Childrens

A Wish in the Dark

A Wish in the Dark

  • Downloads：8208
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-03 06:51:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Christina Soontornvat
  • ISBN：1536222976
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A 2021 Newbery Honor Book

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's Les Miserables is 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。

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Reviews

Natalia ，

it was a fine book， just not my cup of tea。

Danny ，

Who knew I needed a Thai fantasy version of Les Mis in my life？！ Because it wasn’t me。 Now bring me a Vietnamese Gothic Count of Monte Cristo & bring it me now！

Kit ，

3。5

M-Tear ，

read for the Subtle Asian Book Club September 2021 pickI finished this audiobook with literally 6 minutes to spare before the liveshow today and I am so glad I did。 I had a wonderful experience with this book and the three main characters within it。 Pong， Somkit， and Nok; special moments with Father Cham， Ampai， Nok's father， and Mark。Great story with a lovely message; may you always find compassion in everything you do。 read for the Subtle Asian Book Club September 2021 pickI finished this audiobook with literally 6 minutes to spare before the liveshow today and I am so glad I did。 I had a wonderful experience with this book and the three main characters within it。 Pong， Somkit， and Nok; special moments with Father Cham， Ampai， Nok's father， and Mark。Great story with a lovely message; may you always find compassion in everything you do。 。。。more

Vyou ，

3。5

Thomas （Books With Thomas） ，

I would rate this book 4/5。 It was good， but it didn't make me cry。 I do believe it gave a very important message。 I would rate this book 4/5。 It was good， but it didn't make me cry。 I do believe it gave a very important message。 。。。more

Sarah Eshelman ，

Note-perfect and lovely， Christine Soontornvat explores the theme of justice v。 law with a retelling of Les Miserables that uses the familiar plotlines only to further her own reinterpretation of the same ideas。I listened to the audiobook for my book club and immediately noticed how Soontornvat developed the setting of her story。 Being a long-time fantasy fan myself， I know how Euro-centric a book's worldbuilding can be。 However， Soontornvat built her world around a fantasy version of Thailand， Note-perfect and lovely， Christine Soontornvat explores the theme of justice v。 law with a retelling of Les Miserables that uses the familiar plotlines only to further her own reinterpretation of the same ideas。I listened to the audiobook for my book club and immediately noticed how Soontornvat developed the setting of her story。 Being a long-time fantasy fan myself， I know how Euro-centric a book's worldbuilding can be。 However， Soontornvat built her world around a fantasy version of Thailand， and the difference was refreshing。 This change in location， as well as the age of the characters， allowed her to explore more deeply the complexities of morality and the importance of extending compassion for everyone。 Pong's time with Father Cham in particular introduces ideas of right and wrong in an accessible way for young readers。 The use of light orbs as symbols of the law sets the plot off from the original text and makes the story richer as the characters wrestle with what they think they believe is right。 There are simply no wrong notes， no flaws to the story。If you are looking for a lovely read that is still rich and thought-provoking， pick this one up！ Give it also to a young reader you know and hear what they have to say about it。 。。。more

