Wish on a Unicorn by Karen Hesse

I'm choosing to focus on Karen Hesse for the A/P/I project because Out of the Dust is such a moving children's novel, making me want to read more books by Karen Hesse. Unlike the majority of people, I am a historical fiction buff. However, I've come to realize that not all of Karen Hesse's books are in the historical fiction genre. Wish on a Unicorn is a contemporary realistic fiction novel about a sixth grade girl named Maggie (called Mags) who feels weighed down by her seven-year-old sister, Hannie, who has a cognitive disability and her brother Mooch, known to be the neighborhood food thief. One day, Mags and Hannie discover a dirty, worn unicorn that they come to believe has magical powers. Through the experiences with the unicorn and through her relationships, Mags realizes just how special her family really is.

Many relevant topics arise in this book in terms of socioeconomic class, family, disabilities, and true friends. Mags feels as though she is not good enough compared with other students at her school. Living in a trailer park, Mags expresses dissatisfaction with her hand-me-down clothes and heavy responsibilities that fall on her. Since her mom works the night shift, it is Mags who must handle the extra burden of caring of her younger brother and sister. According to Mags, "I wanted to look and act and be just like the other kids at school and not be embarrassed about who I am" (p. 13). Although Mags and Hannie both attend school during the day, Mooch is still too young for school and must find his own activities while his mom sleeps during the day. Too often we fail to realize challenges that arise for single-parent families. Her dad passed away when she was two. Then her mom started dating a different man who is the father of Hannie and Mooch before he became abusive. When Mags is given a homework assignment requiring her to write an essay about her family, she doesn't know what to say. As a future teacher, I believe it is important to get to know students and their family situations.

Making matters more difficult is that Hannie has a cognitive disability. I felt that this book was a littled outdated. In terms of terminology, it reffered to Hannie as handicapped. I also believe (or would like to believe at least) that students today are more accepting of special education students. When Brody, one of Mag's classmates, gets mad, he says to Mags and Hannie, "I said your sister's a retard. A stupid should-have-been-dead retard" (p. 78). When Hannie wets her pants because she's upset, other students laugh at her. All of this I hope doesn't happen in today's school environment, or if it is still happening, intervention needs to take place.

At this adolescent age, Mags is also concerned if the popular girls, Patty Jo and Alice, like her. When she gets invited to Patty Jo's house after school one day, she tells Hannie to walk home by herself because for once, she wants to enjoy the feeling of being included and "cool." Mags soon realizes that being popular isn't all that it is hyped up to be. Mags returns home only to find Hannie missing. Although Mags eventually finds Hannie, an overwhelming sense of guilt and responsbility weigh on her mind. With this experience, Mags comes to understands how important Hannie and her family is to her.

Overall, I found this to be a heartwarming story offering advice about the meaning of true friends and family. As Karen Hesse's first novel, I feel as though she accurately captures both the highs and lows that any family experiences on a day-to-day basis. Families are unique, coming in all shapes and sizes. Despite their challenging situation, Mags's family has endurance and strength of spirit.