Debra Ansing’s, The Wish, will appeal to fans of Robyn Schneider and John Green for its depth, and fans of Jenny B. Jones for its elements of faith. Anyone who’s ever struggled with belonging will relate to this coming of age story. The complications of friendships and romance, escalating family drama, and an international, eclectic backdrop intertwine for an emotional ride. Fiona wishes she belonged. Somewhere. Anywhere. Dragged all over the world by her workaholic consultant father, she’s spent the first fifteen years of her life catering to her flaky mother despairing at not being able to have the big family she’s always wanted. They land in Ventura, California where Fia obsesses about belonging to the surfers’ circle, just as her mom realizes her dream and opens a home daycare, though in a dodgy part of town. When Fia’s dad loses his consulting gig and takes a weekday apartment in LA, it’s up to her to hold her mom together. Or else they’ll have to move, yet again, this time to “La-la Land” home of the rich and fake. With the help of a homeless woman and a boy far too serious for his own good, Fia juggles her roles as daycare assistant and surfer wannabe. Until gangs threaten the neighborhood, old friends from India interrupt what was supposed to be her normal life, and Fia suspects her mother’s harboring a fugitive. What does it take to discover it’s not where you belong that matters?