Michelle ，

When I read this book， I thought how interesting to have a fantasy novel set in Thailand and what an amazing theme of justice written at an upper elementary level。 I was really impressed。 Then I recommended it to a friend， and she said， "Oh， is that the Thai Les Mis？" And my response was not at all—the author didn't spend hundreds of pages describing the sewer systems of Paris。 （Clearly reading the unabridged Les Miserables was wasted on me。） I will say that now that she mentioned it， I can see When I read this book， I thought how interesting to have a fantasy novel set in Thailand and what an amazing theme of justice written at an upper elementary level。 I was really impressed。 Then I recommended it to a friend， and she said， "Oh， is that the Thai Les Mis？" And my response was not at all—the author didn't spend hundreds of pages describing the sewer systems of Paris。 （Clearly reading the unabridged Les Miserables was wasted on me。） I will say that now that she mentioned it， I can see similarities。 But to me it really was in the realm of a fantasy novel， and my favorite fantasy novels always have strong themes/commentaries on contemporary， relevant issues。 Fairness is a topic with which children are very obsessed。 I recommend this book。Excerpts"Oh， man， I know how this is gonna turn out，" grumbled Somkit as 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。--The prison children would press their faces against the metal gate and sniff the sweet scent of mangosteens and rambutants， the acid aroma of the pomelos and green oranges。 They would suck the fruit-flavored air down their nostrils and roll it around on their tongues。 But there was one fruit boat they would not smell。Durian is called the King of Fruits。 It's creamy and rich， more like custard or pudding than something you'd expect to find growing on a tree。 Its flavor is musky， buttery—sweet at first， tangy at the end。 It makes the back of your neck hot to eat it。 It tastes like heaven。It smells like the opposite。--At Namwon， everyone was respected according to their rank or their age。 But Father Cham treated everyone the same。 Pong had never seen anything like it。 When beggars came to the temple from down the mountain， Father Cham received them as if they were visiting nobles， feeding them and chatting with them for long hours。 He never talked down to children。 And Pong was given as much respect as the oldest monks at the temple。 For the first time in Pong's life， a grown-up was concerned for him， caring for him， teaching him， and always repeating to him， "You have a good heart， Pong。"But did he？--After a while， he patted Pong's shoulder and smiled widely。 "Thank you， my boy。""For what？""For teaching me that desperate people deserve our compassion， not our judgement。"--The monk's forehead creased into dozens of crinkled folds。 "Now， Pong， surely I've taught you better than to think that wealth is a greater gift to bestow on someone than peace。 Wealth can be as much a curse as a blessing， and no guarantee of happiness。 And a long life？ It can also be a difficulty， if you are in pain or if the people you love have already passed on。 You don't understand now because you are young。" Father Cham's smile lessened for a moment。 "You can't imagine yet that one day you'll be ready to bid this life goodbye。"Pong took a deep breath and let it out again。 Father Cham didn't understand what he was trying to say。 "If happiness is the goal， then you could wish her to be happy。""Is happiness the goal of a person's life？"--"I know this isn't what you think you want，" she whispered。 Nok was surprised to hear her voice quiver。 "But sometimes life doesn't give us what we want。 We don't get to do everything we wish， and we have to deal with what we're given in the best way we can。 I know you're angry。 But you'll forgive me one day。 It's amazing what the heart is able to forgive。" She pulled away and cupped Nok's face in her smooth hands。 "I love you。 Don't ever forget that。"--She ran on， not caring which way she went。 She just wanted to get away。 She ran down one alley， up another， and another， until she came to a dead end。 A monstrous building blocked her way， its top half scorched black。 Fish-flavored steam billowed out the open door on the first floor。Nok bolted into the shadows and collapsed against the wall of the blackened building。 She slid down to her knees and covered her face with her sleeve。 She couldn't get those voices out of her head。 Please。 Please， miss。 Nok's pocket jangled with the money she'd brought to buy herself dinner。 She could have given it to them。 She imagined going back and turning her pockets inside out， even though she knew there wasn't enough money in them to go around。She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head。 Of course there was suffering in the world。 Everyone knew that。 But Nok had never seen it so close before。 It had knocked the wind out of her， and she was a girl who rarely got the wind knocked out of her。Light shines on the worthy。Usually when the Governor's words popped into her head， they gave her strength。 But tonight they did nothing to banish the sad things she'd seen。 