question answer page

Who is the author of Wish? Barbara O'Connor cover

What was the topic of the paper Charlie

had to write on her first day at school in
Colby, North Carolina? Getting to Know You' 3

Who was Charlie's teacher in Colby? Mrs. Willibey 3

What was Charlie's full legal name? Charlemagne Reese 3

Who was Charlie's best friend in Raleigh? Alvina 3

How did Charlie describe her family in the

paper? bad 3

What did Charlie write was her favorite

subject in school? none 3

What were the three activities Charlie

listed as her favorite? soccer, ballet, and fighting 3

What was Charlie's sister's name? Jackie 3

What did Jackie inherit from her dad? His inky black hair 3

What did Charlie inherit from her dad? His fiery red temper 3

What did everyone call Charlie's dad

because of his bad temper? Scrappy 3

Why was Scrappy in the county jail in

Raleigh, North Carolina? Because of his fighting 3

What did Charlie and Jackie's mom do all Lie in bed with the curtains drawn
day? drinking diet soda. 3

Why did the social services lady send She said it was better for her to
Charlie to live with Gus and Bertha? stay with kin. 3

Bertha was her mom's sister and Gus

How were Bertha and Gus kin to Charlie? was Bertha's husband. 5

Who did Jackie get to stay with since she

was going to graduate high school in a
couple months? Her best friend, Carol Lee 5

red hair, ugly black glasses, and

What did Howard Odom look like? walked with a limp 5

What did Charlie make lists of? Ways to make wishes 7

What color horse did Charlie make wishes

on if she saw one? white horses 7

What did Charlie do while making a wish on

a dandelion? blew the seeds on it 7
What time on the clock did Charlie make a
wish? 11:11 7

A man who owned the bait and tackle

Who taught Charlie about wishing on 11:11 shop by the lake where she and
on the clock? Scrappy used to go fishing. 7

When did Charlie start making wishes at

least once a day? The end of 4th grade 7

What did Mrs. Willibey ask Howard Odom Her Backpack Buddy..showing her
to be for Charlie? around school. 7

How did Howard Odom know Bertha and From church and he gave them a cat
Gus? one time. 10

What did Gus teach Howard to do? Make a slingshot. 10

What did Bertha sell sometimes by the side

of the road in the summer? bread-and-butter pickles 10

What did Gus do before Howard and his

mom had barbecue sandwiches in their Pulled Howard's mom's car out of the
front yard? ditch with his tractor. 10

What did Charlie make a wish on when she

got to Gus and Bertha's driveway after
walking from the bus? A penny she found in the dirt. 12

What did Charlie do with the penny to make Threw it as far as she could and
her wish come true? made a wish before it hit the ground. 12

What store was across the high school in

Raleigh? The Piggly Wiggly 14

Where did people go swimming in Colby? At the Y 14

Why did Bertha think coffee cake was a

strange name? There was no coffee in it. 14

What surprised Charlie when she saw

Bertha? How much she looked like her mom. 14

What did Charlie tell Bertha some girl ate

at school? A squirrel sandwich 16

What did Charlie call Howard before she

got to know him? The up-down boy 16

What mean name did some kids call

Howard? Pogo 16
Helped him replace the boards on the
porch that were eaten by termites
What did the Odom boys do for Gus that and wouldn't accept any money...only
showed they were good-hearted? a bag of turnips. 16

