I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful, illuminating story about growth, friendship and empathy.

I truly loved this book, and I'm excited to start introducing it to young readers, but it will be equally captivating for adults who enjoy middle grade fiction. The writing is beautiful and the characters are so compelling. I absolutely loved the subjects, and I think the author approaches some difficult themes so well. Thought it is described as a twist on Les Miserable with a bit of magic, I don't think readers need to be familiar with the classic that inspired it to absolutely love this title.

Soontornvat's premise of "a Thai-inspired take on Les Misérables" is highly original, so I was excited to read it. The writing is sharp--there are some stellar examples of dramatic irony and tension-building, and I appreciated how Soontornvat incorporates a strong thread of standing up for what's just and right even in the face of adversity.

That being said, there are two reasons I might hesitate to recommend this to a middle-grade reader. 1) It really leans into the gritty, dark side of Les Mis; there are a lot of descriptions about prison life and the seedy underbelly of the town, and the reader has to slog through a lot of pain and turmoil. 2) It's LONG. It took me a while to finish, and I'm usually pretty speedy.

A fantastical adventure of hope, courage and justice. A boy born in prison comes to see that the life he was born into is not any easier that the life he escapes from. His marks tell a tale of injustice and an unrevealed friend begins to discover secrets to her truths. I enjoyed this fast-paced read for middle grades.

A Wish in the Dark is one of my new favorite, upper middle grade books! It truly was a journey that felt mature, yet had themes that even younger readers will relate to and learn from. In fact, we can learn something from everyone in this story. We learn tenacity from Pong, loyalty from Somkit and how to fight for what we truly believe in from Nok. This is a timeless story, told with characters that you love and root for.

I am so thankful for this story! A Wish in the Dark was full of hope.

This was such a cute capturing story. The writing was very fluid and delightful to read. Each of the characters were carefully crafted and were so sweet. I was not able to connect with the main characters, though, as I felt this was geared towards children. I can tell children are going to love this!

I discovered Christina Soontornvat's "A Wish in the Dark" thanks to friend and middle-grade author Sarah Cannon, whose own middle-grade title "Twist" was recently released and continues to be one of my favorite middle-grade titles of early 2020.

The Indianapolis-based Cannon offered what can only be described as a rave for "A Wish in the Dark," an incredibly engaging tale set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world vividly brought to life by Soontornvat's imaginative yet natural language and imagery.

The world that Soontornvat creates is known as Chattana, a land once destroyed by a "Great Fire" that now prospers under the mystical leadership of a man known only as Governor. The city is one known for its seemingly magical lights, lights that are indescribably beautiful yet seen only from a distance by a 9-year-old boy known as Pong. Pong's life is anything but magical, a childhood spent inside the walls of Namwon Prison due to his having been born the child of a prisoner. For Pong, these faraway lights represent a freedom he has never known.

When the opportunity avails itself and Pong escapes from the darkened environs of the only world he's ever known, he quickly learns that even where there is light there is darkness and the mystical world he enters is no more fair than the one he left behind.

Along with leaving behind his best friend Somkit, Pong leaves behind a disgraced prison warden and his already vulnerable family including Nok, his perfect daughter whose days become consumed by tracking Pong down and restoring her family's good name. Yet, even for Nok there are lessons to be learned as she hunts Pong down the alleys and through the canals of Chattana and soon discovers herself that the only life she's ever known is not what she's always believed it to be.

"A Wish in the Dark" is an intelligent and inspired retelling of Victor Hugo's esteemed "Les Misérables," and while such an objective is perhaps lofty there's little doubt that Soontornvat makes that novel's incredible story more accessible than it's ever been while still telling a story all her own.

As I hunkered down last evening under my blankets on a chilly Indianapolis night determined to complete my literary journey with "A Wish in the Dark," I simultaneously lamented that such an accomplishment would also end my days inside this remarkable world created by Soontornvat.

"A Wish in the Dark" is a book that teaches without ever preaching. It's a book that looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice without ever losing the simplicity and wonder of its story. "A Wish in the Dark" casts its fast-paced adventure tale without speeding through the character development we need to embrace such lovely and intriguing souls as Pong, Nok, Somkit, Father Cham, Ampai, and even the Governor among others. It's a story that embraces the dark parts of life without ever, as one character does, exploiting it.

