Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Reviewed By: Jacob Roberts, Youth Services Specialist
Genre: Fiction
Suggested age: 8-11 years old
What is this book about? A beloved local tree, named Red, has spent it’s whole life observing the community around them. They are the one place everybody can go to relinquish their wishes. The community has always welcomed everybody that has ventured into their small town. However, hate starts to bubble up in the community, when a new family moves across the street, and the police find the word “leave” carved into Red’s trunk. There is soon talk about getting rid of old traditions, and the tree that goes along with them. None of this would bother Red, except that they feel they have spent too much of life just observing, and long to make an active difference in this new family’s life.
My review: Applegate does a great job at balancing rightly deserved sorrowful, with seemingly unexplainable optimism. Red has such a playful contemplation, even when they face the end of their life. This book does a perfect job at introducing young readers to the skill of reflection. It never feels overly philosophical. Everything that Red reflects on throughout the book is well written, and simplified for the recommended age range.
Three words that describe this book: Heartfelt, contemplative, pure
Give this a try if you like: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Rating: 5/5
