What You Wish For

I had high hopes for this book because I loved Center's previous book, Things You Save in a Fire. Unfortunately, this one was not as good. In fact, I almost stopped reading it in the beginning because I just did not like the main character and what, in my opinion, was her ridiculous behavior. However, the second half of the book is better, so I am glad I stuck with it.

In this book, Sam is a school librarian who was once obsessed with a fellow teacher, Duncan. So much so that she moved halfway across the country to avoid her crush. She finds out very early on that Duncan is now coming to her new school. When he arrives, he is not the same person he once was, and Sam struggles to come to terms with that and to save her precious school from his proposed changes.

The thing that makes this book a mere three stars for me is the character of Sam. She is just too silly and childish for me. I mean, is it really necessary to move out of state just to avoid seeing the guy you have a crush on? And then to decide you have to move again because he is now at your new school? It just seems a bit ridiculous to me. Duncan is a little more realistic a character, but he too annoys me at times. He has experienced something traumatizing, but his drastic change in character seems over the top.

I also found myself frustrated by the portrayal of the school itself. As an educator, I know that many of the things that happen in this book just don't happen in real schools. I won't go into detail due to spoilers.

All that being said, there are things I like about this book. I like the message that people need to choose joy and that joy helps to overcome difficult situations. I also like the emphasis placed on reading and education. There are some good themes in this story.

I wish I had liked this more than I did. I will still read more by Katherine Center because I know I like some of her other writing.