This adventure story feels like it's part folk tale and part dystopian future. It's about three kids who are all growing up in a jail, two as inmates (who will be released when they are 13) and one that is the daughter of the warden. Each are confined in different ways, but when one escapes, each follows their own paths until they come back together to help make the world a better place. This is a wonderful story about friendship, loyalty, lessons to be learned, kindness and the abuse of power. It would be great for upper elementary or middle school students.

Soontornvat’s Thai-inspired twist on Les Misérables is engaging and delightful, filled with gorgeous imagery and relatable characters. Young readers will be captivated by Pong and Nok and the text will offer opportunities for discussions surrounding inequality, justice, and privilege. Highly recommended.

Every now and then, a book comes along that's just a little bit perfect. A little bit special. Not in a loud way, but the sort that wraps itself around your heart and whispers, I'm going to stay here forever.

A WISH IN THE DARK is brilliance.

Set in the beautifully wrought city of Chattana, this story is a loose Les Miserables retelling about a boy who escapes from prison, a law-abiding girl desperate to prove her worthiness, and an unjust Governor who controls the world's light. Not only is it a cracking adventure, but Soontornvat has embedded extremely important questions about justice, poverty, privilege, destiny, and legacy into the characters' journeys. These topics are handled with incredible grace. I'm always wary of books that set out to teach a lesson, but oh, Soontornvat could teach a master-class on how it's done. The problems here are eternally applicable to the real world, and I would highly encourage all readers - especially teachers - to embark on Pong & Nok's struggle for freedom.

What more can I say? It's a wholehearted recommend from me, with an easy 5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this children's book about an alternate Thailand where magic, wishes, and the nature of "goodness" clash (the author refers to it as a retelling of Les Misérables, although I'm not sure I agree with this categorization). There's a good mix of fantasy, thought provoking plot, and gorgeous world building all of which should keep all kinds of readers happy.

Oh, what’s this? A pattern! Friends, this is officially the third time I’ve picked up Middle Grade Fiction (I don’t dislike it) without intending to and finding myself pleasantly surprised.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat is a magical story centered around Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, and Nok, the prison warden’s perfect daughter. It focuses on issues like how the world isn’t simply black and white, and on popular themes like friendship, adaptability, resourcefulness and resilience. I love the way the story is executed and am particularly amazed by how it has so little dialogue. The stark lack of dialogue gives every word spoken by the characters more impact and that’s brilliant.

However, I must admit that I find Somkit and Pong’s conversations awkward, particularly at the beginning for both and later, for Somkit. Their dialogue doesn’t sound natural no matter how I read it and I can’t imagine kids who have been neglected and used as a source of entertainment in a prison speaking like that.

On the topic of characters, they’re all pretty archetypal (characteristic of the genre/targeted demographic), but they’re also solid. Each character has something you can learn from, whether big or small. Moreover, the plot is typical of middle grade fiction but as implied by my earlier declaration of love for how this story is executed, it’s fleshed out nicely and written well in overall.

Other than that, the world building is as brilliant as it should be. The attention to detail and the way the details are written are things I appreciate greatly from middle grade fiction writers. They manage to include so much, making all that information feel like an adventure instead of one of those boring information dumps.

Everything considered, A Wish in the Dark is a book that perhaps has one of the purest and most hopeful feeling to it. Like a lot of middle grade fiction, it’s about kids discovering what’s important to them and how they’re going to live in a world that’s not all sunshine and laughter. However, it manages to go through the grimmer parts of reality without well, being negative about it in a way that really sticks to you. Every cloud has a silver lining and it’s knowing that that silver lining is there each time that makes this book feel so pure and hopeful.

Wow what an intensely significant book!
The characters have such resonance, Pong and Somkit who are born in Namwon -the women's prison in their village. Nok who comes from a respected family, as her father is the prison's warden. Pong wants nothing more than to escape and when that happens it starts a chain reaction of events that will play out years down the road. Pong is such a lively character stuck in this prison, born there, and searching for a life that means something, not just one of circumstance.
There are a lot of prominent questions, like is The Governor the best source of help and light for the people? Or are the people carrying light and hope themselves? How can they change the way things are going and what are the repercussions of wanting something better for themselves and others?
An intense read, but a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!