What did Bertha buy from Big Lots for

Charlie? Cinderella pillow cases 18

How old was Charlie? ten...almost eleven 18

A cashmere sweater she didn't want

What did Carol Lee's cousin give to Jackie? anymore 18

What was Carol Lee's dad teaching Jackie

to do? drive 18

Where was Jackie and Arlo going in

Charlotte, North Carolina? A NASCAR race 18

Why did Charlie sit outside on the porch at

night and wait? To wish on the first star she saw. 18

What did Gus once wish about his uncle

Dean? That he would disappear 21

What did Gus wear all day and half the

night? A baseball cap 21

What was the name of the constellation

Gus showed Charlie? Pegasus 21

What did Charlie see Gus and Bertha do

that she never saw Scrappy and her mom
do? hold hands 21

He worked in a mattress factory in

What did Gus do for a living? Cooperville. 21

What did Charlie wear to school that girls

made fun of? Jackie's old white majorette boots 23

Which girl said "nice boots" sarcastically to

Charlie? Audrey Mitchell 23

Why did Charlie have to see the principal,

Mr. Mason, on her second day at school? She kicked Audrey Mitchell's shin. 23

Why had Charlie been sent home on her She poked a boy with the pointy end
first day of kindergarten? of a pencil. 25

What did Howard tell Charlie to say every

time she felt like she was getting mad? pineapple 25
What did Howard's mom teach his brother,
Cotton, to say every time he got the urge
to draw on the wall? rutabaga 25

What is the name of the mountains that

are blue because of something the pine
trees release into the air? The Blue Ridge Mountains 25

What did Charlie see out the window of the Two dogs fighting--one of them was
bus in a dirt driveway next to some brown, black, and skinny, with long
trailers? floppy ears 28

What did Charlie do with a piece of pie to Cut off the pointed end of a piece
make a wish on it? and save it for last. 30

Who taught Charlie about making a wish on

a pie piece? Her cousin Melvin 30

What wish did Charlie's cousin, Melvin, His brother left and got married and
make that came true? he got the bedroom all to himself. 30

What do zucchini plants have on them

before the squash form? giant yellow flowers 30

What did Bertha feed to the stray dog

that had been coming around for months? meat loaf 32

Her mom got too nervous to drive and

Why did Charlie's mom stop taking them to wouldn't take off her bathrobe or
church? comb her hair. 35

What was the name of the church Charlie

went to in Colby? Rocky Creek Baptist Church 35

What was Charlie's Sunday School

teacher's name? Mrs. Mackey 37

What song did Mrs. Mackey teach Charlie

and the other kids at church? Good Old Noah 37

What game did kids in Mrs. Mackey's

Sunday School class play? Bible Detective 37

What was the prize in Sunday School for

answering Bible Detective questions Bible bucks that could be saved for a
correctly? prize 37

What wishing ritual did Jackie's friend If you count to 13 when you see a
Casey teach Charlie? truck full of hay you can make a wish. 37

What did Charlie like to draw on her arm? hearts and stars 40
What were Howard's oldest brothers'
names? Burl and Lenny 40

Why did Bertha think Charlie might want to

go to Fairview and visit Bertha's friend,
Jonelle? She had a daughter Charlie's age. 42

Where was the closest mall to Colby? Asheville, North Carolina 42

What did Charlie do when she saw a black Shook her fist at it 3 times and made
horse? a wish. 42

Who taught Charlie to shake her fist 3

times at a black horse when she made a
wish? Scrappy 42

What was the name of Bertha's fat orange

cat? Flora 44

What came with the Miracle Mop if people

bought it from the TV? A set of knives 44

Why did Howard tell Charlie to share her

troubles with someone? That made them smaller. 46

If all our troubles were hung on a

What did the needlepoint sign Howard's line, you'd choose yours and I'd
mom made say about troubles? choose mine. 46

play poker, watch Wheel of Fortune,

What did Charlie used to do with her dad, and eat macaroni and cheese for
Scrappy? breakfast. 46

What did Jackie used to do for Charlie french brain her hair and share her
when they lived together? nail polish with her. 48

What did Howard say stray dogs always

have? the mange and ticks 48

What did Charlie name her dog? Wishbone 48

Who backed her car into a flagpole at the

post office? Bertha's friend Racine 52

What did Charlie do when an acorn fell

from the tree right at her feet on the Turned in a circle 3 timees with the
porch? acorn in her hand, then made a wish. 52

