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Wishing Season
A moving middle grade story by Anica Mrose Rissi that will appeal to readers who loved The Thing about Jellyfish and Hello, Universe, about the enduring bond between twins: Anders, who has recently died, and Lily, who has to balance her grief and confusion with a brother who isn’t quite gone—and how to navigate a world that is moving forward without him.
Of course Anders wasn’t lonely in the afterlife. He still, like always, had Lily.
Lily doesn’t believe in making wishes. Not anymore. Not since Anders died.
Wishes can’t fix the terrible thing that happened. Wishing won’t change how it feels.
But Lily does believe in the impossible. She has a secret so extraordinary, so magical, no one would believe that it’s true.
No one except Anders, of course.
Nothing about this summer is turning out how Lily would have wished. But wishes, like seasons, can change.
Of course Anders wasn’t lonely in the afterlife. He still, like always, had Lily.
Lily doesn’t believe in making wishes. Not anymore. Not since Anders died.
Wishes can’t fix the terrible thing that happened. Wishing won’t change how it feels.
But Lily does believe in the impossible. She has a secret so extraordinary, so magical, no one would believe that it’s true.
No one except Anders, of course.
Nothing about this summer is turning out how Lily would have wished. But wishes, like seasons, can change.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published June 27, 2023
12 people are currently reading
3505 people want to read
About the author
Anica Mrose Rissi
20 books243 followersWriter, storyteller, editrix. Author of picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA. Fan of dogs and ice cream. Offers energetic, interactive presentations and writing workshops for students of all ages at libraries, festivals, and schools.
Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in central New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Sweet Potato. As a former book editor turned writer and storyteller, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all pieces of the writing process. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica posts about bookish things at @anicarissi on Instagram.
Anica teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations with groups of all sizes and ages. Find out more at http://anicarissi.com.
Author photograph (c) Kim Indresano
Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in central New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Sweet Potato. As a former book editor turned writer and storyteller, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all pieces of the writing process. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica posts about bookish things at @anicarissi on Instagram.
Anica teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations with groups of all sizes and ages. Find out more at http://anicarissi.com.
Author photograph (c) Kim Indresano
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
July 1, 2023
I typed the first pieces of the idea for Wishing Season into my phone on a train home from NYC at 10:21pm on September 22, 2016, but the story didn’t start there. It pulls from so much of who I am and have been—things I’ve been thinking, feeling, noticing, wondering, caring about—for decades.
In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck wrote, “All I knew about Deer Isle was that there was nothing you could say about it” and, “I can’t describe Deer Isle. There is something about it that opens no door to words.” Yet I tried my best to capture it in this book.
Wishing Season is a love letter to the place where I grew up—to the saltwater-spruce-granite air, the pets and wild animals, and the community of storytellers that shaped me. This is my fifteenth book, but it’s the first set on Deer Isle, and I was more nervous about getting the island “right” and trying to capture the spirit of this place that means so much to me than I’ve been about anything else I’ve written. In part those nerves stem from the fact that although I was born in Maine and raised on the island, my parents and grandparents are “from away,” so I am not quite considered from there by many of the people I’ve known my entire life. I tried to capture the feeling of that in this book too.
So it means the world to me that early reviews (including stars from Kirkus, SLJ, PW, and Horn Book!) have noticed that this is a book about siblings, yes, and about friendship, grief, isolation, change, and hope—but at its heart is the small Maine island where the story is set: the people and landscape that make Deer Isle a singular place. (Steinbeck again: “One doesn’t have to be sensitive to feel the strangeness of Deer Isle.”) Lily’s barn is my barn. Her tire swing was my tire swing. We skate on and catch frogs in the same pond, perch on the same granite rocks, dip our toes in the same cold ocean, love the same woods, field, and clam flats. She lives on my hill, in a house slightly different from but inspired by mine. We share a few neighbors. We pick blueberries from the same wild patch. We love the same place, for many similar reasons.
I hope when you read Wishing Season you will love Deer Isle too.
In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck wrote, “All I knew about Deer Isle was that there was nothing you could say about it” and, “I can’t describe Deer Isle. There is something about it that opens no door to words.” Yet I tried my best to capture it in this book.
