This year, however, not a single hummingbear has returned to Perchance, and no one knows why. For as long as anyone can remember, the tiny animals have overwintered in shimmering bubble nests perched atop blue willow trees, drawing tourists from far and wide. Perchance has been cursed with fires and mudslides, droughts and fevers, and even the annual migration of hummingbears, a source of local pride and income, has dwindled. Lately, though, nature has seemed angry indeed. Įleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the most unlovable beasts in the land: strange beasts known as “screechers.” The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes the animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.The earth is old and we are not, and that is all you must remember.

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. This gentle yet powerful book is suitable for all ages, from young to old, and its message remains more vital than ever.

Wishtree is a page-turning, magical read that packs a lot into its pages. Helping Red in the quest for neighborhood peace is a menagerie of animals that find shelter in the wise old tree and whose interactions add another layer to this story about the pleasures and difficulties of living in harmony. This neighborhood story has a marvelous animal and human cast, including a pair of policemen who investigate the tree vandalism and the tree’s owner, Francesca, who wants to cut the oak down. “I could write a book,” Red muses, wryly adding, “In fact, I could be a book.” Red has not only carefully watched the world for over 200 years but is also very funny. Using an oak tree as a narrator is a huge creative risk, but Applegate carries out this feat with literary bravado, elevating her tale to an unforgettable, timeless fable in the process.

A car races by whose occupants shout, “Muslims get out!” Finally, the “wishtree,” named Red, can stand silent no longer. A teenager carves the word “LEAVE” into the tree’s trunk. “I wish for a friend,” she whispers, and the tree listens.īut the next-door neighbors aren’t friendly. Samar has wary eyes and a shy smile, with “the look of someone who has seen too much.” Even so, she is quietly hopeful, tying her written wish on a large red oak wishing tree in front of her house, as people have done for decades. What can be done in the face of racism and hatred? Newbery Medal-winning author Katherine Applegate deftly explores this question in her stellar new novel, Wishtree.Ī 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar and her parents move into a house in a suburban neighborhood, hoping for a new life. BookPage Children's Top Pick, October 2017

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