What did Charlie do with the acorn to make

her wish stronger? Set it on the windowsill for 3 days 52

Who taught Charlie about acorn wishes? Her Girl Scout leader in Raleigh 52
Photos of her and Charlie's mom
What did Bertha have in an old shoebox? (Carla). 52

Where did a man sell moldy strawberries

from the back of his truck? On highway 14 56

Who stole the hot dogs from Gus and

Bertha's cooler when they went comaping? A baby bear 59

What kind of snake once got in the house

and Bertha stayed at Jonelle's house for a
week until Gus swore it was gone? A garter snake 59

Who got drunk and lost his false teeth at a

church picnic? Arthur Kruger 59

How did Bertha and Carla spend the Making yarn bracelets to sell so they
summer when Bertha was 10 and Carla was could buy fish for an aquarium their
7? uncle gave them. 59

What happened to the yarn bracelets Carla A mean boy threw them up into the
and Bertha made? branches of a hickory nut tree. 59

What did Carla do to the boy who threw

their yarn bracelets into the tree? Bit him on the hand 59

Where did Bertha and Charlie go shopping

for a Sunday dress? Sears 61

What did Howard draw to help search for

Wishbone? A map 61

What was the bulletin board in the hallway

of the church called? Our Garden of Blessings 63

What did Audrey write on the big yellow

daisy she made for the Blessings bulletin
board? My family. 63

What did Charlie see that made her close

her eyes, spit 3 times, and make a wish? A red cardinal 63

What did Charlie take off Howard's face

and blow? An eyelash 66

What did Charlie tell Howard would make a

wish NOT come true? Telling anyone the wish. 66

Whose bike did Howard say Charlie could

borrow? His brother, Lenny's. 68

What pet did the Odom's have in a cage? A hamster 68

Which of Howard's brothers was a little
older than him? Dwight 70

What did Mr. Odom do for a living? truck driver 72

What did Charlie and Howard build with

chicken wire? A trap to catch the stray dog. 75

What was Gus's dog when Gus was a boy? Skeeter 75

Where did Gus's dog, Skeeter, end up when

he jumped into the back of a produce
truck? Hendersonville 75

What happened to Skeeter on his way back

to Colby from Hendersonville? He got stuck with porcupine quills 75

What did Gus's dog, Skeeter, once dig up? A hornet's nest 75

Where did Gus's dog, Skeeter, wait for him

every day? Outside his school 75

What did Skeeter steal froma frying pan? chicken livers 75

What nickname did Gus call Charlie? butterbean 75

What did Charlie say when she made a wish

on a ladybug that landed on her arm? "Ladybug Ladybug, fly away home" 77

What did Jackie do that everyone in school

started copying? Put blue streaks in her hair. 77

What was the name of the guitar player

Jackie met who had a pierced nose? Cockroach 77

Where did Jackie say she might move with

her friend Shayla if Shayla's uncle could
get them jobs in his Mexican restaurant? Fort Lauderdale 77

What did Jackie think about going to

school to learn? Being a dental assistant 77

What did Charlie do to Audrey Mitchell on Shoved her off the seat and into the
the school bus? aisle. 81

Very tall, freckles, fiery red hair,

What did Howard's dad look like? twinkly blue eyes 83

grass, sawdust, and gasoline mixed

What did Howard's dad smell like? together 83

She looked just like her mom, and

that he had seen her mom (Carla)
What did Howard's dad tell Charlie? before at Gus and Bertha's house. 83
She showed up in the middle of the
night with a garbage back of clothes,
leaving her husband and daughters
Why had Carla (Charlie's mom) been at behind, and siad she was starting a
Bertha's and Gus's house? new life. 90

What did Charlie make a wish on when she

was in bed and thought she wasn't going to
have a chance to make a wish that day? A mockingbird singing in the rain 92

Where did Jackie say she and Carol Lee

might work during the summer? Waffle House 95

What did Jackie put on her ankle? A fake tattoo of a butterfly 95

1) Parking lot of Dairy Freeze, 2)