Wishing Season is a love letter to the place where I grew up—to the saltwater-spruce-granite air, the pets and wild animals, and the community of storytellers that shaped me. This is my fifteenth book, but it’s the first set on Deer Isle, and I was more nervous about getting the island “right” and trying to capture the spirit of this place that means so much to me than I’ve been about anything else I’ve written. In part those nerves stem from the fact that although I was born in Maine and raised on the island, my parents and grandparents are “from away,” so I am not quite considered from there by many of the people I’ve known my entire life. I tried to capture the feeling of that in this book too.
So it means the world to me that early reviews (including stars from Kirkus, SLJ, PW, and Horn Book!) have noticed that this is a book about siblings, yes, and about friendship, grief, isolation, change, and hope—but at its heart is the small Maine island where the story is set: the people and landscape that make Deer Isle a singular place. (Steinbeck again: “One doesn’t have to be sensitive to feel the strangeness of Deer Isle.”) Lily’s barn is my barn. Her tire swing was my tire swing. We skate on and catch frogs in the same pond, perch on the same granite rocks, dip our toes in the same cold ocean, love the same woods, field, and clam flats. She lives on my hill, in a house slightly different from but inspired by mine. We share a few neighbors. We pick blueberries from the same wild patch. We love the same place, for many similar reasons.
I hope when you read Wishing Season you will love Deer Isle too.
October 28, 2023
My kind of book: grief relief. Lilly and Anders are twins to a single mom and their whole life, they've been "Lily and Anders.... Anders and Lily" until Anders gets sick and dies. So this book is about Lily's journey after Anders is gone, except that he isn't totally gone because he appears to Lily when she's outside in her yard. The reader also gets to see their mom's journey through her grief as seen by Lily, which is just completely heartbreaking. A perfect book for middle schools.
September 30, 2024
“There was no solution to the problem of grief. There was only living it.”
HOLY CRAP I’M SOBBING MY EYES OUT. MY HEART IS BROKEN. WAHHHH WHY WAS THIS SO SAD.
Okay so at first this was so cute and fun and funny! And then the greif and the heartbreak sets in. When he started fading i literally lost it. I was sobbing for the last twenty minutes of this now I can’t breathe! This is such a raw and such a tragic book, it’s written so well💔.
It’s the way that when she got the letter from the credit card company I literally annotated “it’s the fact that he’ll never get to have one💔”😭😭all the things he won’t be able to do I’m sobbing. Poor baby, rest easy Anders💔. I hope he’s happy😭😭. The ending was heartbreaking 💔it’s the way the fox knew that he was still with Lily even when he faded completely 😭😭I hope she knows that😭
HOLY CRAP I’M SOBBING MY EYES OUT. MY HEART IS BROKEN. WAHHHH WHY WAS THIS SO SAD.
Okay so at first this was so cute and fun and funny! And then the greif and the heartbreak sets in. When he started fading i literally lost it. I was sobbing for the last twenty minutes of this now I can’t breathe! This is such a raw and such a tragic book, it’s written so well💔.
It’s the way that when she got the letter from the credit card company I literally annotated “it’s the fact that he’ll never get to have one💔”😭😭all the things he won’t be able to do I’m sobbing. Poor baby, rest easy Anders💔. I hope he’s happy😭😭. The ending was heartbreaking 💔it’s the way the fox knew that he was still with Lily even when he faded completely 😭😭I hope she knows that😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2023
This book is a map and a guidebook, not only of a pathway through grief and loss, but also a kind of compass that points to the power of what stories-and imagination, and yes, wishes too-can do. I loved it with my whole heart.
August 24, 2023
4.5 rounded up to 5
May 12, 2025
I haven’t cried this much over a book in a long time. A very heart wrenching yet hopeful story about grief and finding a way through it. Made me think a little bit of Bridge to Terabethia.
December 28, 2023
Richie’s Picks: WISHING SEASON by Anica Mrose Rissi, HarperCollins/Quill Tree, June 2023, 240p., ISBN: 978-0-06-325890-7
“I was born this very morning
And my brother he was also born,
In our first nine months we learned to speak
And we have been listening since early morn.
I love no one but my brother
Who spent those months with me
I hate no one and no other has so far hated me
But it isn't yet the afternoon,
And things are still to be,
And when evening comes we all will see.”
– Todd Rundgren, “Birthday Carol" (1970)
“When people looked at her, they saw his absence.
She felt it constantly too. It was a deep, horrible ache that wanted to rage to the surface.
Lily hated the weeping. What right did anyone else have to cry? Lily wasn’t crying, and she was the one who had lost her twin. She was the one who would miss him forever.