In short, "A Wish in the Dark" is both a meaningful story for readers of all ages, but especially middle-graders, and an incredibly entertaining and involving reading experience.

There were moments, and I do mean more than one moment, during "A Wish in the Dark" when I shed a tear, not just out of sadness but out of the joy of fully realized characters living fully realized lives filled with joys and sorrows, lessons and self-discovery. I nearly wept at the honest, natural of the friendship between two boys, Pong and Somkit, that is captured in a way that's so rarely done even in children's literature.

Yet, there were also moments when I laughed aloud as characters, especially Pong and Nok, stumbled upon their "Aha!" moments with spontaneity and innocence and grace.

As a longtime activist myself, it would be easy for me to write an entire essay on the social justice lessons alone in this insightful, intuitive work of fiction alone. As an adult reader, I embraced, perhaps with more clarity than ever before, the ways in which poverty and oppression are institutionalized and not simply cyclical in nature.

I also embraced something that I've spent most of my life teaching as my mantra - one person can make a difference in the world.

Yet, for all its valuable lessons and deeply ingrained values what I don't want to get lost with "A Wish in the Dark" is the beautiful and wonder-filled story being told by Soontornvat. "A Wish in the Dark" is truly inspired by its Thai roots and nearly perfect in the way it weaves together its characters and its culture. It's both fast-paced and incredibly patient, adventure-filled and remarkably intimate.

In "A Wish in the Dark," we are told “You can’t run away from darkness. It’s everywhere. The only way to see through it is to shine a light.” Indeed, in a world that can feel so incredibly dark "A Wish in the Dark" is pure light.

I read A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat in one sitting. It may be marketed for the middle grade reader but it does not read as a book solely for middle graders.

A Wish in the Dark deals with weighty subjects as the worth of people especially when it is determined by geography or the crimes of their parents, poverty, what we owe to our neighbors, what we owe to ourselves, self belief, determination, dictatorship, right and wrong vs. Legal and illegal, etc. How does one decide what is the right thing to do? How does one apologize?

While I haven't a lot of experience reading books from the Asian continent, and this is my first Thai novel, I did not feel an outsider. I was able to immerse myself in the world quite easily. Some themes are universal.

I really enjoyed this fun middle grade fantasy novel. It had themes of adult fantasy pulled down to a smaller scale for younger readers and I loved it.

After the Great Fire destroyed the city of Chattana, the Governor comes to save the starving population and give the city light. Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, sees the mysterious lights and is determined to see them himself. When he finally gets his chance, he escapes from prison and runs. Nok, the prison warden's daughter, is determined to find the prisoner who escaped in order to restore her family's good name. Both Pong and Nok are confronted with the reality of their world through each of their journeys.

I really enjoyed this novel. I really got vibes that felt so much bigger than the typical middle grade fantasies. This book confronts more challenging topics and felt like it could have been an adult high fantasy if the characters were older. I loved getting to know the world. It felt like I was really there in the cities and was right there with the characters. I liked that the story was so broad but still focused on this one little area. The magic was interesting and I really wanted to know more about it. I feel like it definitely could have been explained a bit better so that I could really understand how everything is happening. The story and the magic system reminded me of Brandon Sanderson's fantasy novels.

I loved both Pong and Nok. As our two main characters from two different points of view, they really helped the reader to understand. I loved their growth. I do wish that the book was a little bit longer so that the growth that both of them experience didn't feel so rushed. It seemed like the characters' growth was saved for the very end and I wanted maybe a more gradual change. But overall, I loved both Nok and Pong.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to reading more from Christina Soontornvat!

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat is a unique middle-grade fantasy novel. The book follows two children; Pong, a boy who escapes the prison, and Nok, the prison wardens daughter who has become a warrior. 

A Wish in the Dark tackles social issues, such as poverty and the distribution of wealth, and the author’s world-building is magical and brings the Thai culture to life on each page.

Don’t pass this book up because it’s a middle-grade book. It’s a moving and brilliantly written story.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was very blessedly sent an advance copy earlier this year, and though I had only a passing interest in the story when I found the book on Goodreads, I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting after I read the first chapter.

It was such a brilliant middle-grade adventure with so much to say about important, complex topics like revolution and justice. As a Southeast Asian reader, the setting and the themes of the book greatly resonated with me, and I truly feel that such a thoughtful, well-written story ought to receive more attention from our community. This story is undoubtedly written for young readers, but it also never condescends to the audience it was written for. I always felt that there was a spirit of adventure and hope underpinning the story even as the characters dealt with heavier issues—the passion the author poured into this really does shine through in the story. I genuinely hope that more readers consider picking it up, because it completely stole my heart!