Highway 14 in the rain 3) picnic table
What 3 places did Charlie see Wishbone? by Brushy Creek 95

What mean thing did Charlie call Howard

because he said she was acting like a baby? A squirrel-eating hillbilly 97

What did Charlie feel when she had

Wishbone as her very own dog? thankful 103

What did Charlie use to lure Wishbone and

teach him to walk on a leash? pieces of cheese and bacon 103

What did Mayor Cooter of Colby do if

people parked in front of Town Hall? Shoot their tires out. 103

Wash her underwear and hang them

on the antenna or her car and drive
What did Mayor Cooter's wife used to do? around until they were dry. 105

They bought a gold mine in Nevada

Where did Mayor Cooter and his wife go? and moved away. 105

If you picked it, you would have good

luck, but if you left it growing, you
What was the rule about 4-leaf clovers? could make a wish. 105

What kind of dog did Howard say Wishbone

looked like? beagle 105

What did Howard teach Wishbone to do? shake hands 105

Why did Mr. Odom say she was glad to have

Charlie there? She needed a girl on her team. 108

What new store did Bertha say they were

building on Route 26? A new drugstore 108
A bone-shaped dog tag with his name
What did Gus give to Charlie for and phone number on it, and a red dog
Wishbone? leash. 110

What did Charlie copy from Audrey to

write on a flower for the bulletin board? I'm healthy. 112

She was able to calm down and

What miracle happened at church to apologize for kicking and shoving
Charlie? Audrey. 112

What did Jackie tell Charlie to do to the

girls who giggled at her boots? wink at them. 112

What did Howard do with Bertha's banana

muffin? Picked out all the raisins 114

Who was the only friend who had sent

Charlie a postcard? Carlene Morgan 114

Albert Eugene Reese - Gone but Not

What did Scrappy's dad's tombstone say? Forgotten 114

What did Burl buy that upset the Odom's

mom? A motorcycle 114

What did Charlie see and wish on sitting on

a telephone line? Exactly 3 birds. 116

Who told Charlie it had to be exactly 3

birds on a wire to wish on them? Scrappy's friend Ray 118

What was the name of the prison where

Scrappy lived? Wake County Correctional Center 118

What did Jackie bring Scrappy when she

went to visit him? Hershey bars and toothpaste 118

What did Howard do while siting on the

couch on his porch on the first day of
summer? A crossword puzzle 120

They had lumpy gravy and lousy

What did Scrappy say about prison? pillows 122

What did Howard and Charlie both say at

the same time when they saw Wishbone
snapping at minnows? "Look at him!" 122

What kind of wish did Charlie and Howard

make at the creek? A pinkie wish 122
What did Charlie say when Howard said he That he wished he didn't have the up-
didn't wish for anything? down walk. 125

What did Jackie call it when Charlie felt

sorry for herself? A pity party 125

What made Wishbone pull away from

Charlie and run away through the woods? A chipmunk 127

What was Charlie's favorite thing for

breakfast? grits with cheese and bacon 128

1) He ate bologna for breakfast, 2)

What three good things did Bertha say He slept on a pillow 3) He was loved
Wishbone had? by an angel 130

You can't judge people for their

What did Bertha teach Charlie about mistakes, judge them by how they fix
judging people? them. 132

Burl drove Charlie and Howard into

town to search parking lots and
dumpsters. Dwight and Lenny made
How did the Odom brothers help try find Lost Dog signs and nailed them on
Wishbone? phone poles and fences. 135

What word did Howard use to describe

Charlie when they were looking for
Wishbone? forlorn 137

What kind of tattoo did Scrappy get in A blackbird in a cage on the back of
jail? his hand. 137

Arlo wrecked his car and Carol Lee

saw him at the mall with Darla
What happened between Jackie and Arlo? Jacobs. 137

It fell out of the back of a van in

What did Bertha read in the newspaper North Caroline and found his way
about a dog? back home 400 miles to Indiana. 139