She missed him the way she would miss her own arm if it upped and disappeared. She kept reaching for things and remained empty-handed. She kept needing her brother and finding he wasn’t there.
If Anders didn’t exist, how could Lily? Why should Lily?
She couldn’t. She didn’t.
Yet somehow, there she was. A girl-shaped void. A sudden abyss. She folded herself into his absence until she took up negative space.”
As the grandfather of young twin grandchildren–a boy and a girl–WISHING SEASON hits close to home. Mine sure seem to prefer being within sight of one another, even when they are each doing their own thing. Plenty of us have sibs who remain close, lifelong friends and confidants. But there’s something truly unique about the relationship between twins…
In WISHING SEASON, Anders is already gone–a fifth-grade victim of cancer–before the story begins. But three days after his demise, Lily found him swinging on their tire swing, located in a secluded corner of their rural Maine property. It turns out that In the vicinity of that tire swing is the one place where the twins seem to “overlap,” the place where they can still see one another, communicate, play games, and be goofy with one another.
But when they find that the overlap place is physically beginning to shrink, and that Anders is remembering less and less of the past, it’s also the place where Lily must brainstorm about what to do next.
Is there some way to understand the overlap? Maybe reverse the shrinking? Or is Lily destined to lose touch forever with her other half?
WISHING SEASON is a moving, meaningful, and memorable tale for middle graders and tweens. Loss and remembrance, and moving forward, are parts of life for all of us, however much we dread or may seek to avoid the subject. Lily’s story will aid young readers in better preparing for living in the here-and-now and accepting the natural, inevitable losses of friends, relatives, pets, and others of significance in their lives.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“I was born this very morning
And my brother he was also born,
In our first nine months we learned to speak
And we have been listening since early morn.
I love no one but my brother
Who spent those months with me
I hate no one and no other has so far hated me
But it isn't yet the afternoon,
And things are still to be,
And when evening comes we all will see.”
– Todd Rundgren, “Birthday Carol" (1970)
“When people looked at her, they saw his absence.
She felt it constantly too. It was a deep, horrible ache that wanted to rage to the surface.
Lily hated the weeping. What right did anyone else have to cry? Lily wasn’t crying, and she was the one who had lost her twin. She was the one who would miss him forever.
She missed him the way she would miss her own arm if it upped and disappeared. She kept reaching for things and remained empty-handed. She kept needing her brother and finding he wasn’t there.
If Anders didn’t exist, how could Lily? Why should Lily?
She couldn’t. She didn’t.
Yet somehow, there she was. A girl-shaped void. A sudden abyss. She folded herself into his absence until she took up negative space.”
As the grandfather of young twin grandchildren–a boy and a girl–WISHING SEASON hits close to home. Mine sure seem to prefer being within sight of one another, even when they are each doing their own thing. Plenty of us have sibs who remain close, lifelong friends and confidants. But there’s something truly unique about the relationship between twins…
In WISHING SEASON, Anders is already gone–a fifth-grade victim of cancer–before the story begins. But three days after his demise, Lily found him swinging on their tire swing, located in a secluded corner of their rural Maine property. It turns out that In the vicinity of that tire swing is the one place where the twins seem to “overlap,” the place where they can still see one another, communicate, play games, and be goofy with one another.
But when they find that the overlap place is physically beginning to shrink, and that Anders is remembering less and less of the past, it’s also the place where Lily must brainstorm about what to do next.
Is there some way to understand the overlap? Maybe reverse the shrinking? Or is Lily destined to lose touch forever with her other half?
WISHING SEASON is a moving, meaningful, and memorable tale for middle graders and tweens. Loss and remembrance, and moving forward, are parts of life for all of us, however much we dread or may seek to avoid the subject. Lily’s story will aid young readers in better preparing for living in the here-and-now and accepting the natural, inevitable losses of friends, relatives, pets, and others of significance in their lives.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
April 29, 2023
It’s always been Lily and Anders, Anders and Lily until cancer makes it just Lily. But there is a spot in her yard, one that Lily calls the overlap, where Anders can come and spend time with his twin just like he always did. This magical place is a secret and is the focus of all Lily’s time and energy this summer until other friends and diminishing borders on the overlap begin to heal her broken heart. Author Anica Rissi does not clearly establish whether this in-between place is simply in Lily’s mind and is a way of processing her grief or whether she intended this to be a very real, temporary fantastic retreat for a suffering almost 6th grade girl who’s world has been torn apart. Readers will be left to wonder and decide that for themselves, but what is clear, is that Rissi has faced great loss herself or has been a part of the healing for someone else. Both Lily and her mom express their emotions differently, giving readers several perspectives on what emotions and reactions might been a part of recovery. Excellent book for those who enjoy a sad-happy heartbreaker type book similar to those of Joan Bauer, Barbara O’Connor, Gillian McDunn and Lindsay Stoddard. Also great for teaching empathy for those who have lost a loved one or helping a child who is dealing with loss. Representation: Single mom with kids via in vitro fertilization but no details about the science other than one time phrase of “sperm donor”; one brief reference to a boy whose moms waved at him from the bus stop; race is not designated with any physical descriptions, but the cover depicts Anders and Lily as Caucasian. Recommended for grades 4-7.
