Wish You Were Here

by Barbara Shoup

Book Overview

Everything is falling apart for high school senior Jackson Watt. His best friend Brady disappears without a word. His mom remarries, which means a new stepdad, a new house . . . a new life. He falls... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786800283
• ISBN13: 9780786800285
• Release Date: October 1994
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Great Book for Young Adults and Not-so-Young Adults.

Jackson has lived many years in the shadow of his manipulative friend Brady, but one day Brady decides to run away without a warning to anyone and doesn't contact anyone for many months. Jackson has to experience a lot of changes in his life without his selfish, domineering friend around to realize just what a jerk he actually was, and his experiences make him all the richer by far for it all. His mother remarries and he acquires two little sisters, his father--a professional roadie--almost dies after a fall, and he ends up betraying his love interest while taking up with Brady's needy exgirlfriend who ends up committing suicide. Add getting into some trouble and a very strange marriage between his father and Brady's mother to the mix, and you have a very touching, often funny, and very realistic look at life as it is for lots of teens on the brink of adulthood today. It is his reunion with Brady at a Grateful Dead concert resulting in a road trip to Graceland that reveals the truth about their friendship, however, and helps Jackson to finally heal a year after his former friend's disappearance. It appears one friend has grown up and the other never will at all. I liked the truthful resolve of the book rather than the happy ending, and that's what makes this rich, involving story such a gem. A realistic and highly recommended read regardless of age, Wish You Were Here is a story of self-discovery and the satisfaction that the pain of the journey can finally bring.

Wish You Were Here

The novel Wish You Were Here by Barbara Shoup was a literary work of art. I appreciated how she did not over-intensify situations, but made realistic so that you could understand and relate to the characters. I particularly liked the plot of the story. It was constantly changing and that made it all that much more interesting to read. There was situation after situation, dealing with everything from peer pressure and sex, to love, hate and also tragedy. Not many authors can write with the amount of realism and honesty that she does, and it was a great mix of modern day issues with hard situations and not always the best solution to it, but always a solution. I think that everybody should read this book. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Responsibility and Friendship

My tastes in young adult often run to humor, so I was not sure what to expect with "Wish You Were Here." What I found was a beautifully written book that looked at friendship and relationships very frankly and dealt with notions of responsibility. When I read it, a couple of years ago, it really spoke to me. The main character all of a sudden has to face his school and his life alone. People who had depended on his best friend now start to depend on him. And he has to understand what it means to be himself and to care about other people. This book is almost as compelling for the other story, the story of the friend who runs away. Shoup shows without telling what irresponsible behavior is and does through his destructive lifestyle and his actions with his former best friend. This book is a good read and is also a sober and mature look at young adult issues.

Real life in a book

This book is so wonderful! I never ener once in my life finished a book like this outside of school. Jackson Watt is about to discover the advantages and disadvantages of being in your senior year of high-school. And even if you are older than 18 it is still a wonderful book to read anytime. You will cry with him and feel his pain you can also recognize his happines and resolutions of his problems. litteraly you are in the story You have yo read this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Five stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!