What did Charlie consider changing her

wish to? Wishing for her dog to come back. 139

Where did they find Wishbone? In front of Gus and Bertha's house. 142

What did Wishbone have for dinner every

night for a week? liverwurst and scrambled eggs 143

What happened when Gus's dog, Skeeter, His brother jumped in after him and
fell into the river when they were fishing? flipped the boat over. 143
What did Gus's sister used to do to Dress him up in her girl scout
Skeeter? uniform. 143

What games did Howard and Charlie play at

the kitchen table? Parcheesi and Monopoly 143 & 213

Put a tarp in the bed of his pickup

How did Mr. Odom make a swimming pool? truck and filled it with water. 145

What kind of lessons did Charlie take in

Raleigh? swimming lessons 145

he knew his wish wouldn't ever come

Why didn't Howard want to make a wish? true. 148

What did Charlie do with the blackbird Stuck it into the dirt, closed her
feather? eyes, and made a wish. 148

What things were taking up room in

Charlie's room? canning jars 150

What do people do with peanuts in North

Carolina? boil them 150

What is in the town of Blowing Rock? The Tweetsie Railroad 150

What was on Grandfather Mountain? A Mile High Swinging Bridge 152

What bus did Jackie take from Raleigh to

the bus station in Asheville? Bus #94 152

What was Bertha going to teach Jackie to fry chicken and sew a zipper on a
do? skirt 152

Why did Jackie need to shop for a football For a play she was in at Carol Lee's
jersey? church 152

Her super-secret recipe for squash

What recipe was Bertha going to share casserole with cream of mushroom
with Jackie? soup 152

Who build Gus and Bertha's house? Gus's grandfather 155

What did Jackie buy for Charlie with her

allowance money? A friendship bracelet 155

What did Jackie do for Charlie on her Made cupcakes for her to take to
birthday? school 155

Why did Jackie think Charlie was lucky at She had her own room she didn't
Gus and Bertha's? have to share. 157

On Highway 14 when Bertha's dad's

Where did Bertha and Gus first meet? car got a flat tire and Gus fixed it. 157
What card game did Jackie and Charlie
play? Crazy Eights 157

What kind of champion was Scooter,

Jackie's new boyfriend? Paintball champion of Wake County 160

Who did Scooter, Jackie's new boyfriend,

want to fix Carol Lee with? His cousin in the Marines 160

What do you call a cow that eat's your

grass? A lawn-mooer 160

What do frogs order in restaurants? french flies 160

What did Jackie used to do in bed with

Charlie when their parents were fighting Sing in her ear so Charlie couldn't
and yelling? hear. 160

What did Jackie chat with the mailman

about? high school football 162

What did Jackie take to Bertha's knitting

club? cold fried chicken 162

What did Jackie sell from a vegetable

stand at the end of the driveway? beans and squash 162

What did an old lady once drive to the

Waffle House in? A chauffeur-driven lim 162

How much tip did the chauffeur-driven lady

leave to Jackie at the Waffle House? twenty dollars 162

What did Jackie and the other waitresses

call the Waffle House? The Awful House 162

What did Scrappy tell Jackie he was going

to do when he got out of jail? Eat about fourteen hamburgers 164

What parade did Jackie march as a

majorette in 10th grade when it was
raining? The Memorial Day Parade 164

What did Jackie's friend, Loretta, do for The night shift at the truck stop on
work? the interstate 164

What was the name of Jackie's friend who

flunked out of beauty school after 3 weeks
and married a rich guy, but then ran off to
Atlanta with his brother? Denise 168

Why did Charlie push Dwight out of the She felt like she had to be the one to
way after they ate a chicken dinner? make a wish on it. 170
How many Bible bucks did Howard give to
Dwight if he would let Charlie pull the
wishbone with Cotton? five 172

