Wish

In Chapter 1, Charlie has recently moved from Raleigh, North Carolina to Colby, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her father, Scrappy, is in jail. Her mother suffers from depression and does not take care of her daughters. As a result, Charlie now lives in Colby with her Aunt Bertha and Uncle Gus. Bertha is Charlie's mother’s sister. Charlie's older sister, Jackie, lives in her best friend’s household in Raleigh because she has almost finished high school. Charlie is in the fifth grade.

The school year is almost over, but Charlie still has to attend classes. On her first day, she has to answer questions that will let her teacher get to know her. The first thing she does is replace the name Charlemagne with Charlie. Then, she answers the questions in a manner that makes her teacher cringe when she reads them. A boy named Howard offers to help Charlie with her math worksheet. She declines his offer. Then, he goes to the pencil sharpener. Charlie sees that one of his legs is shorter than the other. Watching him causes her to miss an opportunity to make a wish. This is the first time she has done so since the end of fourth grade. She vows to find another opportunity.

The teacher assigns Howard to be Charlie’s backpack buddy. He sits next to her on the bus. She tells him why she is there. He says that she will like living with Gus and Bertha. Charlie claims that she is returning to Raleigh when her mother gets better. The bus stops at Howard’s house, and he descends. Charlie finds a penny at her bus stop and makes her wish.