ONE WISH
- Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
- Publisher: Westside Books
- Release Date: April 23, 2009
- ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-934813-05-8
- ISBN (paperback): TBD
Overweight Wrenn Scott desperately wants to be popular and snag a hot boyfriend. Living with her single mom and younger sister, Karly, she lands a lead role in the high school musical, her voice for once overshadowing her weight. Pushing to get thinner by opening night, Wrenn’s waistline shrinks as she learns all the wrong ways to lose weight from a new “it-girl” friend in the show. Meanwhile, her mom is falling for Phil, “a balding Channel 8 News-nerd”; her sister is wrapped up in her own share of middle school drama, and Wrenn’s best friend has fallen for a guy she met online-but hasn’t even seen yet! Topping it off, geeky stage manager Steven has a crush on her. But Wrenn doesn’t want to be seen with him-she’s holding out for a trophy boyfriend whom everyone will envy. By opening night, the old Wrenn has almost disappeared. After a crisis reveals her weight-loss tricks, Wrenn realizes there are much more important things than being thin, popular, or even dating a hunk.
The Author: Leigh Brescia
Location: Greenville, NC
Leigh Brescia grew up in North Carolina, spending most of her days playing in the woods behind her home and imagining she was a princess. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Communication from Mount Olive College and her Master’s degree from Fort Hays State University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Office of Public Affairs, where she wrote press releases and feature articles for the local newspapers and campus magazines. She currently teaches online English composition courses for three universities, and an online “Writing Novels for Young Adults” course for UC Irvine.
When she’s not grading papers or writing for tweens and teens, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing the piano. She sings when she’s in a good mood, can’t get anything to grow in her garden, and is ignored by the cat. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and her three-year-old, which itself is an adventure.
Praise!
Moving and heartfelt, ONE WISH is an engaging story of one girl’s bittersweet journey from ‘nobody’ to ‘noticed.’ Leigh Brescia perfectly captures what it’s like to long for something that’s just out of reach—and the sometimes surprising reality that comes from actually attaining it.
-Alyson Noel-
New York Times Bestselling author of Evermore and Saving Zoe
Leigh Brescia’s One Wish is a poignant story of a girl’s struggle to find herself in the midst of family turmoil and new temptations. Wrenn captures the reader’s heart with her quirky habits and shy dreams. Throughout the book, readers will wish Wrenn success as she tries to make her dreams come true, but Brescia proves that even when wishes don’t come true, life can be better than we ever thought.
-Mary Beth Miller-
Author of Aimee and On the Head of a Pin
“I loved One Wish and defy anyone to read it without a box of tissues handy . . .”
-Amanda Ashby-
author of Zombie Queen of Newbury High and You Had Me at Halo
“Brescia tackles important issues in her first novel, and Wrenn’s thoughts and the characters’ dialogue feel honest. . . . Wrenn’s shallowness makes her less sympathetic . . . but no less believable. Wrenn does finally show some growth and depth in the final chapters when she . . . begins to reflect on the choices she’s made.”
-Publisher’s Weekly-
“This is perhaps a less-stark view of eating disorders . . . but it is still realistic enough, and there is no happily-ever-after ending. The characters are well developed and three-dimensional, even the adults. This engrossing novel lets readers see this issue up close without being completely pessimistic.”
-School Library Journal-
Contact Information:
- Official web site: www.leighbrescia.com
- Blogger: http://leighbrescia.blogspot.com/
- MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/leighbrescia
- Livejournal: http://leighbrescia.livejournal.com/
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