What is supposed to make your wish come

true when you pull a wishbone? If you get the big side 172

What did Jackie say she would give

everyone for free if they came into the
Waffle House? chocolate chip waffles 175

Nothing's gonna change. Scrappy is

What did Jackie say when Charlie asked to gonna keep being Scrappy and Mama
come back to Raleigh with her? is gonna keep being Mama. 177

How old was Jackie when their mom

abandoned them? seven 177

Why didn't Jackie tell Charlie their mom

abandoned them? She didn't want her to hate her. 177

Did Jackie hate their mother? No, but she didn't like her very much. 177

Who was Jackie planning to get an

apartment with? Wylene Jarvis 177

What did Charlie do during summer at

church? Vacation Bible School 181

What did Charlie say when Jackie gave her

the lunch box covered with ponies and
rainbows for Vacation Bible School? I can't take that! 181

Who was the Vacation Bible School

counselor? Miss Rhonda 181

I have a dog named Wishbone, my

What three things did Charlie say about sister works at the Waffle House,
herself at Vacation Bible School? and my aunt Bertha has seven cats. 181

Lenny grabbed it, they got in a fight,

What happened when Burl wrote a letter to and broke a lamp, it got ripped, and
Jackie? they got grounded. 183

What happened to Dwight at baseball

camp? He broke his pinkie finger. 183

What did Charlie do with the note that

came out of Audrey's lunchbox? Put her foot on it and then took it. 183
"Have fun at Vacation Bible School. I
What did the note in Audrey's lunch box will be missing you. I love you very
say? much. Mama" 185

How many rows on Charlie's corn on the cob

did it have that she made a wish on? fourteen 185

What did Charlie write on a piece of paper

to put into her lunch box? I love you very much. Mama 185

What did Audrey say when Charlie said her "You're not supposed to lie at
mom came to visit and writes notes to her? Vacation Bible School" 188

Who followed Howard at church and made

fun of him by walking up and down? T.J. Rainey 190

What did Charlie do to T.J. Rainey? She ran at him and pushed him down. 190

What did Bertha say to Charlie after she You are a good friend to Howard,
got in the fight with T.J. Rainey? Charlie. 192

What happened to Carla (Charlie's She fell off the dock into the water,
mom/Bertha's sister) when they were at a but then came up and floated on her
lake one summer? back. 195

Who jumped in the water to save Carla and

ruined his new wristwatch? Bertha's uncle Jarod 195

What did Carla do to Bertha's blouses when

they were young? She snipped all the buttons off them. 195

What did Charlie draw on the back of her

hand? A blackbird in a cage 197

What was Howard's first wish that came He wished that he and Charlie were
true? friends. 199

What was one blessing Bertha and Gus

always wanted but didn't get? Children 202

What did Fulton Banner, a crazy old man

who lived next door in Raleigh, tell Charlie
to wish on? A yellow railroad car. 204

What did Mrs. Odom teach Charlie to do? Crotchet 207

What did Charlie make for Bertha? A scarf 207

Jackie's new boyfriend, Jake, who

Who did Carol Lee's parents dislike? drove a motorcycle. 207
To say things had improved in Raleigh
and that Charlie was going back
Why did the social services lady come to because it was better for children to
Gus and Bertha's house? live with their real parent. 207-209

What did Bertha promise to Charlie? She would make things right for her. 209

What did Charlie's mom do when Charlie

told her that Scrappy got a tattoo of a
blackbird in a cage on the back of his hand? She hung up on her. 211

What had Charlie missed while she was How things really were...that she was
busy making all her wishes? better off with Gus and Bertha. 213-214

Where did Charlie's mom (Carla) tell

Bertha on the phone she was going? Chattanooga 216

Which cat rubbed her head on Wishbone's

leg? Lula Mae 220

What was the second part of Howard's Charlie ended up staying in Colby with
wish that came true? Gus and Bertha 224

When Bertha called out, "Star! First star! Closed her eyes and breathed
Everybody make a wish!" what did Charlie because her wish had finally come
do? true. 227