Genie Wishes

Book excerpt: This sweet, funny novel follows fifth-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 transition between childhood and adolescence. UPraise for Genie Wishes/u "Girls should identify and mothers should approve of this gentle tale of growing up." —Kirkus Reviews "Upbeat slice-of-life novel." —Publishers Weekly "Here’s to reading about Genie’s sixth-grade year soon." —Booklist "The author has a keen eye for the tween girl experience: Genie’s plans for the future involve living right by her best friend and working together as dolphin trainers, while the highlight of her summer is the fact that her other friend just joined the pool. This will no doubt resonate with tween girls, and it has the charm and the discussion fodder to make an excellent mother-daughter book club selection." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books