The Wish also appeared on the NYT Extended Children's Bestseller list. The Wish was a 2001 International Reading Association (IRA)/Children's Book Council (CBC) Children's Choice and a 2002 IRA Young Adult's Choice. To make up for missing personal experiences, she interviewed a group of eighth graders about school, friends, and relationships.

Gail Carson Levine wanted to get as much material for this book as possible, as she had skipped eighth grade herself. Wilma tells a kid boarding the bus to help the old lady on the bus, because 'it will be worth it.' Wilma finds the old lady again, but is not given another wish again because her previous one was fulfilled. After telling Jared this, he says that she wasted a wish and could have wished for something better-such as a pet porpoise. She reveals what she wished to her 'friends,' but realizes that if she wishes to remain friends with them or even to have her wish renewed, she'd be forcing them to do something against their will without the wish, they wouldn't have befriended Wilma willingly. The wish wears off as soon as Wilma goes back to her house with her friends-by this time, they have all graduated. Wilma attempts to embrace her wish and find the old lady. Even worse, her wish will expire the day they graduate from the school. However, a loophole is revealed Wilma's wish was granted exactly as she wished for it, so she is not popular to students outside of Claverford, or to students from other schools. She befriends a group of popular girls, along with a budding friendship with a boy named Jared. Flustered, Wilma wishes to be the most popular person at Claverford, her middle school. The woman offers to grant Wilma one wish, exactly as Wilma wishes it. Wilma's fortunes change when she offers an old lady her seat on the subway.

Her childhood friends have moved away, and her efforts to make new ones have failed. The novel tells the story of Wilma, who wishes to be the most popular girl at her school, Claverford, forgetting that she will graduate in three weeks and move to a new school. The Wish is a 2000 children's novel by Gail Carson Levine, the Newbery Honor winning author of Ella Enchanted.

Fairest gail carson levine summary