Wish on a Willow

by Maria Oka

A magical willow. A heavy truth. And one summer that changes everything.

Nothing about this summer is what eleven-year-old Eloise expected. Stuck at Gee-pa’s farm, she discovers Mama Willow—an enormous weeping willow whose branches shimmer in the sunlight and whisper with secrets. And when Eloise finds her daddy’s childhood journal tucked away in Gee-pa’s attic, she uncovers something even more unexpected: The tree supposedly holds magic. Eloise isn’t sure she believes the journal’s stories . . . until she begins to see the magic for herself.

The truth is, Eloise needs a little magic. After her dad’s terrible bike accident—the reason her mom brought her to the farm in the first place—Eloise is weighed down with fear and worry. What if her daddy never gets better? What if their family is changed forever?

And to make matters worse, a smooth-talking developer announces plans to cut down Mama Willow to build a flashy new event center. Eloise can’t let that happen. With Mama Willow nearby—and two new friends at her side—Eloise holds on to the hope that the willow’s magical leaves can heal her dad. And she will do anything to protect it.

With the help of her daddy’s journal and the secrets Mama Willow holds, Eloise and her friends race to save the tree before it’s too late. Because this wish is just too big to let go.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 1, 2026

About the author

Maria Oka believes that all trees have magic in them, especially willows. In addition to reading and writing, she loves summer beach days, dance parties, and eating ice cream in any weather.

She grew up in Holly, Michigan, and São Paulo, Brazil, as one of seven kids. Maria completed her undergrad at BYU and holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from VCFA. She lives with her husband and their four daughters in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Sawyer Czlapinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. It has unexpected plot twists and wonderfully written character building. I loved the magic of the story. This book felt like a cozy rainy day and a warm hug. I loved that the underlying theme was that some miracles take time. This is a perfect middle grade reader for those who love magic and whimsy.

[Regency_Fan_ Michelle RegencyFanMichelleAndMore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever picked up a middle-grade novel expecting a gentle story about friendship and a magical tree, only to find yourself on a much heavier emotional journey?

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and was under no obligation to leave a positive review.

Wish on a Willow follows eleven-year-old Eloise as she spends the summer with her grandfather after her father is critically injured in a bicycle accident. While there, she discovers the legendary Mama Willow and forms friendships that teach valuable lessons about honesty, forgiveness, loyalty, and caring for others.

The friendships were my favorite part of the book. I loved watching the children come together as a community, and the willow serves as a beautiful symbol that brings people together. Those relationships were warm and heartfelt.

What surprised me was just how emotionally heavy the story became. Much of the novel focuses on Eloise’s fear of losing her father as he remains hospitalized after his accident. Readers also encounter financial hardship, the recent loss of her grandmother, uncertainty about the future, and other difficult family circumstances. These themes remain at the forefront for much of the story.

While the ending offers resolution to the family’s situation, I personally found it bittersweet rather than uplifting. As a Christian reader, I also found myself wishing for a stronger message of hope beyond simply enduring difficult circumstances. The story contains meaningful lessons about friendship, resilience, and community, but it does not present a Christian or gospel-centered message of hope.

Overall, I appreciated the author’s writing and the strong emphasis on friendship and caring for others. However, because of the sustained emotional weight, this wasn’t the reading experience I was personally hoping for.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

Content notes: Parent in a coma following a serious accident, discussion of possible death, amputation, grief, financial hardship, and family uncertainty.

[EM R · Rating 5 out of 5]

cross-posted to my review blog

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for sending me a free ARC of this book to read.

I saw Wish on a Willow listed in the Publishers Weekly Grab-a-Galley event and the summary caught my interest, plus I loved the cover, so I decided to try to request it. And they actually sent me a copy, so hooray!

Wish on a Willow is about a young girl, Eloise, who gets dropped off at her Grandpa’s house for the summer after her father gets into a bad motorbike accident and falls into a coma. While she’s there, she makes two new friends, Kimiko and Olive, and discovers a willow tree on her Grandpa’s property that offers more than meets the eye.

The three girls quickly find out that the tree has magic properties and start brainstorming ideas to use the magic to grant the wishes they desire most, which includes healing Eloise’s dad. However, their plans run into various obstacles along the way, as Eloise’s lies and a determined land developer create a tangled journey. Eloise faces the pressure of trying to beat two clocks: one to save her dad’s life, and the other to prevent the land developer from taking the willow tree down.

