One True Wish

Four tweens navigating personal troubles must help a disgraced fairy return to her realm in this lightly fantastical novel by Kate (By Any Other Name, for adults). Sixth grader Birdie has been struggling to interpret her best friend Gemima’s erratic behavior ever since Gem started puberty; Gem has similarly been wrestling with her own developing body and feeling that no one understands her. Meanwhile, newcomer Van, Birdie’s nonbinary neighbor from Ireland, is miserable having to go between their divorced parents’ homes. Each tween is preoccupied with their own internal challenges when Phoebe, a fairy from the North Star with the ability to grant wishes, crash-lands in their Texas town. Phoebe regales the group with the story of how she was cast out from her realm because she questioned the existence of children, a vital belief of the fairies’ magical system. To restore her power and return her to the North Star, Birdie, Gem, and Van, joined by Gem’s younger brother Marley, must convince Phoebe that children are real. Kate fittingly centers the four kids, thoughtfully developing each of their personalities and conflicts, and providing grounding realism to the fanciful, wish-granting premise. Most characters are white; Gem and Marley are white and Jewish. Ages 10–up. (Apr.)