Genie Wishes is a book that I wish was written when my own daughter was beginning to navigate the waters of middle school madness. This is a refreshing read, with a tween protagonist that is just a tween. No super powers, no gratuitous angst, no super natural being. Just the story of a tween being a tween.
Elisabeth Dahl's debut novel does a wonderful job letting readers into the world of Genie Hunkle. The story shares her ups and downs and I found myself rooting for Genie as she dealt with mean girls, her widowed father's new dating life, her own changing body and finding her own voice.
As a blogger and a parent of a blogger, I really enjoyed Genie's struggles to find topics (who hasn't been there!), struggles to please readers and how she handled criticism. I was excited to share this book with my own tween as well as readers at my library.
If you are looking for a charming quick read to share with the tween blogger in your life, consider Genie Wishes. It's available in April 2013 from Amulet Books. Below is an excerpt and an interview with author Elisabeth Dahl.
About the book (from abramsbooks.com): This sweet, funny novel follows 5th grader Genie Kunkle through a tumultuous year. From the first day of school, Genie knows there will be good, bad, and in-between. The good? She’s in homeroom with her best friend, Sarah. The bad? Sarah’s friend from camp, Blair, is a new student at their school, and is itching to take Genie’s place as Sarah’s BFF. The in-between?
Genie is excited to be elected to write her class’s blog, where she’s tasked with tracking the wishes and dreams of her class. But expressing her opinion in public can be scary — especially when her opinion might make the rest of her class upset. Elisabeth Dahl authentically captures the ups and downs of a tween girl’s life, and the dramas — both little and big — that fill the scary
Rachée Fagg is a Delaware County, PA mom. This post was adapted from her blog, Say It Rah-shay. A feature of the blog is “Write a Review Wednesdays.”
