"The next couple of days felt like a million years.
I could hardly eat. I could hardly sleep. I stayed in
my room all day and listened to the radio, with
guilt jabbing at me like a hot poker.
Everybody kept asking me what was the matter.
Why was I moping? Why was I so quiet? Why
wasn't I eating macaroni and cheese, my favorite
food?"
While my granddaughters were here in July, Sicily and I had a book club. One of the books we read together was Wish by Barbara O'Connor. When Dream was delivered to my front door last week, I wished again that they were still here visiting. We would have both loved to share this companion book that offers new characters, while also revisiting those from the first book. Filled with the love and warmth of Wish, it introduces equally admirable community members for a summer filled with friends and dreams.
At the heart of the story is Idalee Lovett, an aspiring songwriter who dreams of making a name for herself. Her heritage is country music. Her mother, Lovey, sings popular song covers with the Junkyard Dogs; the men in her family had been songwriters; and Idalee sang her own song for a talent show in third grade. She wants to be her mother's songwriter.
Colby, North Carolina is a close-knit community. Idalee is in school with Charlie and Howard, the main characters from Wish, and knows Charlie's dog Wishbone. The summer break affords a chance to spend time together, and to meet those who have taken up residence in Idalee's home to help pay expenses and allow her mother to hit the road with her band. Friendships blossom with a unique group of characters who provide support for a young girl wanting to follow her dream by writing a song for entry in a radio show contest.
Although she has been writing songs for a very long time, Idalee lacks confidence in her chances to win. Her young friends cheer her on, and help in a bid to find a purported treasure left by her grandfather. If they can find the money, Idalee can use it to buy the blue guitar she believes will help her write her best song. Mistakes are made, filling Idalee with guilt. She confesses to her mother and then must wait impatiently for the contest results. Will her 'DREAM' come true ... what will she do if it does?
I love this book, and middle grade readers will love it, too.
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