Middle Grade Review: Genie Wishes by Elisabeth Dahl

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 - 7

Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: Amulet Books (April 2, 2013)

Language: English

Series: None

Genre: Contemporary

Source: NetGalley

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

About the Book:

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.

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Praise:

"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

About the Author:

GENIE WISHES, a middle-grade novel with line drawings, is Elisabeth Dahl's first book (Amulet Books/ABRAMS, April 2013). Her writing for adults has appeared at NPR.org, at TheRumpus.net, in the Little Patuxent Review, and in other outlets. Elisabeth holds a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a master's degree from Georgetown University, where she was a Writing Center Associate Fellow. She now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where she works as a freelance writer and editor and teaches for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth.

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My Thoughts:

This book is all about growing up and dealing with the changes that come with tweenhood. Genie is a sweet girl that is just trying to figure things out and remain true to herself in the process. She has to deal with a lot of changes in her fifth grade year. Friend changes, body changes, and interest changes. She has to start worrying about things she's never had to before.

This is a look at tween life and the challenges that are presented during that wonderful and confusing time in a girl's life. Genie navigates through everything well and handles her problems in a very grown up way.

As far as content goes, there is some dealings with the birds and the bees in an age appropriate way (Genie gets a bra, a two-piece swim suit, and has her first sex-ed class in school) and there is a lot of using the Lord's name in vain. If you are concerned about either of those things, then make sure to read it yourself before giving it to your child.

4 STARS

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.