Be Careful What You Wish For... (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
Samantha Byrd is full of anger. She has a nasty temper. She is 12-years-old and very tall. She is clumsy. Other kids make fun of her. Especially Judith. Samantha exacerbates this by yelling at them and getting into fights. I looked down at my brand-new shoes covered in gloppy yellow pudding. And that's when I lost it. I uttered an angry roar and went for Judith's throat. I didn't plan it or anything. I think it was temporary insanity. I just reached out with both hands and grabbed Judith by the throat, and began to strangle her. I mean, they were BRAND-NEW SHOES! Judith started struggling and tried to scream. She pulled my hair and tried to scratch me.But I held onto her throat and roared some more, like an angry tiger. I mean, this girl is OUT OF CONTROL. That shit would get you suspended where I come from. And this is her reaction to Judith just spilling some pudding on her shoes on purpose? I went to school with a kid (male) who had a hair-trigger temper like this. I mean, a guy who wouldn't even wait 'til after school to kick someone's ass - he'd do it right there and right now in front of teachers and students. It was scary. I can't relate to this main character. I feel sympathy for her - I mean, it must suck to have such little control over your feelings and to be completely ruled by them - but not only can I not relate to her, but I think she needs to be disciplined and also be forced to see a psychologist. Instead, the teacher just makes Judith and Samantha SHAKE HANDS. Oh, it's all okay now. Run along and play! *rolls eyes She just tried to strangle someone!!!While riding her bike home from school, Samantha encounters a weird old woman named Clarissa who is lost. She helps Clarissa get to where she wants to go, while she says stuff like: "I love the rain," she said, raising her hands to it, letting the raindrops splash her open palms. "Without the rain, what would wash the evil away?" Clarissa becomes even weirder when she offers Samantha three wishes in exchange for the help she's given her.Samantha has the right reaction. She's like, "No, thanks." But Clarissa insists. And Samantha ends up wishing that she was the strongest player on her basketball team. Instead of making Samantha strong and fast, she (view spoiler)[ makes everyone else on the team very weak. So weak that they end up bedridden and Samantha is worried they'll die. She undoes her first wish and makes her second in a fit of anger - a wish for Judith to disappear. Instead of making Judith disappear, Clarissa makes everyone on Earth disappear except for Samantha. Samantha undoes that wish and makes a third. "I want everything to be the way it was - but I want Judith to think that I'm the greatest person who ever lived!" Ooooh, if it hadn't been for that "but" clause, she would have been safe. Instead, she finds herself with a new scary stalker.At the very end, she is very lucky, and gets a fourth wish, but she messes it up AGAIN!!! Geez. Does this girl never learn? "I-I wish I'd never met you!" I cried to the Crystal Woman. "I wish Judith had met you instead of me!" Why, WHY, why does she have to be SO STUPID! Needless to say, Judith uses her first wish to turn Samantha into a bird, and the book ends with Samantha trapped in a bird's body, eating worms and flying. (hide spoiler)]
This is a story about a twelve year old girl named Samantha Byrd. Sam is a very tall girl for her age and is the tallest girl in her seventh grade class. Being that she is so tall, this makes her very clumsy. Sam is always tripping over things and isn't a very good basketball player. The kids constantly tease her calling her "stork" and "fly away bird". Judith and Anna are the meanest ones to Sam. One day when Sam meets a strange woman and helps her get home, the woman grants Sam three wishes. Since Sam wasn't careful what she wished for and the wishes start to come true. First by wishing that she will be the best basketball player on her team. She didn't end up becoming better but the entire team became ill and she was the only one able to play. Next she wished that everything to go back to normal and it made everyone in the world disappear. Last she wished everything to go back to the way it was before she meet the woman but wanted Judith to think Sam was the greatest person who ever lived. This made Judith obsessed with Sam and wouldn't leave her alone. The story ends with the old woman granting her one last wish since Sam was so unhappy. That wish was that she never meet the woman at all but Judith did. After Judith meet the woman she wished to turn Sam into a bird and that's exactly what happened. Response:I thought this was a great story. I loved reading Goosebumps books as a child and this one was no different. I've always liked how these books usually have a twist or message behind them. I also enjoy the spooky characters, which I know first hand, keep the reader interested in reading these stories.Concept:I think children can relate to this story in some aspects. I know as a child I was teased for having to wear glasses. This made me not confident about myself at all and wanting to be treated like everyone else. So, I recall myself wishing that I was different when really I should have been comfortable with myself. I believe children experience all kinds of similar situations, so this maybe a good read to show the importance of being happy being yourself. Classroom Connection:This story would make a great classroom connection because it teaches students the importance of being yourself and loving yourself for who you are. This story may also open the discussion of not speaking or trusting strangers. Not everyone is a good person and has good intentions. This can make for a great writing activity. allowing your students to make a list or write a short essay of positive characteristics about another classmate. This will allow students to praise each other, build friendships and build confidence. CCSS Range:According to Lexile.com, this book is a 570L. This book is age appropriate for second to third grade. I believe by the end of third grade students should be able to read this book independently. The vocabulary and storyline are grade appropriate yet still challenging so that it's not to easy.