This read was fairly melancholy at times due to the fate of Eloise’s dad remaining unclear for much of it; anyone who’s ever had an unwell loved one in the hospital knows how nightmarish this experience is. However, this book overall felt lighthearted, hopeful, and fresh, which is a delicate balance to pull off with a topic as sensitive as an injured/dying parent.

This book also effectively captures the innocence and naivety of youth and of wanting to believe that things can be good even when they appear bleak. At times, Eloise makes decisions that hurt her and her friends, but this is due to her lack of experience in the world and her childlike drive to make everything okay again and restore normalcy. Not having the right answers isn’t framed as a bad thing. These incidents become learning experiences that help Eloise understand herself and her reality more clearly.

The prose is straightforward enough for young readers to have an easy time with while still introducing them to more complex concepts, and it conveys the personalities of the three girls and the various side characters with humor and thoughtfulness.

Reading Wish on a Willow provided a nice mental reprieve from the heaviness of the world and helped me remember why indulging in hopeful stories is crucial. It’s a quick read, and the plot moves at an even pace to keep you engaged until the end.

Pick up this book if you like:

🌳Magic flora
🌳Small-town stories
🌳Nature-focused stories
🌳The power of community and friendship

Pass it by if you don’t want to read about:

🌳Mentions of pretty bad injuries, amputation, and a coma
🌳A bad traffic accident (happens before the book starts but is mentioned throughout)
🌳Some bullying based on cultural differences
🌳Grief

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eloise’s dad was in a terrible accident. He’s in a coma, might need his leg removed and…the doctors are not sure if he will make it. Mom wants to be with him so she takes Eloise to the farm where Gee-Pa lives. Eloise doesn’t understand why her little brother can stay home with Mom but she gets banished. After all, he’s a baby and she’s 11 - almost totally a grownup.

Gee-Pa doesn’t really want her around. He’s grumpy, hardly talks and is covered with sawdust. Eloise is overwrought with fear and worry. Looking for something to do, she finds a box in the attic with her Dad’s name on it. Inside, she finds his journal from when he was a kid. Eloise is riveted by the entries. She is learning so much about her father. Her biggest discovery? There’s a magic willow tree on Gee-Pa’s land!

It’s amazing and Eloise needs to find it. When she locates the giant weeping willow, she finds so much more. There at the tree, or up inside it, Eloise meets Olive and Kimiko; two young tweens; eleven, like her. Friendships begin to form between the three girls, secrets are shared, (some of them), fears are revealed and questions about the tree unite them.

It’s not long before the tree proves itself to have magical powers. Eloise and her friends wonder how strong the magic is. She wonders if it can heal her dad and her friends have other urgent needs. When an awful man buys the Gee-Pa’s farming acreage and announces the tree will be cut down to accommodate a building in his new community to be constructed, Eloise, Olive and Kimiko unleash all the skills they have to save Mama Willow.

WISH ON A WILLOW, by Maria Oka, is her debut novel. The chapters are 4-5 pages on average and include wonderful pencil drawings done by artist, Fiona Hsieh. Because the story incorporates serious themes of traumatic accidents, possible death of a parent, loss of a grandmother, potentially moving away, bullying and others, I believe the book is geared to older middle readers, 10 years or older. In excess of 200 pages, this would be a formidable book for younger readers.

Oka does well with world building and character development. Not once did I feel anything other than honest representation, while reading. Eloise is the main character and narrator. A small cast and the manageable chapter lengths create a comfortable reading experience even tho’ the content is difficult, at times. Often, while reading, I had remembrances of THE GIVING TREE, by Shel Silverstein.

Magical realism is, at the risk of being oxymoronic, integrated naturally. Readers will find it wildly interesting to learn about how different characters react to the same information. Friendship, Family, Helping Others, Honesty, Hope, Community - these are all strong elements of the storyline. My recommendation is to read the book together as a family and have discussions raised by the story. Integrating and discussing your personal values will be easy as Oka didn’t write with an agenda; Hallelujah!

Recommended for Middle Readers 10+ for reading alone, Family or Book Clubs for younger ages, those who enjoy gentle, magical realism, stories about families, relationships and characters driven stories with strong emotions and a whole lot of heart📚

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.
Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC with thanks to the publisher, author and Publisher’s Weekly.

[Lisa Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy of Wish on a Willow in exchange for an honest review.

Maria Oka's debut novel, Wish on a Willow, is such a sweet, charming coming-of-age story with a little bit of magic sprinkled in. There are already plenty of reviews that summarize the plot, so I'll skip that and jump straight to what I loved about this book.