Thanks for the print arc, Anica Morse Rissi.
Thanks for the print arc, Anica Morse Rissi.
June 20, 2023
The seasoning of magical realism begins in the first chapter of Wishing Season by Anica Mrose Rissi as Lily gets off the school bus ten minutes past the usual time. Her body language when she waves at no friends and braces herself as she heads to her front door is observed and commented on by two watchful birds. One says she’ll be all right; the second one wonders.
Lily’s twin brother Anders has died leaving Lily and their mother caught in the grasp of grief. The mother withdraws into her own sorrow, leaving Lily to figure out her own way of coping. Wishing will not change anything, but finding Anders in a special place near a tree gives her a chance to communicate with this person who has shared her life since before they were born. In the place where he has gone, he seems not to feel the loneliness she feels at being left behind. Their twin arguments, jokes, and discussions continue almost as usual, except that Anders has a limited space to be. Lily becomes panicky as this area continues to shrink and the times she can find him there become shortened and more unreliable.
The book is a touching and realistic look at grief and the life changes that it brings. It is a well written account of a caring community that helps, but with the understanding that the real adjustment comes from those bearing the loss.
I read the book in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley and HarperCollins/Quill Tree. This good read for those experiencing grief or for friends wanting to help those who are in mourning is available for pre-order now or purchase on June 27.
Lily’s twin brother Anders has died leaving Lily and their mother caught in the grasp of grief. The mother withdraws into her own sorrow, leaving Lily to figure out her own way of coping. Wishing will not change anything, but finding Anders in a special place near a tree gives her a chance to communicate with this person who has shared her life since before they were born. In the place where he has gone, he seems not to feel the loneliness she feels at being left behind. Their twin arguments, jokes, and discussions continue almost as usual, except that Anders has a limited space to be. Lily becomes panicky as this area continues to shrink and the times she can find him there become shortened and more unreliable.
The book is a touching and realistic look at grief and the life changes that it brings. It is a well written account of a caring community that helps, but with the understanding that the real adjustment comes from those bearing the loss.
I read the book in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley and HarperCollins/Quill Tree. This good read for those experiencing grief or for friends wanting to help those who are in mourning is available for pre-order now or purchase on June 27.
October 30, 2025
Moving forward wasn't the same as moving on.
Lily and Anders are twins...well...were twins. Due to health complications, Anders dies and Lily is lost. Her twin, her "other half," her partner crime is gone. So there is no more they, but only a me. And for Lily, that is hard, it is devastating, until she discovers The Overlap. Behind their house there is a tree with a tire swing and for some magical reason, Anders can appear to her there. Lily doesn't know why, but it provides her with some much needed additional time with her brother. However, the Overlap only extends so far and after a couple of meet-ups, Lily starts to realize that the Overlap is shrinking. She will do what ever it takes to stop the shrinking and to not lose Anders (again).
This was a new book added to our classroom library. Sadly, I was driven to this book because of a student. Last year, a grade five girl lost her eighth grade brother to a tragic accident. I teach her this year and have been witness to her struggle to "move forward." It must be the impossible, but I have tried to extend my patience, my encouragement, and my time to help her in anyway I can. Maybe this book can as well. Recommended for GR 5 and up, especially to someone who has experienced loss.
Lily and Anders are twins...well...were twins. Due to health complications, Anders dies and Lily is lost. Her twin, her "other half," her partner crime is gone. So there is no more they, but only a me. And for Lily, that is hard, it is devastating, until she discovers The Overlap. Behind their house there is a tree with a tire swing and for some magical reason, Anders can appear to her there. Lily doesn't know why, but it provides her with some much needed additional time with her brother. However, the Overlap only extends so far and after a couple of meet-ups, Lily starts to realize that the Overlap is shrinking. She will do what ever it takes to stop the shrinking and to not lose Anders (again).
