling middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places. Perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Kate DiCamillo.


Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.


Don't miss Barbara O'Connor's other heartwarming middle-grade titles:
Wonderland
How to Steal a Dog
Greetings from Nowhere
Beethoven in Paradise
Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester
Halfway to Harmony