If I could give this book the Newberry Award now, I would! It is that good! The story is complex and raw. It highlights injustice, friendship, and being true to yourself. It is a must for any reader! A true masterpiece!

In a world where "light shines on the worthy," Pong belongs in the darkness. After he manages to escape Namwon prison, where he was born, he searches for a way to truly be free of the darkness in his world and in his heart. Nok, the prison warden's daughter, hunts Pong in an attempt to restore her family's reputation. Soon, they both discover the secrets within their magical city, Chattana, and set off to find a way to fight against the darkness once and for all.

<b><i>Pong paced under the mango tree and looked across the river. The sun was just beginning to set over the silhouettes of the houses on the West Side, and the sky was a glorious wash of purple and orange.</i></b>

First off, this book is LES MISERABLES RETELLING!!! Les Mis was the first musical I ever watched/listened to, and it's still my favorite musical ever. Better yet, this book is a Thai-inspired retelling! 🤩🤩 A Wish In The Dark was a whirlwind, and I loved every second of it. Pong and Somkit were amazing, adorable characters, and the world was so vivid and beautiful. (Someone give me mangos pls!!) This story questioned what it truly means to "be bad" and "be good," and how sometimes rules are written for certain people. Do yourself a favor and please read this one!

"It's easy for you to follow the law... It was written for people like you. For families like yours." Our story starts with determined Pong watching mango trees and helping his "brother." Readers will watch as Pong's heart is judged by all. Some say Pong will only ever be a criminal because his mom was. Some say his heart is good. Regardless, of what people say Pong's guilt will weigh heavy on your heart as you force yourself to read about how he is treated. You want to protect Pong and all the children from his jail. Which will lead to powerful conversations between children about poverty and circumstance. This is an absolute must read to remind us we can't talk about fair without talking about equal opportunities. Readers ages 10 and up.

A Wish In the Dark
By Christina Soontornvat
In A Wish In The Dark by Christina Soontornvat, you have a world that was scarred by fire and turned to magic to illuminate, heat, and cook. This magic is a blessing in that no one has to worry about the dangers of fire but it is also a curse in that it isn’t a free source of energy and it deepens the divide between the rich and the poor. Nobody knows this division more than the children who are imprisoned in the Namwon prison. While light and heat may be controlled by the government, no one can extinguish the light of a soul that burns to be free.
I loved this story that delights both in its originality but also in its rich descriptions of velvety ripe mangoes, putrid durian, and enduring hope. With heroes that aren’t always heroic and villains with whom you can sympathize, Soontornvat shows readers a beautiful glimpse of the magic that’s in all of us. It’s messy, it doesn’t always shine it’s brightest, but never doubt there is light inside of you.
I highly recommend this book for grades 4-8.

Sometimes the sheer rightness of a book reminds me so overwhelmingly that people are mostly good, and that my faith in humanity is neither naïve nor misguided, that it inspires both a wave of universal love and a fierce sense of affection and gratitude toward the author for leaving such a gift where I could find it.

A Wish in the Dark is like that. Soontornvat enspells us with exactly what we came for—a Les Miserables-inspired story in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, and her beautiful and nuanced narrative traces the paths that lead good people to be on opposite sides of a conflict. Highly recommended.

A Wish in the Dark is a middle grade Thai-inspired fantasy twist on Les Miserables. It follows Pong, a boy who escaped from the prison where he was born, and Nok, the daughter of the prison warden who is determined to recapture him. As the two travel through the novel, they discover the truth of the injustice that flows through their city.

I didn’t make it all the way through this book before I paused and ordered copies for our school library and classrooms. Soontornvat does an excellent job tackling social issues that are very real and present in our modern world through a well developed fantasy. The city of Chattana is divided. Distribution of wealth and resources leave a large portion of the city’s population struggling to survive and some hoping for a brighter tomorrow. The more affluent in the city don’t care about the poor, instead believing the proverbs of their governor, ascribing to the belief that people are at fault for their poverty. These issues are tackled in a way that is easy for middle grade readers to understand, focusing on the city’s orbs, their source of energy and light.