This was a new book added to our classroom library. Sadly, I was driven to this book because of a student. Last year, a grade five girl lost her eighth grade brother to a tragic accident. I teach her this year and have been witness to her struggle to "move forward." It must be the impossible, but I have tried to extend my patience, my encouragement, and my time to help her in anyway I can. Maybe this book can as well. Recommended for GR 5 and up, especially to someone who has experienced loss.
May 22, 2023
Lily is eleven years old and just lost her brother to cancer, but continues to see him and talk to him near the same tree.
This is a very well-written novel about loss and grief that in many ways worked better than YA novels that I've read exploring the same theme due to the author's restraint. We get the story through Lily's point of view and process, she is very independent, determined and even dealing with guilt and secrets, she tries to hold it all together alone. There are many stages of her emotions, even aggression, but I loved the choices of the author and all the scenes that slowly bring her growth to us.
A very beautiful and emotional book to be experienced more than spoken about. The stages of grief are presented in a very subtle and creative way.
Explores themes such as loss of a sibling, death and grief, acceptance, finding the strength to move on by going through one's path of grief, opening to people or parent, dealing with bad friendships or new good friendships, finding a purpose that is meaningful to the community, and an earlier growing up and maturity.
Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is a very well-written novel about loss and grief that in many ways worked better than YA novels that I've read exploring the same theme due to the author's restraint. We get the story through Lily's point of view and process, she is very independent, determined and even dealing with guilt and secrets, she tries to hold it all together alone. There are many stages of her emotions, even aggression, but I loved the choices of the author and all the scenes that slowly bring her growth to us.
A very beautiful and emotional book to be experienced more than spoken about. The stages of grief are presented in a very subtle and creative way.
Explores themes such as loss of a sibling, death and grief, acceptance, finding the strength to move on by going through one's path of grief, opening to people or parent, dealing with bad friendships or new good friendships, finding a purpose that is meaningful to the community, and an earlier growing up and maturity.
Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 22, 2023
4.5 Stars
Wishing Season is one of those books that at first may seem a bit niche, but actually will appeal to a fairly wide audience. That’s because it’s not just about twins — author Anica Mrose Rissi explores multiple relationships throughout her novel. And it’s those relationships and how those relationships help Lily move through her grief that make this book so strong.
For Lily, losing her brother is like losing a part of her body. Anders has always been there. It’s always been the two of them. And when he dies, Lily doesn’t know what to do. But then, Anders isn’t really gone. At least, not for Lily. And that makes all the difference. Until it doesn’t.
Rissi’s multi-layered approach to exploring grief and its many stages creates a narrative that feels true. There’s a sort of “rightness” to Lily’s actions and reactions that weights the book. But there’s also a brightness that lightens such a heavy topic.
Wishing Season is a contemplative read that moves fairly quick and will particularly resonate with readers who have experienced some kind of loss of their own.
Wishing Season is one of those books that at first may seem a bit niche, but actually will appeal to a fairly wide audience. That’s because it’s not just about twins — author Anica Mrose Rissi explores multiple relationships throughout her novel. And it’s those relationships and how those relationships help Lily move through her grief that make this book so strong.
For Lily, losing her brother is like losing a part of her body. Anders has always been there. It’s always been the two of them. And when he dies, Lily doesn’t know what to do. But then, Anders isn’t really gone. At least, not for Lily. And that makes all the difference. Until it doesn’t.
Rissi’s multi-layered approach to exploring grief and its many stages creates a narrative that feels true. There’s a sort of “rightness” to Lily’s actions and reactions that weights the book. But there’s also a brightness that lightens such a heavy topic.
Wishing Season is a contemplative read that moves fairly quick and will particularly resonate with readers who have experienced some kind of loss of their own.
March 13, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
It's summer, and Lily would normally be spending all of her time outside, playing with her twin brother Anders. Sadly, Anders had gotten ill and passed away suddenly. Lily is struggling with this, and her mother is so submerged in her own grief that she is not much help. Lily can still communicate with Anders in "the overlap", but starts to realize that this area is becoming smaller and smaller, and she fears that soon she will not be able to talk to her brother at all. How will she be able to cope with this major loss yet again?
