Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Summary from Goodreads:

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever.

Review:

This book pleasantly surprised me. First off, I need to say that I love this author. She knows how to write books for children. I’ve been reading her books since I was a child. And I think I appreciate her so much more now after reading books like this one, as an adult. This book is brave, smart, and timely.

I pretty much sat down at the table with this book as my boyfriend made dinner one night. I wasn’t expecting to read this in one go, before dinner was even ready. I also don’t think I was expecting to enjoy it so much. I thought the personified tree was going to be a little gimmicky for me. And okay, it kind of was. But there are so many deeper levels to this tree besides it’s tree-like wisdom, peacefulness, and serenity.

I wasn’t expecting the deeper layers of this book. And I certainly wasn’t expecting a book with a message on immigration, acceptance, and community. Applegate expertly weaves together very short chapters (perfect for struggling readers) in the tree’s point of view. I can see this gimmick appealing to young readers and drawing them in. She educates you on trees, animals, and wildlife. And then she makes you think of trees differently, like people who live for significantly longer periods of time.

And then you start to see the world a little bit differently. Like you sum up a timeline by the things people do outside, by the kindness you witness in others, and the wishes people make. It’s also the story of an immigrant family who is struggling. The tree has seen struggling immigrant families before and wants to fix things. The tree wants to grant the wish of the little girl who wishes purely for a friend.

I love the idea of the tree involving itself in the lives of the people who live near it. I love the idea of tying wishes to a tree. I love that the tree values the community and the people more than it values itself. I love the home that the neighborhood animals make in the tree. And I love the messages that can and will be drawn from this story. The topic of acceptance is critical, and Applegate tackles it in an easy-to-read, simple way.

I wish this book were a little bit longer. By the time I was 100% invested in the story, I felt like it ended. I wish the tree spoke more. I loved the message. I loved the characters. All in all, this was a really good book. I can see schools using it in the curriculum. I give it a 9/10.