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A Wish in the DarkKindle Edition
A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. A compelling fantasy looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice.
All light in Chattana is created by one man — the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong’s prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free.
Nok, the prison warden’s perfect daughter, is bent on tracking Pong down and restoring her family’s good name. But as Nok hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, Christina Soontornvat’s twist on Victor Hugo’sLes Misérablesis a dazzling, fast-paced adventure that explores the difference between law and justice — and asks whether one child can shine a light in the dark.
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Lexile measure720L
- PublisherCandlewick Press
- Publication dateMarch 24, 2020
- ISBN-13978-1536204940
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Korean-American narrator Greta Jung vividly brings to life the rich dystopian Thai setting of this fantasy twist on LES MISRABLES.… Jung pays close attention to the intonation of long and difficult-to-pronounce names in the tonal Thai language. Distinct voices for each character give even more resonance to the emotional pull of their relationships."
―AudioFile Magazine
About the Author
Christina Soontornvatgrew up in a small Texas town where she spent many childhood days behind the counter of her parents' Thai restaurant with her nose in a book. She is the author of many books for young readers, includingThe Blunders,illustrated by Colin Jack. She now lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
A monster of a mango tree grew in the courtyard of Namwon Prison. Its fluffy green branches stretched across the cracked cement and hung over the soupy brown water of the Chattana River. The women inmates spent most of their days sheltered under the shade of this tree while the boats glided up and down and up again on the other side of the prison gate.
The dozen children who lived in Namwon also spent most of their days lying in the shade. But not in mango season. In mango season, the tree dangled golden drops of heaven overhead, swaying just out of reach.
It drove the kids nuts.
They shouted at the mangoes. They chucked pieces of broken cement at them, trying to knock them down. And when the mangoes refused to fall, the children cried, stomped their bare feet, and collapsed in frustration on the ground.
Pong never joined them. Instead, he sat against the tree’s trunk, hands crossed behind his head. He looked like he was sleeping, but actually, he was paying attention.
Pong had been paying attention to the tree for weeks. He knew which mangoes had started ripening first. He noticed when the fruit lightened from lizard-skin green to pumpkin-rind yellow. He watched the ants crawl across the mangoes, and he knew where they paused to sniff the sugar inside.
Pong looked at his friend, Somkit, and gave him a short nod. Somkit wasn’t shouting at the mangoes, either. He was sitting under the branch that Pong had told him to sit under, waiting. Somkit had been waiting an hour, and he’d wait for hours more if he had to, because the most important thing to wait for in Namwon were the mangoes.
He and Pong were both nine years old, both orphans. Somkit was a head shorter than Pong, and skinny — even for a prisoner. He had a wide, round face, and the other kids teased him that he looked like those grilled rice balls on sticks that old ladies sold from their boats.
Like many of the women at Namwon, their mothers had been sent there because they’d been caught stealing. Both their mothers had died in childbirth, though from the stories the other women still told, Somkit’s birth had been more memorable and involved feet showing up where a head was supposed to be.
Pong wagged his finger at his friend to get him to scoot to the left.
A little more.
A little more.
There.
Finally, after all that waiting, Pong heard the soft pop of a mango stem. He gasped and smiled as the first mango of the season dropped straight into Somkit’s waiting arms.
But before Pong could join his friend and share their triumph, two older girls noticed what Somkit held in his hands.
“Hey, did you see that?” said one of the girls, propping herself up on her knobby elbows.
“Sure did,” said the other, cracking scab-covered knuckles. “Hey, Skin-and-Bones,” she called to Somkit. “What do you got for me today?”
“Uh‑oh,” said Somkit, cradling the mango in one hand and bracing himself to stand up with the other.
He was useless in a fight, which meant that everyone liked fighting him the most. And he couldn’t run more than a few steps without coughing, which meant the fights usually ended badly.
Pong turned toward the guards who were leaning against the wall behind him, looking almost as bored with life in Namwon as the prisoners were.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” said Pong, bowing to the first guard.
She sucked on her teeth and slowly lifted one eyebrow.
“Ma’am, it’s those girls,” said Pong. “I think they’re going to take —”
“And what do you want me to do about it?” she snapped. “You kids need to learn to take care of yourselves.”
The other guard snorted. “Might be good for you to get kicked around a little. Toughen you up.”
