- Library Binding: 208 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (May 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 006027901X
- ISBN-13: 978-0060279011
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.8 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,536,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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"I once read that in some primitive tribe or other, they punished people by ignoring them." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
"I once read that in some primitive tribe or other, they punished people by ignoring them." Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's not as great as some of Levine's other work, but if you're a 11 year old girl, then I guess it's pretty much a masterpiece. For myself, it was too short and the pace was patchy.
This story could've been great, with Levine's talent she could easily have made this into an intelligent thought provoking novel. The characters are little confusing and distracting, there are little explanations for the things that happen or indeed the "wish".
I would compare this to "Are You There God? It's Me Margeret" by Judy Blume. When you read for the first time at the age of 9 or 10, it's brilliant, a work of genius, but if you were to go back to it a few years later you might just wonder what the fuss was about. I'm giving it 3 stars because I feel that it just wasn't enough for me, but I can appreciate that for younger girls it's probably every bit as fantastic as Levine intended it to be.
This story could've been great, with Levine's talent she could easily have made this into an intelligent thought provoking novel. The characters are little confusing and distracting, there are little explanations for the things that happen or indeed the "wish".
I would compare this to "Are You There God? It's Me Margeret" by Judy Blume. When you read for the first time at the age of 9 or 10, it's brilliant, a work of genius, but if you were to go back to it a few years later you might just wonder what the fuss was about. I'm giving it 3 stars because I feel that it just wasn't enough for me, but I can appreciate that for younger girls it's probably every bit as fantastic as Levine intended it to be.
16 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Library Binding
This is a really awesome book. Wilma is really unpopular at Claverford Middle School. But when she gives up her seat on the train to a lady, she gets granted a wish. It's to be the most popular girl at Claverford. Is she wishing carefully?
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
137 reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Be careful what you wish for...
9 May 2000
Format:Hardcover
Wilma's two best friends move away and she spends three miserable years in middle school unable to make new friends. The poplular kids ignore her and she avoids the other unpopular ones. When a language arts teacher reads her "Secret Life" essay aloud (she speaks as her dog)things only get worse. Upon giving her seat to an old woman on the N.Y. subway, the woman allows Wilma to make a wish. Wilma's wish is to be the most popular girl in school. Unfortunetly, graduation is three weeks away and school will be over. Will her new friends still like her? Will Jared, her new beau still want to be her boyfriend? This book is ideal for the pre-teen girl looking for a story about friendship or one just becoming interested in boys. We learn what it is like to be popular and unpopular. It has a fairy tale essence although Wilma never actually changes. The wish only affects how others perceive her. Fans of Ella Enchanted and the Princess Tales will enjoy this too.
29 of 33 people found the following review helpful
The WISH come true
7 Jun 2000
Format:Hardcover
I've been a fan of Gail Carson Levine since I read ELLA ENCHANTED and her giddy PRINCESS series. Unlike her prvious books this one is set in the here and now, nevertheless Ms Levine manages to put in a touch of magic in the form of an old woman (or is she a witch in disguise) who grants Wilma one wish as a thank you for an act of kindness. Lonely, unpopular Wilma wishes to be "the most popular kid at Claverford" and ends up wondering if she really wanted what she wished for.
This is a sweet funny book that examines the road of popularity and true friendship. It touches a cord in everyone who ever longed to be popular in school. Wilma herself is a believable and very likable girl. Readers of all ages will easily identify with her need to fit in. A funny and poignant read. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Levine.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Different
16 May 2002
Format:Hardcover
I really liked this book, even though it is VERY different from Gail Carson Levine's other books. First and foremost, it is actually set in our world, in a school in fact. Usually, I would have stayed away from a book about a school, but considering the author and the promise of fantastic elements, I decided to try it.
I am SO glad that I did. This book in FANTASTIC!!! Unlike most realistic fiction, it never preaches about how terrible cliques and popular people and high school are. Instead, it shows a point of view that is NEVER shown: what it's like inside a clique, and the idea that popular people really DO have the capacity to be nice. I mean, if you want to complain about card-board cutout villains, read a normal realistic fiction book.
There was only one really 1-D character in the book, but this added to the realism; I've met a few people who really act like that. Besides, all the other characters were wonderful, so it didn't really matter.
Wilma, in most aspects, was a good character. I especially loved the way she managed to pull unpopular people into the group without making it seem forced, which is no easy task. The only thing that seemed slightly odd was the romance, but that was just because of the age. It would have worked better if this had been set in highschool, but given the nature of the wish Wilma makes, that wasn't possible.
A certain part of the wish was the only problem in the book; from my point of view, the catch in it seemed rather obvious. But then, I read WAY too much fantasy, and therefore probably understand "watch what you wish for" better than Wilma did. Besides, it wasn't a very big problem, and given that Wilma took two seconds to think about the wish before she made it, it can easily be ignored.
If you like fantasy or realistic fiction, you HAVE to read this book.
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