I got the book from my mom, who borrowed it from her school’s library.
Summary:
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.
My Review:
The cover is very pretty. It’s simple and says a lot about what the book will be about.
My mom had borrowed this from the library and once she was finished with it, she told myself and my sister that we needed to read it. So, I didn’t really get much of a choice, but I’m glad she gave it to me.
Red is a big oak tree as is the narrator of the story. He has a story to tell, a lot of them. However, as a tree it’s his job to shelter certain animals and people watch. This is the story of Red trying to understand his own place in the world as well as understand the world around him, especially humans. There’s a much deeper meaning to the plot that was well executed, but I won’t say much further due to spoilers.
Overall, this plot was very well done and has a special message that everyone can read and understand.
The main character was Red the oak tree along with his critter friends which included opossums, skunks, and owls alike. His best friend was Bongo, a crow. It was a great cast bursting with many different personalities. They were all written in a unique voice that made the book comical as well.
The human characters were done simply, which worked well since we see them through Red’s eyes. However, we get just enough information.
This book is a super quick read. The words just flowed right along throughout the book. It captures your attention from start to finish between the plot and sub-plot as well as the voices of the characters. It was certainly interesting to read a book from the POV of a tree.
The chapters are mostly short being only two or three pages long and some of them were broken up with pictures to illustrate the characters and aid the plot along.
Every part of this book was well done. It was easy and fun to read and even though the story is over, I’d love to hear more from Red.
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate gets…
5 out of 5 cups
Favorite Quote:
“It is a great gift indeed to love who you are.” -Katherine Applegate, Wishtree
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Abe Books
Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you enjoyed this post, please share it around!
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