Wishtree

Red, a monoecious oak tree, narrates this luminous and beautifully illustrated novel. Red is two hundred and sixteen rings old and happily provides shelter for seven opossums, four raccoons, five owls, six skunks, and a witty crow named Bongo. Together, Red and the animals concoct a plan to support Samar, a girl whose family has just moved into the neighborhood. Samar hasn’t made any friends yet, and she’s feeling sad and lonely. Wishtree is about inclusion and community, but at its heart, it’s a love song to the trees and creatures that call urban areas home. Have tissues ready: Samar’s… show more.

Red, our narrator, is an oak tree. For many rings of her life, she has watched the neighborhood and collected wishes on her branches. Then a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, but Red—with the help of the animals who live in her hollows—sets out to bring her little community together.

Katherine Applegate’s sparse but poignant prose has been an inspiration ever since I read The One and Only Ivan. In Wishtree, she brings the same light touch to a story about outsiders, loneliness, and friendship. I aspired to do something similar when I was writing… show more.

I love the idea of a wishtree. A place where you can write down a vulnerable thought and put it out there for the world to see. That takes courage. As Applegate writes, “everyone needs to hope.” While not all of us have experienced racism, which is a theme of the story, we’ve all had moments when we’ve felt new or unwelcomed or alone. I expect we’ve all had a moment like Samar, who writes “I wish I had a friend.” And while a magical tree helps to fulfill her wish, so too does a regular boy and an entire… show more.