Like McDunn's When Sea Becomes Sky, this addresses loss in a poetic and fantastical way, and will be a big hit with teachers and librarians who love books like The Thing About Jellyfish or Polisner and Baskin's Seven Clues to Home. This is very different from this author's Anna Banana series or her fantastic Hide and Don't Seek.
It's summer, and Lily would normally be spending all of her time outside, playing with her twin brother Anders. Sadly, Anders had gotten ill and passed away suddenly. Lily is struggling with this, and her mother is so submerged in her own grief that she is not much help. Lily can still communicate with Anders in "the overlap", but starts to realize that this area is becoming smaller and smaller, and she fears that soon she will not be able to talk to her brother at all. How will she be able to cope with this major loss yet again?
Like McDunn's When Sea Becomes Sky, this addresses loss in a poetic and fantastical way, and will be a big hit with teachers and librarians who love books like The Thing About Jellyfish or Polisner and Baskin's Seven Clues to Home. This is very different from this author's Anna Banana series or her fantastic Hide and Don't Seek.
December 4, 2023
After her twin brother Anders dies from complications with having cancer, Lily didn't know how to go on. Until she learned that she could still find him lingering near their special spot in the woods. The tire swing they used to play on together is now the overlap where Anders is real and present for Lily but still invisible to everyone else. Now that summer has arrived, Lily spends as much of her time as she can with Anders. Their single mother has retreated from grief and spends time crying in her room or talking on her phone with Lorelai, her psychic that Lily is sure is a fraud. But as summer progresses, Lily sees Anders less frequently and slowly begins to realize that their time together -- even in the afterlife -- is not forever. This is an incredibly rich novel about death and grief. At times sweet and humorous and at others gut-wrenching. For a short novel, this book is filled with rich characters, a vivid setting, and well-processed emotional depth.
April 12, 2023
As 11 year-old Lily enters her first summer following the loss of her twin brother, Anders, her mother is struggling with her grief. But while Mom cries in Anders' room, or dials a psychic, Lily spends her time in the overlap, a magical spot where she and Anders can still meet up—for now. As summer unfolds and the overlap begins to shrink, Lily will have to learn to let Anders go, while still holding her memories of him close.
Middle grade readers will be heartened and comforted by Rissi's tender treatment of grief, conflicts with friends, loneliness, and opening up about feelings. The magical realism (Is Anders real? Is he a ghost? A metaphor?) beautifully mirrors the confounding (or "squiggly") process of grief, while the setting's details transport us to a Maine summer.
Middle grade readers will be heartened and comforted by Rissi's tender treatment of grief, conflicts with friends, loneliness, and opening up about feelings. The magical realism (Is Anders real? Is he a ghost? A metaphor?) beautifully mirrors the confounding (or "squiggly") process of grief, while the setting's details transport us to a Maine summer.
September 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! Though, me being a Christian, it had a little bit more witchcraft/afterlife stuff in it than I would’ve liked. I don’t believe in afterlife, so I had to try and ignore that aspect of it even though it’s what most of the book is about. Though, they don’t describe it as afterlife. It gives off Bridge to Terabithia vibes with the whole tire swing thing and the overlap. I recommend this book to people ages 12-15. If you’re a Christian and your child is going to read this, I would just have a talk with them about it since it’s a big theme throughout the book. On that note, it was completely clean, no language, no sex, no kissing. This book actually made me cry because I think their whole brother and sister relationship is so sweet. Anyway, have a great day guys! Hope this helped! :D
August 29, 2023
This book is simultaneously lovely and full of (healthy) grief. Lily and her mother must come to terms with the death of Lily’s twin brother, Anders. I loved the way various types of mourning were honoured & accepted, the way the community was part of their grief and their healing and the deep evocation of place (Maine) and how it was part of Lily’s experience, too - right down to the place-based “overlap”. While anyone could read and enjoy this slim novel, it would be amazing to hand to a middle grade child who knew someone who was grieving. Niche? Maybe - again, the novel is worth reading on its own - but imagine having the right book to hand to a child who was wrestling with a friend’s grief. This is that book.
September 16, 2023
Lily's twin brother dies in early spring. She and her mother are devastated. Throughout spring and summer, Lily visits are place on their large property where she sees, talks, and plays with her brother. The absolutely best part of the story is when she receives a letter from someone who lost as sister 20 years ago when they were both teens. She acknowledged that her grief didn't shrink, but that she grew and expanded around it, having space for many other wonderful things.