They were words that belonged in the sunny classroom， as useless here on the East Side as her mother's fancy dresses。--Ampai sauntered back toward him。 "What's wrong， then？ You're tired？ It's not easy staying up all night， is it？""It isn't that，" said Pong quietly。 "It's just that 。 。 。 I just realized that we're really different。"Ampai grinned。 She was in a good mood， and she was trying to pass it on。 "It's true。 You don't eat enough oranges。"Pong shook his head。 He didn't want to joke or laugh this off。 "No， I mean 。 。 。 " He took a deep breath and let all the words out at once。 "You look at this city and you see everything that's wrong with it。 And you want to fix it。 I look at it and see all the same things， but 。 。 。 I just don't think it's possible to fix any of it。"Ampai tilted her head and raised an eyebrow， waiting for him to go on。"When something's really broken 。 。 。 when it's bad，" said Pong， "you can't fix it。 You can't make it good。"Ampai's face softened， and even though she wasn't much taller than Pong， she leaned down to look him square in the eyes。 "What are we talking about now？ The city？ Or a boy？"--"She brought me here，" Somkit went on， "gave me a home， gave me food。 I mean， that would've been enough。 But she did more。" He glanced at the remaining Violet orbs swimming overhead， cradled in his reflective inventions。 "She made me feel like I can do anything。 Like I have something to give。"--"I hope Ampai will finally dump them after the march。 She always tells me that everyone deserves a chance to do good things， but sometimes I think she's too trusting。"--"So what do you say？ Fruit market before it closes？ Durian's in season。"Pong made a face。 "No， thanks。 I'm still waking up。" And I don't want to smell like a dead bat， he thought。--"Mama said the people on the East Side live like fish trapped in a puddle when the tide goes out。"Her father nodded sadly。 "That's true for a lot of them， yes。""They should be like the people over here，" said Nok。 "If you work hard and follow the law， good things happen to you。 The law is the light， and the light shines on the worthy。"Her father tilted his head at her。 "Where did you hear that？""School，" said Nok。 "We're learning the Governor's proverbs。""Ah， of course，" he said dully。 "I'd forgotten that one。"Nok didn't see how。 That same proverb hung on the wall at the prison where he worked。 But this was before she was old enough to learn that her father actually spent as little time at the prison as possible。He cleared his throat and cleaned his glasses。 "Sometimes things aren't as simple as they teach you in school。""What do you mean？""Well， sometimes light shines on the worthy。 But sometimes it just shines on the lucky ones。 And sometimes 。 。 。 " He looked over his shoulder at the East Side， glittering like a rainbow across the river。 "Sometimes good people get trapped in the dark。"Nok slipped her small hands into his big one。 "I don't understand， Daddy。""I don't quite understand myself， I'm afraid。" Her father squeezed her fingers and sighed， his breath fogging his spectacles again。 He took them off and cleaned them with his shirt。 When he spoke again， he sounded like a schoolteacher， scolding himself。 "It doesn't matter， sweetheart。 Things are the way they are。 There's not much we can do to change it。"--Some people claimed that he was a holy man who had come down from the mountains to save the city in its darkest hour。 His strict and humble lifestyle made that story believable—after all， someone so powerful could easily have used that power to make himself extravagantly wealthy。 Instead， he lived plainly， like a monk。 But now that Nok saw him up close， she didn't think he was much like a monk at all。 Something tense hid behind his calm face， like a spring pressed into a tight coil。Nok suddenly remembered what her father had told her years ago: when the Governor rose to power， the first thing he built wasn't a temple， but a jail。--"You can't run away from darkness，" Pong whispered。 "It's everywhere。 The only way to see through it is to shine a light。"--"Your mother is trying to do her best for her children。 She is just trapped by the rules we live by。 We all are。" 。 。 。 "The rules are wrong， Nok。 We never should have used them as an excuse to not do the right thing。"--His rib cage ached， like he hadn't taken a deep， full breath in a very long time。 That box inside his chest had come down and crumbled away， and he could feel his heart beating between his lungs—a hot， fluttering thing。It was a strange feeling。 Not new， exactly。 He'd felt this way before， years ago。 Before he'd met the Governor， before anyone had told him that the world is full of darkness， and that will never change。Those words had kept him locked up for so long。 Now Pong understood what sad， cruel words they were。 If you believed them， then the only way to make sense of the world was with courts and judges， rules and jails。 Those were the things that kept a city orderly。 They kept people in line。 But by themselves， they did nothing to make the world better。--Which was better？ Being safe or having freedom？ And did you have to choose？ 。。。more

