Well Wished Paperback – February 1, 2000

Fascinating idea, haunting, and lyrical, if a bit disjointed. (First read in 2008.)1/7/2017 update: Reading this aloud to my 12-year-old.2/6/2017 update: The narrative does not flow smoothly off the tongue for reading aloud.

I haven't read Heidi in years, but correct me if I'm wrong, she lived with her Grandfather on a mountain and had a best friend who was rich and in a wheel chair? it's a fun new perspective with a twist.

Cute story.

This book earns every one of its stars. Billingsley obviously loves the magic of words, and casts a spell which is beguiling and a little frightening. My 6th grade literature group and I are reading this now, and, while most are enjoying it, a few of my sensitive readers find it "creepy" and I've had one parent concerned about nightmares, seemingly induced by the story. It is a measure of the authors skill, having drawn these readers in to such a degree, but I feel like those who are sensitive readers should have a fair warning here. . . So BEWARE and enjoy.

Well Wished by Franny Billingsley is a good book. The main character is eleven-year-old Nuria Magdelena, who lives in the mountain village of Bishop Mayne with her grandfather, the Avy. In this town there is a Wishing Well, and everyone can have one wish in a lifetime. But the Well is dangerous, and a lot of the wishes backfire. It was one of these wishes that made all of the children in the village disappear, and now the Avy has wished for them to come back. One child returns, Catty Winter, whose legs are crippled. She wants Nuria to make a wish for her to walk again, and Nuria decides to make the wish for her new friend. But the wish backfires, and Nuria and Catty switch bodies. Will Nuria ever find a way to get back to her own body, or will she be stuck in Catty's body forever?

Franny Billingsley has a deep sense of magic, and an exquisite, lyrical voice. The story is upsetting enough to thrill but deeply fair--everything, good or bad, is earned by the characters. I suspect Billingsley has had a beautiful friend and has known adults who spoke to her in high style. And these powerful gifts come through in a very satisfying book for young people. Bravo.

This is my second purchase of this book. A friend recommended it to me (the author is apparently a relative of hers) and I enjoyed it so much I purchased a copy as a birthday gift for my 13yo niece.The story is just a little bit spooky and gives food for thought.