MIDDLE GRADE REALISTIC FICTION: The Wish and the Peacock by Wendy S. Swore
ABOUT THE BOOK
Paige’s favorite family tradition on the farm is the annual bonfire where everyone tosses in a stone and makes a wish. This time, Paige’s specific wish is one she’s not sure can come true: Don’t let Mom and Grandpa sell the farm.
When Paige’s younger brother finds a wounded peacock in the barn, Paige is sure it’s a sign that if she can keep the bird safe, she’ll keep the farm safe too. Peacocks, after all, are known to be fierce protectors of territory and family.
With determination and hard work, Paige tries to prove she can save the farm on her own, but when a real estate agent stakes a “For Sale” sign at the end of the driveway and threatens everything Paige loves, she calls on her younger brother and her best friends, Mateo and Kimana, to help battle this new menace. They may not have street smarts, but they have plenty of farm smarts, and some city lady who’s scared of spiders should be easy enough to drive away.
But even as the peacock gets healthier, the strain of holding all the pieces of Paige’s world together gets harder. Faced with a choice between home and family, she risks everything to make her wish come true, including the one thing that scares her the most: letting the farm go.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy S. Swore and her family are farmers. She writes part-time, particularly in winter when her farming chores give her time to plant seeds in her imagination. She is a member of SCBWI. She was named the Idaho Farm Bureau District 1 Woman of the Year in 2018.
Visit the author at WendySwore.com.
REVIEW
After losing her father in an accident, Paige is determined not to lose her home as well. She promised her father to take care of the farm and works hard to keep that promise. But her mother and Grandpa seem to be under the spell of the real estate agent. With the help of her younger brother, Paige resorts to pranks in an effort to sabotage the sale. The arrival of an injured peacock and a heifer ready to give birth add to Paige's responsibilities. But things are slipping out of Paige's control as she struggles to balance her school and home responsibilities as well as maintain her friendships. As circumstances blow up in Paige's face, she's forced to decide what is most important and what she can afford to keep fighting for and what she needs to let go of. Swore has written a tender tale of courage and family/friendship in the face of unimaginable loss. I enjoyed the details about farming and peacocks that permeates the story. Paige's brother continually sprouts peacock (and other animal) facts throughout the book. The side plots were interesting as well, as Paige tries to help her friend Kimana prepare for an upcoming powwow, look after her friend Mateo's mother's birthday present as well as try to save the farm. The complications caused by the arrival of the peacock add a unique story line to the 'save the home' story. I appreciated the author's note at the end explaining the care taken with the inclusion of a Native/First Nations character and her life and interests. An enjoyable read with some great characters.
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