I have been reading Katherine Applegate for a long time. When kids ask me who my favorite author is, she is one of the authors I list (because how does a person pick only one?). And her newest book, Wishtree, is no exception to the line of other heartwarming, beautiful books.
Wishtree is a story about wishes and love and hope—all the things I expect from one of Applegate’s stories.
Here are three things I enjoyed most about it.
The interesting point of view. The book was told from the perspective of a tree, which was unique and quite lovely. The tree observed many different things and was almost a silent witness to the things that went on in the world. Red, the wishtree, could only talk about what happened outside of doors, since the tree was rooted in place. It was an interesting limitation that Applegate executed masterfully.
The tension. It might seem difficult to tell a story from the perspective of a tree, because how much can a tree really witness enough to fill the pages of a story? Well, it turns out a tree knows a lot. There were two storylines in this book that lent tension to the story, and they were both sweetly beautiful.
The characters. I’m not just talking about Red, the wishtree, or the children Red saw on their way to school; the story also contained a cast of animal characters that had very distinct personalities and sometimes brought a little humor to the story as well.
Wishtree was a delightful book for kids of all ages. I’m looking forward to reading this one with my boys—aloud, of course. Applegate’s stories always beg to be read aloud, one of my favorite things about them.
The above is an affiliate link. I only recommend books that I personally enjoy. I actually don’t even talk about the books I don’t enjoy, because I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. But if you’re ever curious whether I’ve read a book and whether I liked or disliked it, don’t hesitate to ask.
