Wish Upon a Crawdad takes place in rural America during the waning years of the Great Depression.
It\'s a fitting name, given rural America-and the entire country-are at the brink of a new age..
Such is the backdrop for the story, which takes place in 1940 in a valley near the fictional village of Crossroads, Oregon.
But that\'s begun to change, thanks to rural residents banding together to form their own power companies called rural electric cooperatives.
Ninety percent of villages and farms don\'t have electricity.
The Great Depression is not yet a memory, and the country is only eighteen months from another world war.
Historical note: The story unfolds during a pivotal time in America.
Not bad for a twelve-year-old, crawdad-catching girl from farm country.
Along the way, Ruby searches for a legendary place called Crawdad Haven, kisses a pig, dances with an angry dog, escapes death, and even has a chance encounter with a famous dignitary.
Or will they? Wish Upon a Crawdad is all about friendship and adversity, courage and fear, heartbreak and triumph, and it has as many channels and curves as the creek running through it.
And they\'ll never tell.
The only other people who know about it are Daddy and her best friend, Virginia.
Instead, Ruby calls it her secret surprise.
She wants something so badly she won\'t even say what it is out loud, afraid that might jinx the wish.
But now, Ruby has another wish.
Electricity: she\'s never had it--no one in the valley has--until she wished Upon a crawdad.
To convince doubters of their magic, Ruby points to a Wish coming true as the story unfolds.
Not many folks Wish Upon a crawdad, Ruby says.
She figures the odds are better.
Ruby does that, too, but she also wishes on the first Crawdad of the day.
A lot of people Wish on the first star at night.
So, Ruby calls on crawdads for help.
That\'s because she\'s got something special in mind, and time is running out.
She\'s too busy trying to make more.
But she doesn\'t let the money go to her head.
For one thing, she\'s got a jar full of coins, thanks to her Crawdad business and other odd jobs.
Ruby Mae Ryan isn\'t your typical twelve-year-old.
Middle-grade readers will relish the story\'s lovable characters, nonstop action, laughter, and tears.
Wish Upon a Crawdad takes place in rural America during the waning years of the Great Depression
