Status
Available
Publication
Feiwel & Friends (2017), Edition: First Edition, 224 pages
Library's review
Generations of human and animal families grow and change, seen from the point of view of the red oak Wishing Tree that shelters them all.
Most trees are introverts at heart. So says Red, who is over 200 years old and should know. Not to mention that they have complicated relationships with humans.
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph. (Fantasy. 8-12)
-Kirkus Review
Most trees are introverts at heart. So says Red, who is over 200 years old and should know. Not to mention that they have complicated relationships with humans.
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But this tree also has perspective on its animal friends and people who live within its purview—not just witnessing, but ultimately telling the tales of young people coming to this country alone or with family. An Irish woman named Maeve is the first, and a young 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar is the most recent. Red becomes the repository for generations of wishes; this includes both observing Samar’s longing wish and sporting the hurtful word that another young person carves into their bark as a protest to Samar’s family’s presence. (Red is monoecious, they explain, with both male and female flowers.) Newbery medalist Applegate succeeds at interweaving an immigrant story with an animated natural world and having it all make sense. As Red observes, animals compete for resources just as humans do, and nature is not always pretty or fair or kind. This swiftly moving yet contemplative read is great for early middle grade, reluctant or tentative readers, or precocious younger students.A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph. (Fantasy. 8-12)
-Kirkus Review
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Awards
Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Honor — 2020)
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2020)
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 2019)
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2020)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — 2020)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Children's Fiction — 2020)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2019)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2019)
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2020)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Junior — 2020)
Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2018)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2020)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2019)
Bluestem Award (Nominee — 2020)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee — 2020)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2020)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2020)
Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2024)
California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 2022)
Iowa Children's Choice Award (Nominee — 2020)
North Carolina Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2019)
Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature (Recommendations — 2018)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 4-6 — 2019)
Flicker Tale Award (Nominee — Middle Grade Fiction — 2019)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2019)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2020)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2021)
Lectio Book Award (Nominee — 2019)
Three Stars Book Award (Nominee — Middle Readers — 2018)
E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (Winner — 2018)
Charlotte Huck Award (Recommended Book — 2018)
NPR: Books We Love (2017)
Junior Library Guild Selections (Selection)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Book (Intermediate — 2018)
Notable Children's Book (2018)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2017)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Children's Books — 2017)
Teacher Favorites Award (2018)
Tome Society It List (2019)
Project LIT Book Selection (Middle Grade — 2019)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-09
ISBN
1250043220 / 9781250043221