Happy Veteran’s Day! I feel like I really should have picked out a story with veteran’s…and in fact, I’m already stretching things because Wishtree really should be shared in the spring since that’s when Wishing Day takes place in the book. But, somehow despite all that this book feels appropriate for both fall and a day when we honor our armed forces because it celebrates the freedoms, community, and friendships that we fight for and I think that fall is in some ways a giant celebration of trees.

Katherine Applegate‘s Wishtree is told from the pov of Red, who is the town Wishtree. And unlike some other tree-pov stories *cough-The Giving Tree-cough* that just never worked for me, this one really hit my sweet spot. As the town wishtree, people use Red’s branches to make their wish, which they write on a bit of ribbon, attach to string, and then tie on to Red’s branches. And, theoretically, their wish will come true.

Given his local notoriety and long life, Red thinks he’s seen it all and is happy to sit back and observe. Until a new family moves in, and a mean teen uses Red’s bark to carve an ugly message directed at the family. If this violation and his worry for his young human friend weren’t enough, the landlady who owns the ground where Red sits is threatening to have him cut down. There’s too much mess associated with the tree, and his roots are messing with the plumbing. Now that his bark has been defaced, she’s got one more reason to have him cut down and be done with it all. As wishing day draws near, she firms up her plans and brings out tree cutters to provide estimates. Meanwhile, Red wants badly for his young friend, Samar, who is a muslim refuge, to get her wish for a friend. You could say that would be his last wish.

I don’t want to give away any of the lovely surprise moments in the book so will stop there, but I did find the book unfolded with more intrigue than I expected. It starts slow, as we get to know the tree and his animal friends, but as the plot thickens the pace picks up. Additionally, I found that the more far-fetched elements of the story, such as Samar’s connection to the animals, worked really well in a lovely kind of natural magic that felt just as sunshine does, when it slants through fall leaves and speaks to us in a rush of wonder, transcending mere facts. Similarly, I really enjoyed the various creatures that make their home in and near Red. There’s his crow friend, Bongo, who provides the perfect attitude and voice to balance out Red’s wise old tree vibe. And I will never forget the hilarious animals and their fun naming rules, from skunks that choose a favorite smell for their name (i.e. Freshbakedbread), to the opossum family and dear little Flashlight, who is, of course, terrified of flashlights. With Red such a stationary character, Bongo and the other animals provide a great way to breath a bit more movement into the story, and I really appreciated their inclusion.

I’m going to risk a confession…despite her undeniable writing skill, not all of Katherine Applegate’s books have been an instant hit with me. But this one really did. I felt the various story elements wove together to make the story super accessible, and the deft interplay between the historic story of Italian and Irish immigration with the modern muslim immigration story really resonated. I also enjoyed the super short chapters. there are a lot of them, and they helped keep the story moving quickly. In fact, I could almost see some of those short, snappy chapters being written out on a ribbon to hang on a school wish tree! Because I definitely think that’s a thing we all need. 🙂

Now, let’s see what Apricot-kitty thought of it:

Well, I’ve never had a tree talk to me in the traditional sense, but I do definitely sense the world speaking to me when I walk at the lake near here–it’s my favorite place to get unstuck on a writing idea.
And that brings out an element of the story which I think worked really well as a subtext. That everyone and everything has a story–and our lives will be richer if we take the time to find them out.

What are you reading? Got anything lined up for the holidays? I’m enjoying an eclectic mix of mystery and fantasy, plus books that have been around so long now I’m pretty sure they double as historic fiction. I can’t wait to share it all with you!

For the full roundup of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday interviews, spotlights, giveaways and reviews, be sure to stop by Greg Pattridge’s blog, and happy reading!