Wishtree

by Katherine Applegate

Hardcover, 2017

Call number

JF APP

Collection

Children's/YA Fiction

Publication

Feiwel & Friends (2017), Edition: First Edition, 224 pages

Description

Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML: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. Funny, deep, warm, and nuanced, Wishtree is Newbery Medalist and New York Times�??bestselling author Katherine Applegate at her very best�??writing from the heart, and from a completely unexpected point… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member MrsDruffel

Did you know trees can talk? Red, the wishtree can. She has two hundred and sixteen rings worth of life experience and has carried over two hundred years worth of human wishes. Before her life is over, can Red help make one more wish come true?

Written from the tree's perspective, author Katherine

Applegate, crafts a tale of hope, love, and acceptance. See our world in a whole new light. WISHTREE will stay in your heart long after the last page. I recommend this book for the young and old.

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LibraryThing member jmoncton

Red is a majestic red oak tree who has seen many seasons come and go. He is also the neighborhood 'wishtree' where people tie their wishes and aspirations to his branches. But when a Muslim family moves into the neighborhood, someone leaves a message of hate instead. This is a heartwarming story

about the power of love and healing when a community comes together. It's sad that this book is so relevant today, but I'm grateful for authors who address this issue and tell an uplifting story with warmth and empathy, interspersed with humor. Definitely a good book for the entire family.

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LibraryThing member mchwest

If this could give more then 5 stars for this book I would. One of the all time best children books I've ever read and I'm making sure to order many for stocking for Christmas this year!! The life of a Red Oak Tree told by the tree and his best friend Bongo the Crow!

LibraryThing member penguinasana

Swoon...loved this one. It had such a creative premise taking a fun twist on the talking animals genre. Adults can also appreciate some of the detailed funny touches. I particularly smiled at this one:

"Of course, there are exceptions to the name rule. Somewhere in Los Angeles there’s a palm tree

who insists on being called Karma, but you know how Californians can be."

The story also had a timely and important theme about inclusion and tolerance in a realistic way without feeling heavy-handed or preachy.

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LibraryThing member bookwyrmm

This short MG fantasy packs a punch with a tale about prejudice, friendship, conservation, tradition, and community.

LibraryThing member billsearth

Great book for adolescents about the desire and benefits of friends. A story told by a tree.

LibraryThing member CurrerBell

It's personally a little too saccharine for my taste, but younger middle-readers can enjoy it.

LibraryThing member Carolibrarian

A great story told by the great oak tree about friendship, family and acceptance.

LibraryThing member ewyatt

Applegate weaves a sweet story of community - both plant, animal and human - in this story. Red is a wishtree who has seen 216 rings. She is home to all kinds of animal families and watches over two houses in the neighborhood. She's seen generations of immigrant families come to the neighborhood.

However, when a new family moves in not everyone is welcoming and Red, facing being cut down, decides to take action. Touch, powerful, and Applegate weaves lots of learning (animal group names, tree information) and fancy into the narrative. I finished reading it and bought two copies for different elementary schoolers in my life.

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LibraryThing member Ron18

A nice book to read with your children, but a little obvious and contrived for my tastes.

It reads a lot like a story a grandmother would make up for her grandchildren - with a generational take on intolerance and hardship that feels detached from the actual experience of the disadvantaged, put

through the lens of the advantaged in order to convey some progressive values. All of which is positive... but we're a culture becoming more accustomed to the disadvantaged speaking for themselves in a more authentic way.

I love the illustrations (they push the book from a 3 to a 3.5 for me).

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LibraryThing member feeroberts64

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate is about Red. A tree, but not just any tree. Red is a Wishtree.

This story wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but I found it to be imaginative and creative. I loved the characters, and the writing was simple but enticing. A great story of the differences of

people around us and the feelings these differences can evoke. I feel all children should read this book.

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LibraryThing member amandabock

I'm getting tired of belabored parables masquerading as middle-grade fiction.

LibraryThing member lydia1879

wow this was beautiful! sometimes moral stories can be somewhat dry for me, even when i was little i found 'em dry, but i loved this and cried TWICE.

powerful writing.