The characters are what really won me over. They all felt distinct and memorable, and I found myself genuinely invested in Eloise from the moment she discovers the mysterious willow tree and the friends she meets there. The magical elements add a sense of wonder, but they're never the whole point of the story—they simply make Eloise's journey that much more special.

What I appreciated most was how empowering Eloise's story is. She doesn't just sit back and accept the hard things happening around her. She wants to make a difference. She makes mistakes, things don't always go according to plan, and she definitely has moments where she gets it wrong—but she keeps trying, determined to make a difference in her own life and in the lives of those around her. I think that's such an important message for young readers—especially young girls—to see in a heroine. Someone who isn't perfect but is willing to learn, grow, and keep showing up.

I also loved the themes of friendship and forgiveness woven throughout the story. Some of the circumstances are heavy—Eloise is dealing with her dad's serious accident and all the uncertainty that comes with it—but the book never feels weighed down by those moments. Instead, it's filled with hope, resilience, and the reminder that even in difficult seasons, people can find strength in each other.

I closed the book with a smile and a full heart. Wish On A Willow is a warm, uplifting story that leaves you feeling hopeful, and I think middle-grade readers—especially those who enjoy a little magic mixed with real-life challenges—are going to really enjoy it. I'm excited to see what Maria Oka writes next.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Eloise is living with her Gee-pa on his farm the summer her father has a terrible accident leaving him hospitalized. She discovers her father’s childhood journal and the beautiful weeping willow he talks about. The Mama Willow is magical and it is exactly what Eloise and her new friends need as they each face challenges. When Mama Willow is threatened by a housing development, the girls hatch plans to save the tree. The book has a cozy magical feel and I loved plucky Eloise as she challenges a developer to save Mama Willow for her father.

Eloise and her friends Kimiko and Olive have distinct voices and come together to save the tree. The plot is clear and perfect for a young middle-grade reader. Subplots such as belonging, fear, family dynamics and conservation are woven perfectly into the story.

This is a story about friends and family facing difficult situations and gives the main character and her friends the space to feel all the emotions and tackle the issues.

[Luminous Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This middle grade story follows 11-year-old Eloise, who is sent to spend the summer with her grandfather while her father recovers from a serious accident. One day, she stumbles upon a magical willow tree on her grandfather’s farm, and comes to believe it might hold the key to saving her father. However, when developers threaten the tree that has become her symbol of hope, she and her friends must work together to save it.

The friendships in this story were my favorite part. The three girls were very sweet, and I appreciated the themes of caring for others. I also enjoyed the theme of environmental stewardship. As Eloise and her friends rally to protect the willow, they are shown as true change-makers.

Content for consideration: This story deals with some heavy themes, such as grief, the possible death of a parent, amputation, financial hardship, and family uncertainty. For sensitive readers, please note that the story can feel emotionally heavy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Aliceson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eloise is dropped off at grandpa’s farm for the summer after her dad is in a mountain biking accident. Because of this, the story can feel a bit heavy. She finds her dad’s old journal in the attic and discovers magic in a tree on her grandpa’s property. She makes friends with 2 girls. Even though it’s explained in the book, it doesn’t make sense to me that her mom would drop Eloise off with grandpa but keep her little brother. The beginning of the story, when the girls first meet feels a little choppy and could use more fleshing out. The story is a good one with a little bit of a plot twist at the end. I enjoyed reading about Mama Willow and thought the tree was well personified.

Recommend for grades 2-5, for fans of Katherine Applegate’s Wishtree.

[Carlyn Morenus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely middle-grade novel about 11-year-old Eloise, who is suddenly dumped (in her mind, of course) at her grandfather's Nebraska farm. Her father has had a terrible accident, and her mom can't take care of her and her dad both for a while. Eloise doesn't want to feel at home in Nebraska, and her grandpa isn't very good at making her feel more welcome, but she finds her dad's childhood journal, and through it, his favorite tree, a willow that seems to have magical powers. As she gets to know the tree, and makes two friends, she hopes she can keep her dad from dying and her world from completely falling apart.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. The story grabs you and takes you quickly on a journey of discovery.

Eloise's life turned upside down in a split second, and now she has to live with her grandfather while her dad is in the hospital. Things are not looking good. But she finds an old journal of her Dad's and some friends, and a tree that seems to be magic. Can the magic save her Dad? Can the tree grant wishes?