A hot, angry feeling fluttered inside Pong’s chest. Of course the guards wouldn’t help. When did they ever? He looked at the women prisoners. They stared back at him with flat, resigned eyes. They were far past caring about one miserable mango.
Pong turned away from them and hurried back to his friend. The girls approached Somkit slowly, savoring the coming brawl. “Quick, climb on,” he said, dropping to one knee.
“What?” said Somkit.
“Just get on!”
“Oh, man, I know how this is gonna turn out,” grumbled Somkit as he climbed onto Pong’s back, still clutching the mango.
Pong knew, too, but it couldn’t be helped. Because while Pong was better than anyone at paying attention, and almost as good as Somkit at waiting, he was terrible at ignoring when things weren’t fair.
And the most important thing to do in Namwon was to forget about life being fair.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked the knobby-elbowed girl as she strode toward them.
“We caught this mango, fair and square,” said Pong, backing himself and Somkit away.
“You sure did,” said her scab-knuckled friend. “And if you hand it over right now, we’ll only punch you once each. Fair and square.”
“Just do it,” whispered Somkit. “It’s not worth —”
“You don’t deserve it just because you want it,” said Pong firmly. “And you’re not taking it from us.”
“Is that right?” said the girls.
“Oh, man.” Somkit sighed. “Here we go!”
The girls shrieked and Pong took off. They chased him as he galloped around and around the courtyard with Somkit clinging onto his back like a baby monkey.
“You can never just let things go!” Somkit shouted.
“We can’t... let them have it!” panted Pong. “It’s ours!” He dodged around clumps of smaller children, who watched gleefully, relieved not to be the ones about to get the life pummeled out of them.
“So what? A mango isn’t worth getting beat up over.” Somkit looked over his shoulder. “Go faster, man — they’re going to catch us!”
The guards leaning against the wall laughed as they watched the chase. “Go on, girls. Get ’em!” said one.
“Not yet, though,” said the other guard. “This is the best entertainment we’ve had all week!”
“I’m... getting... tired.” Pong huffed. “You better... eat that thing before I collapse!”
Warm mango juice dripped down the back of Pong’s neck as Somkit tore into the fruit with his teeth. “Oh, man. I was wrong. This is worth getting beat up over.” Somkit reached over his friend’s shoulder and stuck a plug of mango into the corner of Pong’s mouth.
It was ripe and sweet, not stringy yet. Paradise.
Product details
- ASIN : B07X8VTKTT
- Publisher : Candlewick Press (March 24, 2020)
- Publication date : March 24, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 4186 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 385 pages
- Best Sellers Rank:#290,056 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Christina Soontornvat](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/vun3i3mnnrlmhs6uehq2551fmd._SY600_.jpg)
Christina Soontornvat is the award-winning author of over a dozen books for children of all ages. Her picture books include The Ramble Shamble Children, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo, and Simon at the Art Museum, illustrated by Christine Davenier. She is the author of the beloved Diary of an Ice Princess chapter book series. Her recent works include the middle grade fantasy, A Wish in the Dark, which was named a 2021 Newbery Honor Book, and was chosen as Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post and School Library Journal, and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, which has received numerous nonfiction awards and was also named a 2021 Newbery Honor Book.
Christina Soontornvat grew up behind the counter of her parents’ Thai restaurant in a small Texas town with her nose stuck in a book. She is very proud of both her Thai and her Texan roots, and makes regular trips to both Weatherford and Bangkok to see her beloved family members (and eat lots and lots of Thai food!). In addition to being an author, Christina holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Science Education. She spent a decade working in the science museum field, where she designed programs and exhibits to get kids excited about science. She is passionate about STEM (science, technology engineering, and math), and loves learning new things. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, two young children, and one old cat.
Christina is represented by Stephanie Fretwell-Hill of the Red Fox Literary Agency.
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Customers find the book an awesome read with a compelling adventure and fantastical elements that are not over the top. They also describe the characters as emotional and the writing style as wonderful. Readers also say the life lessons are beautiful for adults and kids.
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Customers find the book an awesome read that tells the story of a boy.
