CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

A mysterious website grants wishes…but not without cost.

After a bad day at school, 10th grader Eshana Mehra comes across a website called I-WISH, described as a safe platform for meeting people. She chats with another user, who offers a veiled warning that the site isn’t quite what it seems, but when Wise One, the site’s guide, tells her to ask for something, Eshana wishes to have plenty of friends. The next day, other students go out of their ways to talk to her, and Eshana is emboldened to ask I-WISH to stop a girl named Cara who’s been bullying her. The following day, Eshana learns that Cara was badly injured in a car accident. At the same time, Eshana finds that she is unable to keep herself from saying exactly what she’s thinking, even if it’s hurtful. She decides to make one last wish and then never visit the site again—but the price exacted by Wise One may be too great to bear. Eshana asks her friends Pia and Tito to help her shut the site down for good. This novel will engage reluctant readers who enjoy real-world–based fantasies. Eshana makes questionable decisions about online safety and revenge but learns from her mistakes. Eshana is of Indian descent; Tito uses they/them pronouns.

A satisfying tale about defeating an online predator and realizing the value of true friendship.