Don't You Wish

From the Publisher

VOYA, June 2012:
"A charming tale that will especially appeal to kids who feel themselves to be Invisible, tormented, and in need of empowerment skills."

VOYA - Beth Andersen

"Careful what you wish for" is brought to life in this parallel universe story. Annie Nutter is an Invisible — plain, brainy, bullied. Her family is struggling economically. Her real estate agent mom has had no sales and her eccentric dad spends precious resources on improbable inventions. Annie's mother has a mini-meltdown and wishes aloud that she had married her first love, the billionaire cosmetic surgeon to the stars, Jim Monroe. During a lightning storm, Annie, who has been standing in front of her dad's latest magical mirror invention, is zapped into the life of Monroe's gorgeous, snooty daughter, Ayla. Just one hiccup—Annie is still Annie inside. As she adjusts to living in ridiculous luxury and being one of the It girls at school, she baffles the Monroes (in this life, her mom is miserably married to Dr. Monroe, who is a cheating cad) and her cruel posse with her considerate ways and discomfort with denigrating the Invisibles at her new school. She is put off by her hunky boyfriend and his caveman needs, and instead is drawn to outcast Charlie who shoulders his home-based burdens with graceful maturity, caring for his wheelchair-bound twin sister and mother. The allure of the rich-but-nasty life wears thin. Ayla/Annie is desperate to get back to her old life which includes turning back the clock and undoing the accident that put Charlie's sister in the chair. A charming tale that will especially appeal to kids who feel themselves to be Invisible, tormented, and in need of empowerment skills. Reviewer: Beth Andersen

Children's Literature - Amy McMillan

Annie Nutter is a nobody without a date for homecoming and only one real friend. Her family is basically happy but her dad is a crazy inventor who has a bit of a hoarding tendency and her mom, inspired by an Architectural Digest spread about a former boyfriend, is wishing for a better life. Annie's dad has invented a mirror that lets you see the "perfect" you and during a late night lightning storm a freak blast of electricity sends Annie to a parallel universe. She wakes up as Ayla Monroe, daughter of her mother and the old boyfriend, tycoon Jim, living in Miami in his amazing house, and the queen bee of her school. But while things on the surface seem better (she's rich, beautiful, popular) her friends aren't to be trusted, she's about to lose her V Card to a boy she doesn't even like and her family is completely dysfunctional. Enter Charlie, the nerd boy who somehow captures her interest, and as life as Ayla continues, shakes things up even more. Annie/Ayla's voice is authentic and her emotions and concerns are realistic despite the slightly unbelievable premise. There are a few older themes to be aware of (sex, drugs, underage drinking, stealing) but most readers should be fine with this fun, It's a Wonderful Life-ish story of seeing how the other half live and realizing that the grass isn't always greener. Reviewer: Amy McMillan

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Awkward Annie Nutter is tormented by the rich, popular kids whom she both envies and reviles at Pittsburgh's South Hills High. Her home life isn't any better: her brother is annoying, her father is a failed inventor, and her realtor mother has just discovered that the med student she could have married is now a billionaire in Miami. One stormy night, when trying out her dad's latest invention, Annie gets zapped into an alternate universe in which her mother is married to the former med student and she's Ayla Monroe, the rich, beautiful queen bee of a ritzy private school. At first she enjoys the perks of her status, but eventually she realizes that her so-called friends are shallow, she feels nothing for her jerky boyfriend, her new dad is a womanizer, and her mom is miserable. In a satisfying feel-good twist, the school's brilliant but bullied scholarship student helps her get back to her old world as they fall in love. There is plenty here that readers will find compelling. Unfortunately, cartoonish stereotypes of socioeconomic groups (rich people are horrible; poor people have hearts of gold); a plot that moves forward largely by way of lucky coincidences; and some problematic treatment of race (Ayla's ethnically ambiguous best friend is ridiculously described as "a little bit of everything-Asian, Hispanic, black, white, with some island flair thrown in for added spice.") make this novel more of a light read than the deeper exploration of identity, family relationships, and society it strives to be.—Riva Pollard, American Indian Public Charter School, Oakland, CA

Kirkus Reviews

An unsatisfying blend of science fiction and Gossip Girl marks St. Claire's young adult debut. Annie Nutter is so invisible no one notices or cares when their backpacks hit her in the face as they climb on the school bus. After her mother reveals that Annie's father could have been Jim Monroe, the billionaire owner of a chain of plastic-surgery clinics, Annie wonders if she'd trade her own father, an inventor with wacky ideas, for a different life. Predictably, one of her father's inventions sends Annie into another universe. Now Annie Nutter is Ayla Monroe: rich, beautiful and A-list. Ayla's friends are shallow shoplifters, and her hot boyfriend just wants sex; Jim Monroe is a mustache-twirling villain. Then Annie falls for Charlie Zelinsky, a genius who was homeless for a short time. The author tries to ground the creaky body-swap concept in real science: When Charlie learns and accepts Annie's story, he implausibly uses physics and long explanations to replicate her father's invention. Of course, this makes Annie question whether she should stay or go. Heavy-handed exposition, flat characters and trite dialogue don't elevate this outing past forgettable. (Science fiction/chick-lit. 14-17)