The Carnival of Wishes & Dreams

by Jenny Lundquist

  She also knew the best defense is a good offense. Plus, she was still mad.

  “So what? You lied to me. You said you’ve been going to your book club on Friday nights—but you’ve been dating Mr. Martinez!”

  “I didn’t—” Mrs. Chang stopped. “I wasn’t intentionally trying to lie to you. I just wanted to see if things were going anywhere before I bothered you about it.”

  “And?” Grace said. “Are things going anywhere?”

  Mrs. Chang shook her head. “Turns out we both just miss your dad. We spent most of our time talking about him.”

  Grace really wanted to believe her mother. “Diego said his dad was planning to visit you in California.”

  “His old college roommate lives in California. He visits there every few years. So yes, on his next trip he said he would come see us if he could squeeze it in. I promise you, we’re just friends. It was nice being able to talk to someone about your dad. I miss him.”

  “I miss him too—and I don’t want to leave Clarkville,” Grace blurted. “I just . . . I don’t want to forget.” She didn’t say anything more, but she knew her mother would understand.

  “Oh, Grace—you won’t forget him,” Mrs. Chang said softly. “Neither of us will. Memories are like pieces of luggage you can’t lose because you carry them in your heart. We’re not leaving him. We’re taking him with us.” She sighed. “We’re renting our house here, not selling it. You know why I did that? So we could come back someday if we want to. I just need to get away for a while. And Chrissy says I’ll always have a place in her salon. So I’d like you to keep an open mind. Besides, where we’re moving is near the ocean. You could even walk there—I think you’ll like it.”

  Actually, Grace was pretty sure she’d hate it. She didn’t like sand. Or being wet.

  But the thought that they could one day come back to Clarkville made her feel a little better. And besides, she and her mother would have several hours in the car over the next couple days to talk.

  “I know I’m grounded and all, but . . . could I go over to Harlow’s house tonight?” As Grace expected, her mother seemed to swell with indignation.

  “You’re really asking me that?” Mrs. Chang said. “You sneak out of the house and—”

  “It’s for something Harlow is doing,” Grace put in quickly. “Something to help get the factory rebuilt.” Quickly Grace filled her in on the project. “Harlow told me all about it while we were stuck up there waiting for the ride to get fixed. She says she’s staying up all night if that’s what it takes to get it finished. Audrey says she’ll come over too, if her dad will let her, and . . . please, mom? It’s my last night in Clarkville. I want to end it with them.”

  Her mom’s anger seemed to deflate. “Well . . . ,” she said, and glanced over uncertainly at Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, who nodded at her. “I guess that’s okay.” She sighed, and her voice went soft, “I guess maybe that’s the way things are supposed to be.”

  After Grace allowed herself to be hugged one last time, Mrs. Chang turned away to say goodbye to Mr. Martinez. Diego was standing a few feet away from them, smiling at Grace.

  “Crazy night, huh?” he said.

  “Yeah.” Grace plunged her hands into her pockets, feeling suddenly shy. She hadn’t forgotten that right before she made her mad dash to the Ferris wheel the two of them had been on their way to the Kissing Booth.

  Diego seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because he said, “We could still go. To the Kissing Booth, I mean.”

  Grace glanced at her mother. Could she and Diego get away with visiting one more attraction before they all left the carnival? When she turned back, she saw Diego checking his reflection on his phone.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Getting ready to take our selfie,” he answered. With his free hand he picked a stray popcorn kernel from his teeth.

  “A selfie?” Grace repeated.

  “Yeah. Isn’t that the whole point of the Kissing Booth—to get a good selfie?”

  Grace hadn’t known until that exact moment that it was possible to love someone for years from afar—and then fall out of love with them in the space of a single second once you got up close. She felt the weight of it squeezing her heart, but then she remembered:

  Diego didn’t like carousels. Or baseball.

  Who doesn’t like baseball?

  “Actually,” Grace said, “I think I have to leave pretty soon. Why don’t you ask someone else to take a selfie with you?” She pointed to Julia, who was still picking spiders from her scalp.

  Grace turned away, wondering just how differently this whole night might have gone if only she hadn’t destroyed Julia’s pumpkin gram to Diego.

  She was so lost in thought that she nearly smacked into Mr. McKinley, who’d been passing by. He jerked back so quickly he nearly toppled over. “Grace, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  Grace stared into his sad eyes. For the first time in a year she didn’t see the person her dad had died trying to save. She saw one of his best friends; someone who had loved him, maybe even as much as she herself had loved him.

  And suddenly, she knew why the carousel had granted one of her wishes tonight. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her dad’s ring. “Here,” she said, pushing it into his hands. “He would have wanted you to have it.”

  Mr. McKinley was as still as a statue as he stared at the ring. Then he dropped to the ground and his shoulders began to shake.

  And even though Grace hated hugs, she put her arm around his shoulders and whispered, “He loved you, Mr. McKinley. I know he did.”

   EPILOGUE

  Six Months Later

  NOT EVERY WISH YOU MAKE comes true, but if you’re lucky, sometimes the most important ones do. Sometimes all it takes is a small, unexpected gesture. A hug, freely given from someone who hates them, to someone who’s been hating himself.

  It’s amazing, really, how powerful that gesture can be.

  It can break the ice; it can cause tears to flow. It can begin to mend broken hearts.

  The girl who does not like hugs arrived in California as a girl who speaks her thoughts. As it turns out, Grace does not hate California. Or the ocean. In fact, she sort of loves them both. It’s April, but sunny and warm as she makes her way to her favorite spot by the shore. The port of Long Beach curves to her right. To the left, if she strains her eyes across the sparkling blue sea, she can just glimpse the outline of Catalina Island.

