A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: My Story

Annette Funicello was America's sweetheart as a 12-year old and now, fifty years later, she's still loved and admired by her many fans. This autobiography details her discovery by Walt Disney and early years on the Mickey Mouse Club, her beach movies, married life, and, most recently, her battle with multiple sclerosis. It's a cheerful, modest, and inspiring story about a lady who gave up show biz for motherhood and never regretted her choice. There are lots of stories about the actors and singers she worked with over the years, chief among them her friend and co-star, Frankie Avalon. Even though her disease had already become debilitating when this was written in 1994, she maintains an overwhelmingly positive outlook and writes, "Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful." Included are many professional and personal photos which brought back happy memories for me of my favorite Mouseketeer.

Once more Annette proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was & remains the true lady she always appeared to be in her roles on TV & in film...

YOU GO GIRL FROM THE PAGES OF THIS BOOK TO MY HEART. ANNETTE IS SUPERB IN THIS LOVING BOOK.

I have the audio cassette of A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes, and it is beautiful. I've listened to it several times in my car. I don't tire of it because it is a human story. Annette Funicello suceeded on her own -- her father was an auto mechanic and her mother stayed at home. This is an inspiration to children and even adults.

Obviously, I would not have sought out this book to read if there had not been something about Annette Funicello I had already found very much appealling. And I mean beyond her obvious good-looks and incredible smile. And reading it confirms what I always believed in my heart -and what I wanted to believe- to be true about Annette: she is an absolute sincere and caring person. Okay, if not for Annette's eventual battle with MS, the book doesn't contain any real human drama beyond what most of us might say we experience in our everyday lives (and she acknowledges that!!). And her's is a wonderful life. Annette is absolutely convincing that what she sees through her eyes and the emotions she feels throughout the events of her life are absolutely sincere. Call it sugar-coating if you want. I believe she is absolutely real. Annette always looks to see the best in people. And therefore, it just is not in her heart to pass judgement on people and tear them down - even when sometimes, she gets hurt. Imagine that. And she never "sold out" on her principles for more money or selfish career advancement. In fact, she really was ready to walk away from it completely for the sake of her children and a little privacy. So if you want dirt and drama, go somewhere else. MS or no MS, this book is sweet. But that's Annette. So it should be. And we can all stand to learn something from her, in one aspect or another ...Or just enjoy her taking us on a trip back to an America, as she so describes "has sadly passed into history."