When You Wish upon a Lantern
When You Wish upon a LanternGloria Chao
Characters in When You Wish upon a Lantern
3 characters, main characters first.Main characters
Liya Huang
A conscientious teen who secretly continues her late grandmother's tradition of granting the wishes strangers leave on lanterns at the family's struggling Chicago Chinatown store.
Supporting characters
Kai Jiang
Liya's estranged childhood best friend who becomes her wish-granting partner while navigating his own strained family relationships; the story's love interest.
Stephanie
Liya's warm, nonjudgmental friend who encourages her to open up about her grief and feelings.