How to Make a Wish

If 17-year-old piano prodigy Grace’s only problem were her upcoming audition for the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, her life would be simple. But that’s far from the case. Her alcoholic and unstable mother, Maggie, has never fully recovered from the death of Grace’s father 15 years earlier, and she can’t hold a job or home long enough for Grace to feel safe. When Grace meets Eva on the beach, the attraction is instant. But as Grace learns about Eva’s tragic past and watches her mother forge a friendship with Eva built on grief, Grace’s tenuously constructed world begins to crumble as her mother sets her up to fail, both consciously and unconsciously. Blake (Suffer Love) skillfully assembles a complex story about the wonders of first love while exploring challenges all teenagers face, such as growing up and gaining independence. Blake allows her characters to make mistakes and reach their own conclusions without passing judgments on them, in a story written with realism and sensitivity. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary. (May) [/em]