What You Wish For: A Book for Darfur
Sep 2011 · Sold by Penguin
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About this ebook
Written to benefit Darfuri refugees, this compelling collection of short stories and poems, penned by Newbery medalists and bestselling authors, explores the power of wishes.
What You Wish For: A book for Darfur has brought together a potent roster of international talent, from Francisco X. Stork’s hopeful “The Rules for Wishing,” where a young man living in an unusual group home learns what it means to make a wish, to Cornelia Funke’s spirited “Rosanna,” where magic goes awry when a bully set his sights on the title character, to John Green’s thoughtful “Reasons,” where a boy loves an unattainable girl completely and honestly. Then there’s the heartrending sacrifice one dying girl makes for another in Karen Hesse’s stunning “Nell”; a bullied boy’s poignant wish for a friend in Meg Cabot’s “The Protectionist”; and many, many more gems, including poems and even a graphic story from some the best talent writing for children today.
Each story and poem has its own affecting power and celebrates the simple wishes—home, family, safety and love, things we all wish for—of the Darfuri refugees this collection honors with incredible grace, beauty, and ofttimes humor. What You Wish For is a collection poised to leave an indelible mark.
This collection will benefit the literacy and education of Darfuris by supporting library development in refugee camps. Book Wish Foundation, an all-volunteer 501 (c)(3) public charity founded by a mother-and-son team, organized the collection and will donate its proceeds to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.
Authors: Alexander McCall Smith, Gary Soto, Nikki Giovanni, Meg Cabot, Karen Hesse, Naomi Shihab Nye, Nate Powell, Ann M. Martin, Cornelia Funke, Jane Yolen, Sofia Quintero, R. L. Stine, Joyce Carol Oates, Cynthia Voigt, Marilyn Nelson, Francisco X. Stork, John Green, and Jeanne DuPrau
What You Wish For: A book for Darfur has brought together a potent roster of international talent, from Francisco X. Stork’s hopeful “The Rules for Wishing,” where a young man living in an unusual group home learns what it means to make a wish, to Cornelia Funke’s spirited “Rosanna,” where magic goes awry when a bully set his sights on the title character, to John Green’s thoughtful “Reasons,” where a boy loves an unattainable girl completely and honestly. Then there’s the heartrending sacrifice one dying girl makes for another in Karen Hesse’s stunning “Nell”; a bullied boy’s poignant wish for a friend in Meg Cabot’s “The Protectionist”; and many, many more gems, including poems and even a graphic story from some the best talent writing for children today.
Each story and poem has its own affecting power and celebrates the simple wishes—home, family, safety and love, things we all wish for—of the Darfuri refugees this collection honors with incredible grace, beauty, and ofttimes humor. What You Wish For is a collection poised to leave an indelible mark.
This collection will benefit the literacy and education of Darfuris by supporting library development in refugee camps. Book Wish Foundation, an all-volunteer 501 (c)(3) public charity founded by a mother-and-son team, organized the collection and will donate its proceeds to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.
Authors: Alexander McCall Smith, Gary Soto, Nikki Giovanni, Meg Cabot, Karen Hesse, Naomi Shihab Nye, Nate Powell, Ann M. Martin, Cornelia Funke, Jane Yolen, Sofia Quintero, R. L. Stine, Joyce Carol Oates, Cynthia Voigt, Marilyn Nelson, Francisco X. Stork, John Green, and Jeanne DuPrau
Written to benefit Darfuri refugees, this compelling collection of short stories and poems, penned by Newbery medalists and bestselling authors, explores the power of wishes.
What You Wish For: A book for Darfur has brought together a potent roster of international talent, from Francisco X. Stor...
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1 review
Asha Shelke
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May 29, 2026
Loved it.. hope refugees get help.
About the author
Francisco Stork is the author of two novels. The Way of the Jaguar was published in 2000 and was the recipient of the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize. It is the story of Ismael Díaz, a Mexican-American man awaiting execution in a Texas prison. Behind the Eyes, Francisco’s second novel, was published in June 2006. Behind the Eyes is the story of sixteen-year-old Hector Robles, an intelligent Chicano kid who tries very hard, but ultimately to no avail, to stay clear of the violence that surrounds him.
Francisco works as an attorney for a state agency that develops affordable housing. He is married Jill Syverson-Stork. They live in Massachusetts. He has two children who are now adults.
John Green is the author of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. He lives in New York City.
In addition to many prize-winning and bestselling novels, including We Were the Mulvaneys, Black Water, and Because It Is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart, Joyce Carol Oates is the author of a number of works of gothic fiction including Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque, a 1995 World Fantasy Award nominee; and Zombie, winner of the 1996 Bram Stoker Award for Best Horror Novel. In 1994, Oates received the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in Horror Fiction. She is the editor of American Gothic Tales and her latest novel is Broke Heart Blues. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Jane Yolen lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother.
All of Yolen's stories and poems are rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller.
Gary Soto is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and fiction writer. His awards are many, ranging from the U.S. Award for International Poetry Forum in 1977 for his first published book of poetry, The Elements of San Joaquin, to a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award in 1985 for Living Up the Street, his first published work of prose recollections. His short story collection Baseball in April, was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. In 1993 Gary Soto received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video for Pool Party, and in 1995 he was nominated for a National Book Award. His other credits include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. Gary Soto is also one of the youngest poets to appear in the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.
When he is not writing, Mr. Soto serves as a volunteer English teacher at his church. He also enjoys eating at new restaurants with his wife Carolyn and their daughter Mariko. Other members of the Soto household include their two cats, Corky and Sharkie. The Soto family resides in Berkeley, California.
Francisco works as an attorney for a state agency that develops affordable housing. He is married Jill Syverson-Stork. They live in Massachusetts. He has two children who are now adults.
John Green is the author of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. He lives in New York City.
In addition to many prize-winning and bestselling novels, including We Were the Mulvaneys, Black Water, and Because It Is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart, Joyce Carol Oates is the author of a number of works of gothic fiction including Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque, a 1995 World Fantasy Award nominee; and Zombie, winner of the 1996 Bram Stoker Award for Best Horror Novel. In 1994, Oates received the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award in Horror Fiction. She is the editor of American Gothic Tales and her latest novel is Broke Heart Blues. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Jane Yolen lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother.
All of Yolen's stories and poems are rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller.
Gary Soto is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and fiction writer. His awards are many, ranging from the U.S. Award for International Poetry Forum in 1977 for his first published book of poetry, The Elements of San Joaquin, to a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award in 1985 for Living Up the Street, his first published work of prose recollections. His short story collection Baseball in April, was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. In 1993 Gary Soto received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video for Pool Party, and in 1995 he was nominated for a National Book Award. His other credits include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. Gary Soto is also one of the youngest poets to appear in the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.
When he is not writing, Mr. Soto serves as a volunteer English teacher at his church. He also enjoys eating at new restaurants with his wife Carolyn and their daughter Mariko. Other members of the Soto household include their two cats, Corky and Sharkie. The Soto family resides in Berkeley, California.
Francisco Stork is the author of two novels. The Way of the Jaguar was published in 2000 and was the recipient of the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize. It is the story of Ismael Díaz, a Mexican-American man awaiting execution in a Texas prison. Behind the Eyes, Francisco’s second novel, was publishe...
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