Wishing Season

Wishing Season
Anica Mrose Rissi
Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins, 2023
228 pages
Grades 4-7
Realistic Fiction

Nothing has been right since her twin Anders died. Lily feels like a shadow of her old self and the summer before sixth grade on her rural island off the coast of Maine seems endless. Single Mom won't get out of bed and the loneliness is suffocating. To find peace, Lily begins hanging out by the old tire swing where she and Anders used to play. It is here that he begins to appear to her. They call the area "The Overlap" and it becomes their secret place to play and talk. Meanwhile, Quinn, a high school girl, starts talking to Lily as she rides past her house everyday. Quinn starts bringing her over to a neighbors house to have Lily help to feed the chickens. Through the chickens, the neighbor and Quinn, Lily start to begin to heal a bit from her loss. As the summer begins to fade and the wishing season (when dandelions are fluffy and you make a wish) wanes, Anders begins to fade and his parameters in The Overlap begin to narrow. Will he disappear permanently? Meanwhile, with school starting what will happen with Lily and Quinn's friendship and the relationship Lily left behind with her former best friend. Most importantly, will Lily and Mom find a way to reconnect through the painful loss of Anders when they need each other the most?

Kids at my library love a sad story and this one will fill the bill. It is very sad, sure to entice tears in adolescents, yet ultimately ends hopeful. The book is beautifully written and Rissi is careful with her word choice and writes with intention. The story is more of a character growth/emotional piece and less of a plot book, though there is enough happening that I never got bored. The author really nails Rissi's voice and the reader journeys along this difficult summer right along with her. Is "The Overlap" real or is it part of Lily's imagination as she heals? We never fully know and it doesn't really matter. It is a space that Lily needs in order to move through the darkness. It made me upset that Lily wasn't getting more help--or at least therapy. What she did get was the concern of a watchful community that, in typical Maine fashion, took care of her and Mom without hovering. The New England island setting was fully realized and the secondary characters came as alive as Lily (and Anders). This book is a beautiful quiet piece that won't be for everyone, but will find a home with sensitive readers.