A Wish in the Dark facts for kids
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| Author | Christina Soontornvat |
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| Cover artist | Ji-Hyuk Kim |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Candlewick Press |
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Publication date
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March 24, 2020 |
| Pages | 384 |
| Awards | |
| ISBN | 978-1-5362-0494-0 |
| OCLC | 1127828873 |
A Wish in the Dark is an exciting fantasy novel for children, written by American author Christina Soontornvat. It came out in 2020. This book is a new version of a very old story called Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. It also includes ideas and feelings inspired by Thai culture. Many people liked the book, and it even won a special award called a Newbery Honor and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award.
A Wish in the Dark
Story Time: The Plot
The story begins in the city of Chattana. A huge fire once destroyed the city, leaving it mostly dark. Now, a powerful Governor rules Chattana. He is the only one who can make magical light.
A nine-year-old boy named Pong was born in Namwon Prison. He has spent his whole life there. Pong finally escapes, dreaming of a free life. But a special tattoo from the prison marks him as a runaway. He finds safety at a faraway monastery. There, Father Cham and the other monks welcome him.
Four years later, the family of the old prison warden visits the monastery. The warden lost his job because Pong escaped. The warden's daughter, Nok Sivapan, recognizes Pong. She promises to catch him to bring honor back to her family.
Nok chases Pong all the way back to Chattana. There, Pong meets his old prison friend, Somkit. Pong then gets involved with a group protesting the unfairness in the city. People are treated very differently based on their social class.
Nok tries to warn the Governor about the protest. But the Governor ignores her harshly. This makes Nok start to wonder about the Governor's true intentions. She soon realizes how unfair life is for many people in the city.
Nok decides to join Pong, Somkit, and the other protestors. They march together, and their protest works! The Governor's rule ends. The future of Chattana is not clear, but its people can now live more freely. They also begin to learn how to create their own light.
Behind the Book
A Wish in the Dark is a modern retelling of a famous book. That book is Les Misérables, written in 1862 by French author Victor Hugo.
Candlewick Press published A Wish in the Dark on March 24, 2020. You can also listen to the story. The audiobook version was read by Greta Jung.