That's when Lily is able to see progress during the summer and get herself ready to expand to new people in the coming school year.
It is good that this acknowledges that we may experience deep sorrow. It also offers a perspective on living with that sorrow.
That's when Lily is able to see progress during the summer and get herself ready to expand to new people in the coming school year.
It is good that this acknowledges that we may experience deep sorrow. It also offers a perspective on living with that sorrow.
November 7, 2023
I like to list the themes in the middle grade books I read because they often cover so many topics that they appeal to such a huge audience; someone looking for any of the themes contained might like the same book.
But Wishing Season doesn't have a list of themes. This book is TRULY about grief. The way people can lose the same person but grieve differently; the way we cope during the stages following a loss; the fear we have figuring out how to face the same world but without that person by our side.
This middle grade book broke my heart, but what a story for a reader that needs this - or if they're like me, sometimes the best healing comes from a good cry - and this book certainly will bring on the tears!
But Wishing Season doesn't have a list of themes. This book is TRULY about grief. The way people can lose the same person but grieve differently; the way we cope during the stages following a loss; the fear we have figuring out how to face the same world but without that person by our side.
This middle grade book broke my heart, but what a story for a reader that needs this - or if they're like me, sometimes the best healing comes from a good cry - and this book certainly will bring on the tears!
November 14, 2023
It's only been a couple of months since Anders--Lily's twin brother died. Lily's mother is drowning in grief and depression; she's not there for Lily anymore. But, Lily has a secret. Anders isn't gone. He's there in the meadow whenever Lily needs him, and she is looking forward to a summer filled with long, hot days with her brother. As the summer goes on, Anders seems to be pulling away, fading away, and less in tune with Lily. Lily is worried that she will lose her brother all over again and struggles to find a way to stop the slide. But is keeping Anders with her really the best thing for anyone? This is a lovely and haunting book about learning to let the ones we love go--yet keeping them with us always.
August 20, 2023
I can’t begin to tell you how much this book is a #poppinspicks
I am in LOVE—heart and soul. Many of you know that it was a very sad thing for me when my beloved editor, Anica, left editorial work to write stories of her own. 💔 Even so, I have adored every word she’s put into the world after helping me with TOUCHING THE SURFACE. And while I’ll always miss her guiding my writing—WISHING SEASON is what she was meant to do. This heartfelt middle-grade book is stunning. I couldn’t be luckier to have ‘Nica and her magic in my life.
Go read this book, my friends. ♥️ Some books are impossible not to share.
I am in LOVE—heart and soul. Many of you know that it was a very sad thing for me when my beloved editor, Anica, left editorial work to write stories of her own. 💔 Even so, I have adored every word she’s put into the world after helping me with TOUCHING THE SURFACE. And while I’ll always miss her guiding my writing—WISHING SEASON is what she was meant to do. This heartfelt middle-grade book is stunning. I couldn’t be luckier to have ‘Nica and her magic in my life.
Go read this book, my friends. ♥️ Some books are impossible not to share.
September 9, 2024
Anders and Lily are fraternal twins and best friends. Anders dies, but Lily is able to still hang out with him in a place she calls the overlap. It’s summer and that’s all she wants to do. Anders encourages her to make friends and to “ move on”. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that the topic was handled so well that I got the feeling that the author has lived through a big loss of her own. She made Lily seem very real . This is one of the better middle grade novels on grief that I have read.
I won this book from one of my favorite book blogs, Reading Middle Grade , written by Afoma Umesi. I received the book directly from the author, and it arrived with some cute stickers and a book mark from her other books, one of which I have already checked out.
I won this book from one of my favorite book blogs, Reading Middle Grade , written by Afoma Umesi. I received the book directly from the author, and it arrived with some cute stickers and a book mark from her other books, one of which I have already checked out.
August 7, 2023
'At ten minutes past the usual time, the school bus rolled to its usual stop, opened its doors, and coughed out a girl.'
My father, who was a professional writer, rarely critiqued my work, but would occassionally hand me back something I had given him to read, singling out a passage, and say, 'you wrote a good sentence.'
Anica Mrose Rissi has written an amazing opening sentence. . A sentence so evocative it caused me to stop reading for a moment to luxuriate in the image of a bus, a girl. And a magnificent cough.
Besides the delight of the language, and the imagery, I already felt deeply for a girl I did not yet know, because of the way the bus just coughed her out like some bothersome, insignificant thing.