Jill Cd ，

Excellent adventure about an imprisoned boy and privileged girl who’s lives cross paths。 Grades 4 and up

Pelofe ，

good book

Stasi ，

A delightful retelling of Les Miserables for middle grade and upper elementary readers。 You could have great discussions about the questions raised by the story’s ethical dilemmas。

Emi Watanabe Cohen ，

I can neither confirm nor deny that this is one of the most compelling， well-written， magical books I've ever read。 （jk， I can confirm it） I can neither confirm nor deny that this is one of the most compelling， well-written， magical books I've ever read。 （jk， I can confirm it） 。。。more

Sabrina ，

I don’t read much middle grade， but this was pretty perfect。

Zoe Nepolello ，

Read for fantasy lit course。

Chris ，

A gripping story of social conflict that deftly considers serious issues without ever feeling like it's about issues by focusing on the characters and their concerns。 The Thai-inspired fantasy setting is well-developed and tangible。 This is a skillfully told tale that deserves many readers。 A gripping story of social conflict that deftly considers serious issues without ever feeling like it's about issues by focusing on the characters and their concerns。 The Thai-inspired fantasy setting is well-developed and tangible。 This is a skillfully told tale that deserves many readers。 。。。more

Amber Scaife ，

Pong is growing up inside a prison for women in a flameless city lit by the magical powers of one man。 When that man， the governor， tells Pong that he has no real worth， Pong believes him， loses what little hope he had， and runs away， even though that will mean a life as a fugitive for the rest of his days。 He leaves behind him his best friend， who remains in the prison until he ages out and becomes another member of the homeless street children， and also a young girl， who is the privileged daug Pong is growing up inside a prison for women in a flameless city lit by the magical powers of one man。 When that man， the governor， tells Pong that he has no real worth， Pong believes him， loses what little hope he had， and runs away， even though that will mean a life as a fugitive for the rest of his days。 He leaves behind him his best friend， who remains in the prison until he ages out and becomes another member of the homeless street children， and also a young girl， who is the privileged daughter of the prison warden and who is determined to track down Pong and bring him to justice。 All three children follow their own journeys of self-discovery and -worth， and all of them find their own lights along the way。A bit of a slow burn， this one， but well worth it in the end。 It has a full and fully-developed cast of characters and a lovely and inventive story to go along with them。 Recommended。 。。。more

Bryn Jarusewski ，

This has a slow slow start， but a good read overall。

Jen ，

This was a fabulous， feel-good book！ It took a little while to get me hooked， but then I couldn’t put it down。 If I had to categorize its genre， I might call it magical realism， or realistic fantasy。 It reminded me of “Over the Moon” in some ways， and of “Les Mis” in other ways。 Themes include: law vs。 justice vs。 compassion， what would your blessing/wish for someone be？， one person making a difference， freedom vs。 safety， sharing your inner light， choices vs。 heredity， etc。 No questionable cont This was a fabulous， feel-good book！ It took a little while to get me hooked， but then I couldn’t put it down。 If I had to categorize its genre， I might call it magical realism， or realistic fantasy。 It reminded me of “Over the Moon” in some ways， and of “Les Mis” in other ways。 Themes include: law vs。 justice vs。 compassion， what would your blessing/wish for someone be？， one person making a difference， freedom vs。 safety， sharing your inner light， choices vs。 heredity， etc。 No questionable content， other than a reference to someone having an affair （and regretting it）。 Recommended ages 10-adult。 。。。more

Lindsay ，

Super interesting ideas， but not very great character development。 I felt fairly uninvested in the story and was sad because I think it could have been great。 Also-I'm a huge fan of French Revolution-ish retellings and this one was just too naive and cutesy and not enough of the gutsy and heart of it to make it really great。 Super interesting ideas， but not very great character development。 I felt fairly uninvested in the story and was sad because I think it could have been great。 Also-I'm a huge fan of French Revolution-ish retellings and this one was just too naive and cutesy and not enough of the gutsy and heart of it to make it really great。 。。。more

