Wishtree

by Katherine Applegate

Libby audiobook 3 hours

Read by: Nancy Linari

Published: 2017

Genre: YA . . . mostly realistic

 

The narrator is a tree (hence the "mostly" realistic) who has been around for 216 rings. Red offers up science lessons and life lessons. 

 

I mostly enjoyed this book because of the humor but also because of the theme of kindness and friendship. The humor (to me) was in the animals' naming system. The skunks all had names of things that smelled wonderful like Fresh Baked Bread, Rose Petals, etc.  The opossums were named after things that frightened them like Hairy Spiders, Flashlight, etc. The owls and crows had different naming systems. And the raccoons were all You. You, You, You, and You didn't always get along with the other animals.

The Muslim family who has moved into the little blue house have received some hateful messages from others in this community. Samar, the little girl, loves to sit by the Wishtree and have the animal babies come to her and sit with her. Her wish is to have a friend. Her neighbor Steven is kind, but it takes the Wishtree and Bongo the crow to get them to become friends.

I jotted a few notes somewhere, but I'm too lazy to go look for them. I enjoyed this story, but it wasn't a "must read" for me. (Wonder by Palacio is a "must read.")