Wow. Want to know how to make an author cry with happiness?

I ran a contest to give away five paperback copies of Wish Girl to a librarian or teacher, and asked those commenting on my blog to post their wish for their students. Reading those comments brought happy tears.

I already knew librarians were some of the finest people of my acquaintance, but just look at these snippets from the comments, listed below. These are the deep wishes of caring librarians for their students. It gives me great hope for the future when I think of these people nurturing young readers. What gifts they are to their students!

My wish for my students is…

“that they always find that one person they can talk to and feel safe with when they are having a not so great day. Having that connection is so important.” -Deb

“that they have access to books that stretch their minds and lead them to glorious futures.” -Veronica

“that they can overcome the tragedies and bad experiences that they’ve lived through, and not allow those things to hold them back. Overcome those obstacles and continue forth in life and become successful with the things they want to achieve. Some have it much worse than anyone could imagine and they have to work harder in getting there.” -Kelly

“that my students find comfort in books, and that they feel safe, secure, and loved in our library.” -Erin

that “all of my students could find that one place during their lives where they can just escape to and where people get them.” – Mikela

“for my students to have great books to read in their hands so that they can read and relate to them!” -Ronnie

“for my students to get excited by amazing literature” – Steffanie

“for my students is that they are not held back by those who intentionally or unintentionally try to silence them or keep them from growing” -Stacey

“that everyone of them understands & realizes that each of their voices matters and that they can each make a difference in the world.” – Becky

“to be brave enough to dream big! I also wish that they can learn to love and find comfort in books the way that I have.” – Jessica

“that each of my 356 students is able at some point to find a book that swallows them whole, refusing to spit them back out.” – Susan

“that they will realize how very special and unique they each are.” -Rita

“for all children to feel valued for being their authentic selves.” -Diane

“that they read to see the world through another person’s eyes creating a new understanding and compassion for the book characters as they vividly come to life.” -Cara

“for my students to continue to ask amazing questions when interacting with literature.  ” -Lisa

“that they all discover a love of literature at some point in their lives. ” -Susie

“that they become kind people who honor and respect themselves and others.” -Margaret

Thank you to all those who posted their wishes, and congratulations to the randomly chosen winner of the 5 copies of Wish Girl… Jessica Samuel. I wish all of you could have won… and I hope ALL of your wishes come true. I have a feeling you’re working every day to make that happen.