A major strength of this book is the characters’ relationships. Not only did the young characters in the book have strong relationships with their peers, but they had developing relationships with the adults in their lives. In particular, Nok’s relationship with her parents went through a great transformation as she learned her own story. It’s important and rare for young readers to see adult characters and relationships that are still growing and maturing.

Of all the books I’ve read this year, A Wish in the Dark feels most keenly relevant to today’s world. (…I mean that in a broad sense, not a COVID-19 sense). Soontornvat has penned a moving story about the importance of believing in positive change and standing up for what’s right, both at a personal and community level. The story’s touch of magic (in the form of magical orbs providing light and energy) serves to visualize and make concrete a system of structural poverty.

Everything in Chattana – every orb, every cookstove, every boat motor – all of it ran on the Governor’s light-making powers. (Loc 187)

Nok and Pong find themselves caught up in a grander movement to shift the balance of power in Chattana. Their lived experiences lead them to initially resist that movement, albeit for different reasons. Pong has internalized the words he’s had pushed on him all his life. The Governor, destroying Pong’s idolization of him, tells Pong “Those who are born in darkness always return. You’ll see” (loc 217).

He was a runaway and a thief and a liar, and if there was a word for someone who disrespects a monk in his own temple, he was that, too. it had all happened so fast. In the span of a few days, Pong had become exactly what the Governor said he was. (Loc 419)

Nok comes from a privileged (albeit imperfect by high society’s standards) family and has benefited from following the rules. She doesn’t realize that following the rules doesn’t guarantee a good life for everyone. Nok’s father also turns out be a more complex character than I initially assumed. I love a backstory that involves a character’s parents in middle grade fiction.

In following Pong and Nok’s experiences, A Wish in the Dark can serve as a gentle, clear introduction to social inequity and activism. I think it is difficult to write a book for children on such topics without coming off as didactic. But Soontornvat strikes a good balance between telling an entertaining fictional story and making a pointed observation about the world in which the reader lives.

If a march were all it took to stop the Governor and his rich friends, someone would’ve done it already! (Loc 2244)

Soontornvat writes in third person limited from both Pong and Nok’s perspectives. (I think Pong receives more page time). Despite not being a POV character, I have to highlight Pong’s childhood friend Som. Like Pong, Som was born in the prison, where he lived until he aged out. Som has learnt to live a life vastly different from Pong’s. As Pong does, I wondered why Som didn’t appear to harbour any ill will towards Pong. This point is eventually addressed in a way I didn’t expect. Their friendship was a highlight of the book for me. (The scene in which they reunite kept me on my toes!)

The Bottom Line: A Wish in the Dark infuses important messages and examples about social justice into a creative and vivid light fantasy story set in a Thai-analogue world. ★★★★.

(Also, it’s a Les Misérables retelling! As with More to the Story, I didn’t know that til after I finished the book, haha).

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my reviewing the book.

"The most vulnerable among us always deserve the greatest blessing."

First of all, read this book! Share it and explore it because it's representing a world that you probably aren't very familiar with.

I really wanted to love this book. The Thai setting, the mixture of fantasy and reality, of mangoes and shrimp paste made me so excited for a book that represents Southeast Asia. I even preordered it to share with my students! I’m not normally a fan of retellings, but this one departs sufficiently from its inspiration (Les Miserables) that it don’t spoil the plot or overly dictate what would happen.

I got about 3/4 of the way through the book maintaining those feelings of enjoyment. There were some good plot twists that turned things on their head. But the ending felt a bit rushed to me. The writer was building up toward this great concept of wrestling with darkness versus light and how choices or lack thereof impact other people’s lives but didn’t quite bring it home in my opinion. Or perhaps she tackled too much, with the prison system and governments and controlling leaders all at once. It’s a good book to bring up questions and open discussions. And I’m so glad to see Southeast Asia represented in literature. I just wished for a little bit more.

I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book.
It follows two kids, Pong and Nok. Pong was born in prison while Nok is the prison warden's daughter. Two kids on opposite sides of society in a town where light is provided in glowing orbs by the governor. Pong is driven by his desire to be someone better, to break away from his prison roots while Nok is driven by the desire to do what's right and make her parents proud.
This book explores classism, privilege, the struggle to survive in an unfair world, how sometimes the right thing to do isn't always right, found family, grief, and loss with a diverse set of characters that aren't one dimensional and good world-building.
I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a middle-grade book that tackles real-life issues and is uplifting at the same time.