  Grace listens to the surf pounding the shore and runs her finger over her dad’s old ring. Mr. McKinley, when he could finally find his voice, had pushed it back into her hands and said, “I can’t take it. He would have wanted you to keep it.” Grace wears it every day on a chain around her neck, close to her heart.

  Grace watches as the tide rolls in. The wind has picked up; soon it will be time to go home. Her phone buzzes in her pocket. Harlow has sent her a text:

  Five minutes to curtain!

  Along with the text there’s a picture of Audrey and Mrs. McKinley. They’re both smiling, and Audrey is dressed up as Juliet Capulet.

  Audrey didn’t get a part in Middle School Daze, but she did get the lead in the school play. Most important, she got her mother back. Things are not perfect at the McKinley household, but they are much better.

  Tell Audrey I said break a leg, Grace texts back.

  I will. See you soon!

  Tomorrow, Grace and her mother are getting on a plane and flying back to Clarkville. The day after that, the Carlsons are breaking ground on the new factory. Grace and her mother are their honored guests.

  Well, it won’t actually be a factory. It’ll be a call center. Times are changing, and Mr. Carlson decided he would change too. He’s named it the Henry Chang Call Center. The money came in after all, thanks in large part to the presentation Harlow put together. Harlow has no shortage of people wanting to be her friend now, but most days she and Audrey prefer spending
time together by themselves. Ethan often joins them, and Audrey has secretly prepared herself for the day her best friend and her twin brother finally decide to become a couple.

  Grace has made a lot of new friends in California, even though she still wears her lucky Cubs cap nearly every day. She likes to tell them about the night she got her two best friends back. About the wishes she made on the carousel and her midnight ride on the Ferris wheel. It’s one of her favorite things to do. Because when it comes to the Carnival of Wishes and Dreams, everyone has a story to tell.

  Grace’s phone buzzes with another text from Harlow: My dad and I will pick you guys up from the airport. He says to send him your flight info.

  Okay, Grace texts back. See you tomorrow!

  Grace puts her phone away and stares at the waves. She loves the ocean, but she can’t wait to return to Clarkville.

  After all, the people she loves live there.

  Acknowledgments

  When I was younger, one of the highlights of the year for me was attending the fall festival at St. Bonaventure Catholic Parish in Huntington Beach. The lights, the music, the rides, and the giddiness of an autumn Friday night made an impression on me, and I always knew I’d one day write a book about a carnival.

  This book wouldn’t exist without the love and support of so many who came alongside me while I was writing it: Kerry Sparks, agent extraordinaire; Alyson Heller and the whole team at Simon & Schuster, who love me and my book babies well; Cara Lane, who told me stories about the carnival in her hometown of Morton, Illinois; and Carrie Diggs and Suzette Leger, who call me up and invite me to lunch and remind me that getting out of my writing cave and socializing is a Good Thing.

  To Stefanie Wass, my critique partner: thank you for putting up with my crazy first drafts! My books are always better because of your input!

  To the Journey Girls—Ann Davis, Carrie Diggs, Ruth Gallo, Cara Lane, and Sarah Mahieu: there is magic when the six of us are together. I am so grateful for each one of you.

  To my friends and family, who are the best cheering section a girl could ever ask for: thank you. Thanks especially to my grandparents, may they rest in peace, who told me stories about living in the Midwest before moving to California. I thought of you often while I wrote.

  To Team NorCal—Adrienne Young, Kristin Dwyer, Stephanie Garber, Joanna Rowland, Jessica Taylor, Shannon Dittemore, and Rose Cooper (We miss you, Rose!): I am so grateful for you guys. You help me keep a sense of humor and perspective when it comes to the writing life.

  To Ryan, as we approach our nineteenth wedding anniversary. If I could ride a magic carousel and wish for just one thing, it would be this: to spend another nineteen years living this crazy, wondrous life with you. And thanks be to God; when I was Grace’s age, one of my wishes and dreams was to become a published author. Thank you for guiding me on this path.

  About the Author

  Jenny Lundquist is the author of multiple middle-grade and young adult titles, including Seeing Cinderella, The Charming Life of Izzy Malone, and The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby. She lives in California with her family and her rescue schnoodle, Ollie the Wonderdog. Visit her online at www.jennylundquist.com or on Instagram @jenny_lundquist.

  jennylundquist.com

  ALADDIN

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Jenny-Lundquist

  ALSO BY JENNY LUNDQUIST

  Seeing Cinderella

  Plastic Polly

  The Charming Life of Izzy Malone

  The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition February 2019

  Text copyright © 2019 by Jenny Lundquist

  Cover illustration copyright © 2019 by Erwin Madrid

  Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Book designed by Tiara Iandiorio

  Cover designed by Tiara Iandiorio

  Cover illustration copyright © 2019 by Erwin Madrid

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

  Names: Lundquist, Jenny, author.

  Title: The Carnival of Wishes and Dreams / by Jenny Lundquist.

  Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2019. |

  Summary: Told from three viewpoints, Audrey, Grace, and Harlow come together at their annual town carnival to heal and reconnect after a tragedy.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2018015961 (print) | LCCN 2018025350 (eBook) | ISBN 9781534416932 (eBook) | ISBN 9781534416918 (pbk) | ISBN 9781534416925 (hc)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Carnivals—Fiction. | Best friends—Fiction. |

  Friendship—Fiction. | Emotional problems—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.L97886 (eBook) | LCC PZ7.L97886 Car 2019 (print) |

  DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018015961