What do You think about Be Careful What You Wish For... (2005)?
This was another Goosebumps book that I heard so much about in grade school. I never read it back then, though. To be honest, I had some idea that this book was gonna have something to do with a woman charging $20 to tell your future, but had the ability to grant wishes. It's actually about a girl named Samantha who encounters a random woman during a bike ride and helps the random woman find where she's supposed to be. In return, she grants her three wishes.I'll admit I found parts of it kinda funny. As in worthy of a slight chuckle. It wasn't a bad short story really. It's definitely different from the other Goosebumps novellas I've read though. As far as the ending, it made perfect sense, but it's still somewhat of a cliffhanger. Made me question what would have happened after what happens at the end.Despite that, I liked it enough to give it four stars. The cover is a tad misleading, by the way.
—Andrew
Personal Reaction: I think the Goosebumps collection is an excellent example of advanced transitional books. The books are set up in chapter format, have a higher word count per page, and are overall longer than younger children's books. This book in particular was suspenseful and would certainly keep a new reader engaged. I think if I was first beginning to read and I saw this expansive world of imagination open in front of me through suspenseful and intense books like this one I would love literature. Samantha, the main character, stands up to her bully Judith when she is granted three wishes. The reader is taken through the pros and cons of these wishes. While the book is certainly action packed it also remains simple enough for new readers to be able to follow along. Purpose/ Use in the Classroom: Independent Read: This is a book that I would consider much more valuable for independent reading than I would for class read aloud time. It lacks certain explicit educational moments that I think read aloud books should possess. That being said, it would be an excellent book for a student to do a book report or other project on. Narrative: Characterization is a crucial element in this story. The way that both Samantha and Judith are portrayed in the story in good and evil ways play a huge role in the storyline. Without solid and descriptive characterization this plot would not be able to progress.
—Travis Kesinger
Star Rating: * 1/2Samantha Byrd is an awkward pre-teen who just can’t seem to catch a break. She’s constantly bullied by a fellow classmate, and all she wants is a fresh start. When she helps a mysterious woman, Clarissa, across town, she’s offered three wishes for compensation. As the title suggests, however, wishes must be carefully used. Every time Samantha wishes for something, her desires come true, but with terrible repercussions. She becomes the best basketball player when everyone else on the team falls ill. When she wishes to be left alone, everyone in the world disappears. And when she wishes that her bully was actually her best friend, she ends up with a stalker in her closet. Clarissa gives Sam one more chance, so she wishes that her bully was the one to meet the mysterious old woman. However, the bully’s first wish turns Sam into a bird, giving her a fresh start, but taking away her humanity.The plot of Be Careful What You Wish For is not particularly innovative. The riskiness of wishes appears throughout many fables and stories, and this particular book does little to add to the mythology. However, it is quite possibly one of the first times that a young child is introduced to the trope, so it is probably best that the message remains simple. What is unforgiveable is the personality of the main character. Sam is whiny and petulant, and she never thinks before she acts. Given the fact that her first wish taught her just how dangerous thoughtlessness could be you would think that even a twelve year old would pause before using her wishes. However, Sam is not particularly talented at patience and forethought, so she suffers through a terrible series of situations, and an even worse fate.
—Maggie Gordon