The characters are well written for a juvenile book, their feelings well spelled out. You can feel their emotions, and empathize with them

Thank you to net galley and Shadow Mountain for the opportunity to read an Early Release Copy.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like a sweet summer day. It unfolds slowly, then ripens with feeling and unexpected adventure. Oka’s story is well-crafted, and her writing is rich with sensory details that make the characters – including a majestic willow tree – come to life. It’s a beautiful meditation on family, friendship, and the natural world. It’s also a reminder of the power of stories to connect us. This novel is warm and lyrical. Its pages shimmer with wonder, hope, and dancing light. (The gorgeous cover art literally shimmers, too!) At the end, middle grade readers will believe as the narrator so aptly puts it: “Maybe there’s more magic in the world than we think.”

[Joe Haynie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lonely at her grandpa’s and worried about her dad, Eloise discovers magic and shared secrets with her father that transcend time. Wise, steady, magic, and in danger Mama Willow is a bridge that connects Eloise to her dad and her new friends. She and her two friends need courage and conviction to save the tree and find peace despite heartache.

Maria Oka’s writing drew me in and her wisdom (which she shares with Mama Willow) won me over. Wonderful middle-grade book that also hooked this somewhat seasoned citizen.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading my advanced copy of Wish on a Willow to my 7 and 10 year olds. We were all enthralled with Eloise’s plight, her relationships with her friends and family, and of course with Mama Willow. We literally laughed and cried through this beautiful novel, and loved the twist at the end. My favorite part of this book was its honesty. The way Oka paints a picture of the challenges that Eloise faces gives children solid ground to stand on when their own challenges inevitably come their way. Highly recommend this read for middle grade audiences and above!

[Gabriela Tijerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the equivalent of a warm hug. I haven’t read middle grade in a long time, since I was probably the age of Eloise and her friends. But Maria Oka’s writing lends itself to readers of all ages. I didn’t see the twists and turns of the story coming, and really was happy with how the story wraps up. If she can do this as her debut, I can’t wait to see what she does next!!


Received an advance reader copy from a Library Conference!

[Middle Grade Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that is woven together so well. Seeing Eloise find ways to connect with her father while he is in a hospital far away really touched my heart. I also loved seeing how Eloise and her new friends helped each other through the different struggles that they were facing.

The slight touch of magic was the icing on top of a wonderful story that will fill you with hope and make you want to go spend some time outside (and perhaps climb a tree).

[Melanee Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely book! It had a perfect balance of magic and wonder, humor, character growth, and a gentle exploration of tragedy and grief. It reminded me of a proverb I love, “Shared joy is a double joy and shared sorrow is half sorrow.”

It would be a perfect read-aloud for a middle-grade class or road trip and also had such pretty cover art and endpapers that it would be a great gift book. Loved it! (I received an ARC from the author but my love for the book is genuine. ◡̈)

[Joy Higginson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being targeted towards middle grade readers, I found myself having a hard time putting it down! It has a charming small-town setting, and deals with real life issues without being too heavy. I got emotional at the end because of the relatable life circumstances and lessons that unfolded. The characters also felt real and relatable. It's a beautiful, enjoyable book! Definitely worth reading!

[Carlie Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wish on a Willow' is about a girl named Eloise. Because her dad got hit by a truck while biking, she has to go to her Gee-pa's house for the summer. The book's key theme is hope. I liked the book because it kept me hooked. I would recommend this book to every one.
Written By Alex Allred 10 years old

[Ramona]

Great book, really enjoyed. A nice, slow paced easy-read that picks up at the end. I loved seeing how everything turned out at the end and it filled me with joy. The type of book you pick up one because it has an amazing cover, then it lives on your shelf for the next 40 years as you read it to your loved ones.

[Stefanie Hohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute, heartwarming story. I love the magic, the friendship, and Eloise’s desire to help her dad. It’s perfect for anyone needing a little magic in their life. I’m also a huge fan of willow trees—highly recommend!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This is on the younger end of the middle grade spectrum.

[Kelissa Borrowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because the story was intriguing and had a exiting plot with a intense climax. Although I had figured out the grand reveal too early for it to be a surprise.
-Benjamin Age 10

[Tyler G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very exciting at the end! It was my favorite part.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so amazing, I loved the plot twists and the relatable characters, I totally recommend for anyone, regardless of age, because it’s a great book with wonderful writing

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for 8-12. Magic, family, friendship, being brave. What's not to love here in this sweet story?