“Wish”, by Alexandra Bullen (YA-fiction)

Olivia is a high school student who just moved to a new city with her parents.  She’s shy and reserved and is your typical new girl who notices the hot guy who happens to be dating the most popular girl at school.  The twist?  Olivia and her parents are still reeling from the death of her twin sister the previous summer.  While still missing her sister, Olivia takes one of Violet’s torn dresses to a seamstress/dressmaker to be repaired.  Only, the dress she gets is NOT the one she brought in.  The new dress is drop-dead gorgeous and possesses magical powers.  With it, Olivia discovers she gets to make a heartfelt wish and it will come true.  She wishes for her sister to come back, and she does!  However, while corporal to Olivia, no one else can see or hear Violet.  The sisters visit the seamstress who tells Olivia that she still has 2 other dresses and wishes coming.  What will Olivia wish for next?

“Wish” is Bullen’s debut novel and I think she hits the ball out of the park with it.  The story is poignant and written well, with interesting relatable characters for young adults.  Olivia is relatable and the grief she and her parents exhibit while healing from the death of Violet is realistic as well.  This book is written in such as way that I can see it helping students who have suffered a loss, as well as being entertaining for those who haven’t.  Violet was a drowning victim and the scene is not overly descriptive when Olivia recounts the story to a friend.  There is some kissing and some underage drinking, but no sex, foul language or violence.  I recommend it for students in the 6^th grade and up.

"Shiver", by Maggie Stiefvater (YA-fantasy)

“Shiver” is a romance story about teenage werewolves but it is rather unique.  In this werewolf tale, werewolves are created once the human is bitten by a werewolf.  The former humans change into wolves whenever it the weather turns cold.  As time progresses, they need it to be warmer and warmer before they’ll turn human until, finally, they no longer can return to their former human shapes and live their lives as wolves.  Grace was kidnapped as a child by wolves who attacked her, but one wolf saved her from death and returned her to her home.  Since then, Grace has been drawn to the wolves.  When one of her classmates was killed by a wolf, but then Grace sees a wolf with his eyes, she starts to wonder if werewolves are real.  Eventually, she meets “her” wolf in human form, Sam.  They fall in love and have to uncover mysteries and resolve his dwindling time as a human dilemma before they can live happily till the next installment in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

While Sam and Grace are in a romantic relationship, their scenes together are not overly descriptive.  However, given some graphic scenes involving the wolves attacking humans, and Sam’s parents slitting his wrists after he first changes to a wolf and back, I would only recommend this book for junior high and high school students.