I’m not usually into “girl” books like this one, but I enjoyed The Wishing Pearl more than I thought I would. Olivia was an engaging character and I needed to find out what happened to her! While Olivia’s recovery and healing seemed to happen too fast to be realistic, her emotions and reactions to her situation felt very real. At times she was an absolute brat, but I found myself wanting to defend her rather than knock some sense into her which is my usual response. Highly recommended!
On a side note, teen fiction has a really “angsty” reputation. That reputation has shifted some in recent years, but books that deal with difficult topics such as substance abuse, emotional and sexual abuse, and other issues are still important for teens. Many parents realize this but reluctant to expose their kids to “issues” books that address controversial topics due to concerns about graphic or amoral content. There are “issues” books out there that Christian parents can feel good about. Nicole O’Dell’s The Wishing Pearl is one of them. It contains heavy content, including substance abuse, death, and sexual abuse. Olivia’s problems are serious and heartbreaking and are portrayed as such, but The Wishing Pearl isn’t graphic or inappropriate for younger teen readers. I’m looking forward to more Diamond Estates novels.
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about The Wishing Pearl by Nicole O’Dell by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.
Audacious Reader • The Book Fae • Books I Recommend • Book Nook 4 You • Bookworm Reading • Christian Bookshelf Reviews • Fiction Fire • Gillian Adams • Jill Williamson • Katie McCurdy • Kurly Katie’s Ruminations • My Story Shelf • The Pen and Parchment • Rachelle Rea • SLY Games • Terri Harr
ADDLibrarian 
Thanks so much! So glad you like TWP!
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Great review! Like you, I’m generally not that into girl’s books, but I really enjoyed the Wishing Pearl. And even though it dealt with some tough topics, I thought Nicole handled it really well!
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Great review. I agree that this book deals with heavey issues but they are handled nicly and no parent will have to worry about them being graphic or anything like that. I really enjoyed this book myslef and can’t wait to read what comes next.
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I agree, Claire. Nicole did a wonderful job writing about some tough stuff. We knew what was happening but we didn’t need to “see” it. I think that’s much better storytelling. I also agree that this was a wonderful book. I’m glad you read something outside your comfort zone, but I know what you mean about “girly” books. This one wasn’t one of those.
🙂
Jill
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Agreed about the “angst.” Ncole O’Dell did a really great job handling those tough issues with tact and grace and I appreciated that.
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I think that Nicole did a great job with this book. I really enjoyed reading Olivia’s story. 🙂
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