Book Description:
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.
Rorie's Review:
If you think that this is a simple book, geared towards younger kids, you will be wrong. Yes, this is probably geared towards a younger audience, but it is a perfect read for adults as well. I was immediately caught up in Paige's story, and honestly, was kind of in awe of how much she knew how to do. I did not grow up on a farm, and I am extremely lacking in most of the skills she has mastered at 12 years of age.
My heart ached for her whole family, but especially for Paige. When her dad died, she came to the conclusion that it was completely her responsibility to keep the farm running and pretty much gave up the rest of her life to do so. I admired her grit, but just wanted to give her childhood back to her.
The storyline has a pretty heavy theme, but it's written in such a way that it's not too much of a downer - although in some parts tissues are highly recommended. I hope that I can get my kids to read this book, because it is such a great story.
Tarah's Review:
Right away I was pulled in by the cover. I like the bright colors and the happy feel of the cover. It does feel like a middle grade cover, and since that's who it's marketed towards it really hits the mark there. However, I struggled the whole book with the main characters age. I didn't feel like a lot of it was believable at age 12. Not the farm chores, I think she could have done all those, or the pranks, those were definitely the appropriate age, but the way she thinks and describes things. All of that would have been more believable if she had been in high school.
The pacing of the book was really slow. It wasn't until over halfway through that things began to really happen. I think that pacing might be kinda hard for a middle grader reading this book.
All that being said, it's a very touching story, and I cried multiple times. Make sure you have a box of tissues with you when you read.
Andrea's Review:
I really enjoyed Wendy Swore’s book, A Monster Like Me, so I was excited when I heard she had a new book coming out. When The Wish and the Peacock arrived I was a little hesitant to read it. The cover wasn't very appealing to me (although I think it would probably really appeal to its young target audience), and the focus on the peacock wasn't grabbing me. However, once I took the time to sit down and read the story I enjoyed it.
I really felt for Paige as the death of her father added a huge weight to her shoulders. She felt his loss deeply, and even felt guilt for not being there to help prevent his accident. She tried to keep up with a lot of the farm work on her own, and that meant giving up on her childhood. Her maturity was well beyond her years. When she learned that her mom was going to sell the farm it was devastating and she, her younger brother and a couple of friends did what they could to sabotage the sale.
There's a lot of emotion included throughout the book, and I cried several times. The first part moved a little slowly for me, but things picked up for the second half, and I really liked the happy ending. I'd recommend this to my kids.
Title: The Wish and the Peacock
Author: Wendy S. Swore
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: February 2020
ISBN: 1629726087
Source: Advanced reader copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are our own.
Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book
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