Diana ，

A beautiful， lush， Thai-inspired retelling of Les Miserables。Pong is an escaped convict， but the only crime he committed was being born to a woman in prison。 The tattoo on his arm marks him for life。Nok is determined to bring back her father's honor after a boy escapes from his prison。 But slowly， she begins to learn there are more secrets in her family。Chattana once burned down， then the Governor brought light。 But his laws hold people in poverty。 Now an underground group plans a peaceful march A beautiful， lush， Thai-inspired retelling of Les Miserables。Pong is an escaped convict， but the only crime he committed was being born to a woman in prison。 The tattoo on his arm marks him for life。Nok is determined to bring back her father's honor after a boy escapes from his prison。 But slowly， she begins to learn there are more secrets in her family。Chattana once burned down， then the Governor brought light。 But his laws hold people in poverty。 Now an underground group plans a peaceful march to make their voices heard。Everything comes together。 Nothing will be the same。 。。。more

Hilary ，

Read on the recommendation of my 11 year old。 From what I hear this is loosely based on Les Miserable which I have never read/seen， so I can’t comment on that。 I enjoyed the magical realism elements in the story and the sweet characters。 Solid choice for grades 4-6。

Hope Lee ，

I loved this book。 It was so relatable， but also so deep in a way that no one will truly understand。 However， I loved the way that this book switched perspectives。 It was my favorite part of this book， other than the plot twists。

Kathleen ，

I love Les Miserables with all my heart。 So， when I heard this book had a similar story， I had to read it。 I loved the echo of the story but with a fantasy and multi-cultural twist。 Do yourself a favor， pick up this tale of love， sacrifice， and finding light in dark places—even in one’s own heart。

Bethany Parker ，

I was not expecting to like this book。 It's long （for a middle school book）， in a genre I don't love， and started off pretty slowly。 I truly don't know what it was that made me fly through this book as quickly as I did， but it was a pleasant surprise。 The imagery of the orbs lighting up the city， the teamwork between old and new friends， and people coming together to create their own futures inspired me。 I'm not sure how many students would enjoy this as I did， but I'd encourage them to give it I was not expecting to like this book。 It's long （for a middle school book）， in a genre I don't love， and started off pretty slowly。 I truly don't know what it was that made me fly through this book as quickly as I did， but it was a pleasant surprise。 The imagery of the orbs lighting up the city， the teamwork between old and new friends， and people coming together to create their own futures inspired me。 I'm not sure how many students would enjoy this as I did， but I'd encourage them to give it a shot。 。。。more

Lexa ，

Best book I’ve read in a long time。 Highly recommend！

Gaenolee ，

I didn't see that much similarity with Les Miserables， but it was a very enjoyable book。 I didn't see that much similarity with Les Miserables， but it was a very enjoyable book。 。。。more

Beckyt ，

Loved this book！ I had to slow down to a few chapters per day in order to savor it。 I'm not familiar with the plot of Les Miserables， but will likely watch one of the films now。 Loved this book！ I had to slow down to a few chapters per day in order to savor it。 I'm not familiar with the plot of Les Miserables， but will likely watch one of the films now。 。。。more

Ashley ，

I absolutely loved this electric and daring Thai reimagining of Les Miserables！ I wish I had middle grade books like this when I was growing up。 The world-building was beautifully done and came alive off the pages。 Despite being inspired by Les Miserables， the plot stands strongly as its own story。 Harder topics such as social inequality were tackled well without underestimating its intended audience。 What a wonderful read！

Anna ，

It seems like a lot of people have really loved A Wish in the Dark， but it wasn't working for me and I ended up DNF-ing。 It just wasn't grabbing my attention--the jacket flap text that calls this a "fast-paced adventure" was， as far as I read， quite false。 It seems like a lot of people have really loved A Wish in the Dark， but it wasn't working for me and I ended up DNF-ing。 It just wasn't grabbing my attention--the jacket flap text that calls this a "fast-paced adventure" was， as far as I read， quite false。 。。。more

Laura Chapman ，

Loved this story， well written

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Wish in the Dark

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Wish in the Dark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Wish in the Dark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0