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When You Wish Library Binding – February 12, 2008

by Kristin Harmel (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
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Star Beck is super-duper megastar famous. She rocks–literally–every night in concert for thousands of cheering fans. But the pop star life–tour buses, fauxmances, size 0 minis–is getting a little old. Star can’t help wondering what it would be like to be a regular girl–without paparazzi trailing her every move, and without people being nice just because, well, she’s Star Beck. And when she discovers that her mom has been lying to her for years about something very important, Star decides to find out what the world beyond her stage is like after all.
In the blink of an emerald green eye, Star finds herself . . . buying a car. Eating cheeseburgers. Swapping her stilettos for flip-flops. Getting a job that doesn’t require dancing, winking, or mall appearances. And falling for the cutest, realest boy she’s ever met. But how will she know if he feels the same way? Because for once in her life, someone is going to have to like her for who she really is.


From the Hardcover edition.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 - 15 years
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 9
  5. Dimensions
    5.7 x 0.97 x 8.51 inches
  6. Publisher
    Delacorte Books for Young Readers
  7. Publication date
    February 12, 2008
  8. ISBN-10
    0385904746
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0385904742
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Review, People Magazine, March 3, 2008:
"A teen pop star goes from working red carpets to waitressing in Harmel's first novel for young adults."

Review, Parade, June 22, 2008:
"[T]his entertaining book comes down to earth when Star feels compelled to learn what it's like to be 'normal.'"


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Kristin Harmel grew up wanting to be a famous rock star, until she realized she can’t sing. So she turned to writing. When You Wish is her first novel for teens. She lives in Orlando, Florida.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 12, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Library Binding ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385904746
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385904742
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 15 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 0.97 x 8.51 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

About the author

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Kristin Harmel

Kristin Harmel

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Kristin Harmel is the New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling, and #1 international bestselling author of The Paris Daughter, The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, and a dozen other novels that have been translated into more than 30 languages and are sold all over the world.

A former reporter for PEOPLE magazine, Kristin has been writing professionally since the age of 16, when she began her career as a sportswriter, covering Major League Baseball and NHL hockey for a local magazine in Tampa Bay, Florida in the late 1990s. In addition to a long magazine writing career, Kristin was also a frequent contributor to the national television morning show The Daily Buzz.

Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there, as well as in Columbus, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her husband and son. She is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
42 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Anna R. Haze
5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing read
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2008
Verified Purchase
Review Kristin Harmel- When You Wish.
It is always a daunting effort to review a book written by a good friend. I take my reviewing job seriously and have to tell what I really think. I have been so lucky because all the books written by my friends have been brilliant! When You Wish, by my friend Kristin Harmel, is a wonderful read.
It is different YA book- it is intense- it is captivating- it is riveting (not that other YA books aren't like that- this is just different.). It was a pleasure to escape all my school work and become engrossed in a good book. Kristin has a bouncy funny sense of humor that permeates the pages of all of her writing- even her e-mails, hehe. It might be difficult for some readers to relate to a rock star who has a controlling horrible mother. I'm not a rock-star but I sure could relate to the horrible mother. The controlling, the lying, the selfishness, the sell outs- I won't tell you more except the ending was satisfying - if incomprehensible to me. Well, after all, Star's mother was a controlling selfish woman who, mis-handled her finances and social life but was not trying to actually kill or sell her.
There are so many different stories in Star's life. I loved how she tried to integrate into the working world as a young teen. Her work at a restaurant was so true to life. Waitressing is a hard job. There were some surprises that I will never divulge but they actually make sense.
This is an edgy novel about a completely impossible life situation that becomes real. The concept that a girl, who was incredibly wealthy and famous, looked for a boy who would like her for only herself and not her wealth and notoriety- is really satisfying and real to me.
Star could be a friend. I recommend this book as a good read.
AnnaR Haze
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Nini
3.0 out of 5 stars Very Typical Plot
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2010
How many books have I read that had this topic? Too many to count, that's for sure. I'd really just tell you not to read this, not because I hated it, but because there's nothing really special to it if you've already read another book similar to this. The only difference would be that the pop star here wants to look for her father, and as cliches would go, he turns out to be a gold-digger. And Star actually reveals her secret identity instead of it getting exposed by the media or her arch-nemesis. Which is another thing that's different here. She doesn't have to enroll herself into a normal school and meet the cliched high school hierarchy where she will undoubtedly make a fool of herself.

The whole storyline is cute. Too fluffy for my tastes. It's like one of those extra-sweet-with-three-hundred-sugar-coatings on top kind of books. You're the pop princess. You have the perfect life. You meet the perfect boy. Awww, so sweet. And it ends with quite a sickeningly sweet kiss. What's up with that? It's just too overdone. It already nearly killed me when I saw the weird epilogue, but more so when Nick and Star kissed and she says, straight out of a movie: "I'm better than ever." Oh, please.

This is not to say I don't enjoy romantic comedies, or romance movies. Of course not. I'm a romantic at heart, but this exaggerated and much anticipated stuff just makes me cringe. I'm sure authors can do better than this, right? Where's the over-active imagination in this case, hm?
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Lorna Jenkins
4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this quick read
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2023
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It was so fun to read this novel, whether or not it’s real. A great vacation read. Makes you smile
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Seanna L. Scheibelhut
5.0 out of 5 stars When You Wish
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2009
Verified Purchase
My daughter loved this book. I had it shipped to her as a gift and she was very grateful.
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Katherine Sadler
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
good book
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J Walsh
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Not up to Kristin Harmel’s usual great novels. Juvenile.
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TeensReadToo
5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2008
Most people have the preconceived notion that celebrities have it easy. If you think that, you should go out and get a copy of this book.

Star Beck is famous. She's worshiped by millions of fans, gets an extremely high paycheck, and lives in five-star hotels. But a lot of people seem to think that her life is luxurious, and that she doesn't have a care in the world. While Star's life may have its benefits, it's certainly not easy. She's shuffled from place to place, hardly getting any time to rest. She has to practice her dance moves, watch her calorie intake, and be perfect practically 24/7. She can forget doing anything normal like going to the movies with her friends.

And she's getting sick of the pop star life. So she cuts off and dies her hair, puts on a pair of glasses, and sets off to live a normal life. She actually starts to make real friends and eat fatty foods. She's living a life she never thought would be possible. But, can she keep up her disguise forever, or will someone eventually find out who she really is?

This book was just plain fun. I was hooked as soon as I read the first sentence. Practically everyone's fantasized about living a celebrity life and all the benefits it would entail, but this book was pretty eye-opening on that issue. The celebrity life is a lot harder than it seems on TV!

There are a lot of books about celebrities and people becoming famous, but this one sticks out. Star - despite her name - is just an average, everyday, normal teenager, which makes her quite likable.

Kristin Harmel did an amazing job on her characters, as well as the plot. She never let the book get dull - I was so into the story I didn't realize how fast it was going by. I'm actually pretty sad it's over. Definitely a must read.

Reviewed by: Chelsea Swiggett
5 people found this helpful
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