LibraryThing member lflareads

Wow! Such a sweet story of an optimistic tree and a child looking for a friend in a world sometimes separated by differences rather than relishing in developing connections through friendship. #middleschoolela #middlegradebooks #middleschool

LibraryThing member SweetKokoro

If there is one thing I am learning about Katherine Applegate’s writing, is that she knows just how to punch you in the feels.
This book was beautiful from start to finish. The simple story written to explain how ugly the world can be but also how beautiful it is at the same time was

breathtaking. Applegate knows how to explain tough situations in a simple, yet heartfelt manner and this makes her work standout. I love how she wrote this from a trees point of view, that’s not something to come across normally and I enjoyed it. Beautiful work!

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LibraryThing member Lisa_Francine

Hats off, once again to Katherine Applegate, and her ability to share some of the problems of the world with her young, and not so young, readers. Friendship, immigration, nature, and conflict are some of the themes in Wishtree, which Katherine tells with warmth, compassion, humor, and empathy.

The

tagline for Feiwel and Friends (the publisher's of Wishtree) is: "Our books are friends for life" and Wishtree is destined to become a favorite book for life of many Applegate friends, both old and new!

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LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck

A short sweet melancholic tale for younger readers, very similar in style to Applegate's The One and Only Ivan. As with Ivan and another book, Crenshaw, there's a dark issue driving the tale ad great emotional heart. The ending is as happy as it must be given the target audience.

Highly recommended.

LibraryThing member standhenry

A wonderful, short novel about friendship, community, and acceptance. Wishtree is told from the perspective of Red, a red oak tree, who is 216 years old. For many years, every May 1st, people leave notes/wishes on Red's branches. Even as Red's end is near, Red strives to help 2 children, her

neighbors, fulfill one last wish. They, in turn, help her. This story is timely, modern, and beautiful. It would make a great holiday gift!

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LibraryThing member Sara_Cat

Even though it’s a bit Disney-esk in the sense that things just worked out because they were constructed to, it had a very beautiful message that makes it worth a read. The short and occasionally disjointed chapters told from an unusual character did make for an interesting read, as well.

This was

the ‘adult’ version, but it still read more like a children’s book. But, I don’t think there’s anything wrong or weird with adults enjoying books aimed at children. Just something to take into consideration when choosing your next read.

If you’re looking for something optimistic that is trying to mask itself as realistic, that is also a short and simple read, this is good.

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LibraryThing member Robinsonstef

Years ago, when Red was still a very young tree, a girl tied a wish to her branches. The girl said this was the tradition where she came from. Since then the wishtree has seen many families come and go over her long life. Red knows she’s not supposed to interact with the people who come to sit

and wish by her. The animals that live in and around the tree have a close relationship and watch out for one another. When a new family moves into a nearby house and someone carves the word “leave” into the wishtree, Red becomes concerned. Who would do such a thing? Why? What does it mean? It’s soon apparent that a little girl is looking for a friend, and the wishtree wants nothing more than that for the girl, especially considering there seems to be people who want the girl and her family to leave the neighborhood. After Red hears that she may be cut down because of the vandalism and the trouble her roots are causing, she thinks she may have no other choice. What will Red do? Will she intervene? What will happen if she breaks the rule? And is it even possible for a wishtree to help a little girl make a friend? You’ll have to read this book to find out.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate drew me in because the cover looks so magical. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. Reading a book from a tree’s point of view was definitely interesting, and it really made me think. I always feel like I can talk to trees, so I’m not surprised that they can hear us and listen to our wishes. I liked the lessons in the story as there were many- some about friendship, some about how we treat our planet, and others about understanding people from different cultures and places. This is a fast book and one that won’t take more than a few hours to read. I recommended this book to kids and adults ages eight and up who enjoy a good story about friendship.

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LibraryThing member jennybeast

Kinda sappy, but this book grows on you. It leaves you with a well rooted tale of a busybody tree and the families (animal and human) that make up the neighborhood. Branch out and give it a try! Go for broak.

LibraryThing member bangerlm

It is about a talking tree and it's crow friend. Pretty much the best premise ever.

LibraryThing member secondhandrose

Everything about this book was beautiful- the size, the formatting, the font, the illustrations and most of all the story. A gift from my friend Bonnie, I raced through this and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely read more by Katherine Applegate.

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