"This was one of thebest books I have ever read.There is lots of action,thrill and adventure. We recommend this highly as a class read aloud! "Read more
"...This book is incredible.Soontornvat weaves an emotional story with a strong sense of place and the perfect touch of magic.... "Read more
"Great book"Read more
"I ordered this book for my son's OBOB, which is fabulous! It isamazingand so interesting even for me! Great price and in great condition! "Read more
Customers find the storyline compelling, charming, and amazing. They also say the author has crafted a charming fantasy with magical elements that are not over the top.
"This was one of the best books I have ever read. There islots of action,thrill and adventure. We recommend this highly as a class read aloud! "Read more
"Anengagingand uplifting story that showcases the main character's journey to understanding multiple personal and societal truths: that all people... "Read more
"...Theadventure is truly compellingand the ending wraps things up neatly. There are some topics that might. It be suited to more sensitive children.... "Read more
"...weaves an emotional story with a strong sense of place and theperfect touch of magic.... "Read more
Customers find the characters in the book touching and heartfelt. They also say the book weaves an emotional story with a strong sense of place.
"An engaging anduplifting storythat showcases the main character's journey to understanding multiple personal and societal truths: that all people... "Read more
"...culture for the first time, but the wonderful life lessons,hard-hitting topics,and gorgeous setting really brings this book to life.... "Read more
"...This book is incredible. Soontornvatweaves an emotional storywith a strong sense of place and the perfect touch of magic.... "Read more
"...She also has a real gift for capturing and portraying youthful,relatable,changeable emotions.... "Read more
Customers find the writing style wonderful, lovely, and gorgeous. They also say the world building and language are lovely, the complex overall theme is well conveyed, and the book is highly recommended as a class read aloud.
"...We recommend thishighly as a class read aloud!"Read more
"...It's a beautiful book! Ilove the messages built inand how it relates those messages without beating you over the head with them.... "Read more
"...I understood our little angel's point. Theworld building and language are lovely,but the first half of the book was gorgeous, but very slow.... "Read more
"...Beautiful imagery, for the age group it targets thecomplex overall theme is well conveyed.Happy this one is on my daughters reading list. "Read more
Customers find the life lessons in the book heartwarming, beautiful, and full of light and hope. They also describe the world building as good.
"...about reading Asian culture for the first time, but thewonderful life lessons,hard-hitting topics, and gorgeous setting really brings this book to... "Read more
"This book is outrageously beautiful, andso full of light and hope(something the world really needs right now).... "Read more
"Great book for middle school age kids.Came in a timely manner. "Read more
"Good world building,a middle grade novel for adults... "Read more
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While this is a Thai retelling of Les Mis, commenting on the class system and how unfair it is, there is also magic sprinkled throughout. This magic represents the power each person has to make a difference, and when everyone brings their gifts together, they can fight back against the darkness/unfairness.
The story centers on a boy named Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison and told that he is not worthy to live in the light. He starts to believe this lie and ignore his own gifts. But then he escapes the prison and goes into hiding at a temple, becoming a monk. He learns more about blessings and gifts from his mentor Father Cham. But when the warden's family arrives to visit the temple four years later, his daughter Nok recognizes Pong and Pong has to go on the run again to avoid going back to prison.
Both Pong and Nok have goals to achieve. Pong wants to get to the sea to find freedom. Nok wants to prove she is worthy by catching an escaped prisoner. But they both realize that by joining together with other "unworthy" people in the city, in a march against the governor and his unfair rules, they are finding the freedom and acceptance they seek, for both themselves and others.
Pong and Somkit are born in Namwon Prison across the bay and dream of the day that they can walk among the lights. And then Pong escapes. He finds that the world outside is not everything he hoped it would be. But he does find kindness and begins to learn about life.
Somkit finishes his sentence and then finds himself struggling in the bright lights of Chattana, where ex prisoners are treated unfairly, even if their only crime is that of being the child of a convict. And then he finds the resistance and his place.
Nok is the affluent daughter of the warden of Namwog. She always follows the law and does the right thing. She will hunt down criminals because she believes in the law.
The three of them cross paths in different ways. This is one part magic, one part fairy tale. But mostly it is a lesson in blindly following a leader who may or may not have the best interests of his people in mind. Power, unchecked can often be dangerous. It's a story about asking yourself if what is the law is actually what is right and forming your own opinions. I really enjoyed it. And while I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, look at how pretty this one is!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2022
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