That is the power of language in the hands of a gifted writer.
I am completly hooked.
My father, who was a professional writer, rarely critiqued my work, but would occassionally hand me back something I had given him to read, singling out a passage, and say, 'you wrote a good sentence.'
Anica Mrose Rissi has written an amazing opening sentence. . A sentence so evocative it caused me to stop reading for a moment to luxuriate in the image of a bus, a girl. And a magnificent cough.
Besides the delight of the language, and the imagery, I already felt deeply for a girl I did not yet know, because of the way the bus just coughed her out like some bothersome, insignificant thing.
That is the power of language in the hands of a gifted writer.
I am completly hooked.
August 20, 2023
This book is very character driven versus plot driven. It’s almost an internal monologue with a few brief occurrences of dialogue and memories. The themes include sibling death and dealing with grief. The book is great but I’m not sure I can easily identify a middle school reader that looks for these attributes in a book. This would make a great book for junior high, especially since a lot of the dialogue that does happen occurs with a high school student. I also think a lot of adults will like it, as exemplified by the high reviews on this site.
October 13, 2023
As a grandmother, I'm not the target audience for this book, but I loved it. My youngest brother (age 62) recently passed and Lily's loss of her twin brother Anders echoed so much of what I was feeling and musing and trying to make sense of with such a big loss in my own life--an even bigger loss in Lily's life. The book is set in Maine, Deer Isle, and Mrose Rissi gets the place right and the writing right and the characters right. Well done and highly recommended for middle graders who have suffered a loss in their own life and for grief groups too as a spark for discussions.
October 11, 2025
when I was a kid I loved bridge to terabithia, it was one of my favorite books because of how important it was; as a kid who lost a friend early on I love books that deal with children's grief because someone out there needs comfort over the loss of a friend or family member.
this book is going to become a new bridge to terabithia, it's sad yet hopeful, heartbreaking yet bittersweet, it's everything I want in a book about grief, it's not just for children either I feel like the emotion and heart of this book could reach anyone who has lost someone at any age 5 stars.
this book is going to become a new bridge to terabithia, it's sad yet hopeful, heartbreaking yet bittersweet, it's everything I want in a book about grief, it's not just for children either I feel like the emotion and heart of this book could reach anyone who has lost someone at any age 5 stars.
August 10, 2023
This book was out of this world! I highlighted so many parts of it…little nuggets of wisdom to share with my students who might be going through hard times with friends or otherwise grieving in some way. The main character was so relatable and the actions and events felt very real. I will definitely be sharing this one. Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy.
August 28, 2023
Other reviews aptly describe my reaction to this book. Lily's story is short and heartfelt and helpful for families mourning the loss of a child. The overlap where Lily gets to buffer her loss of her twin, Anders, feels real and integral to her ability to cope with her loss. It pulls on your heart. And helps you see what families go through when confronted with devastating loss.
Single mom, sperm donor, another two mom family.
Single mom, sperm donor, another two mom family.
October 6, 2023
Anders and Lily were twins, and did almost everything together. Until Anders got sick and then was gone. Heartbroken and numb, Lily drifts through her days, not really caring much about anything. Then she discovers a clearing in the woods by their house where Anders comes to her. It's not the same as having him alive again, but at least they can still talk. But the world is moving on without him - and Lily has to keep going on. Sad and sweet.
October 7, 2023
4/5
Esta es una historia muy difícil, para mí, de leer. La historia trata acerca de una niña que pierde a su hermano gemelo, pero sigue viéndolo cuando va a jugar al bosque. Poco a poco, mientras Lily empieza a procesar la idea de que su hermano ya no esta, Anders empieza a desaparecer.
Ella siente mucha desesperación de quererlo siempre cerca, y conjunto a ver a su mamá en el duelo de perder a su hijo, Lily tendrá que enfrentar cosas que ningún niño debería.
Una historia poderosa.
Esta es una historia muy difícil, para mí, de leer. La historia trata acerca de una niña que pierde a su hermano gemelo, pero sigue viéndolo cuando va a jugar al bosque. Poco a poco, mientras Lily empieza a procesar la idea de que su hermano ya no esta, Anders empieza a desaparecer.
Ella siente mucha desesperación de quererlo siempre cerca, y conjunto a ver a su mamá en el duelo de perder a su hijo, Lily tendrá que enfrentar cosas que ningún niño debería.
Una historia poderosa.
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