This was a thought provoking book everyone should read. In times like these hate, racism and anti semitism are sadly common place. If everyone took a step back and remembered we all came from some place, as The Wish Tree points out, this world might be a different place.

A compelling fantasy that shows words DO matter. Wishtree helps remind us of the need for kindness. This book delivers an important message......the hopes and dreams of others are importan and we can help support others in their journey through life.

I am a huge fan of Applegate's books (The One and Only Ivan is one of my favorite middle-grade books), so I had very high expectations going into 'Wishtree'. This book met all my expectations, and then some. It is a unique story, told from the point of view of a very old tree that has seen much in its long lifetime. It is very timely, dealing with issues of discrimination. It is also just beautiful written, and engrossing, and funny. I loved it and can't wait to purchase it for my library. This will be high on my list of recommendations to my middle-grade students.

Always a fan of her work and this one was no exception.

Wishtree is a brilliant story of tolerance and kindness that comes from the most unexpected characters. Red the wise northern red oak tree is the wishing tree. Samar has recently moved in to the little house that stands near Red, and she is lonely in her new home. She wishes for a friend so Red and the animals who live in and near the wishtree set about to find Samar a friend. Animals helping each other, animals helping humans, and humans helping humans makes this a touching story.

Wishtree has been around for over 200 years, and in that time she has seen many changes in the lives of the animals and the humans who surround her. Every May Day (May 1st) people come from all around to tie pieces of cloth with written wishes on the tree. It's a tradition that Wishtree enjoys, until one day, a young male comes and changes the tree's life, and the lives of all who live nearby. Wishtree decides that maybe wishes should come true -- she's an optimist, you see; but the animals who live in her hollows disagree. With the help of her best friend, a crow named Bongo, and 2 school children, Wishtree provides more to the neighborhood than even she realized she could. This is a beautiful story of hope, friendship, and acceptance, told by a tree. And what a story it is!

The story of a neighborhood going through some hard times, as told by its oldest resident, the red oak fondly nicknamed the Wishtree. I think that Katherine Applegate wanted to comment on the parallel between the racial and religious intolerance that our country faces today and the intolerance that we experienced in our past, but she wanted it to be subtle. The idea that a tree that had borne witness to the past and present, and could want to help people to correct the wrongs of today by learning from the wrongs of yesterday was wise. The fact that she made a story full of talking plants and animals that was both inviting and readable for people of all ages is a credit to her well-earned expertise in the field. I could share this with a group of third graders as easily as a class in high school, and the themes wouldn't be lost on either audience.

I will definitely be adding this to my collection this fall. For both the deft handling of the subject matter, and the endearing characters found within, this was an impressive work from an author who already has an impressive resume under her belt. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read this.

I may be doing a longer review on my blog later as well.
I thought this was a very sweet story.It was incredibly well-written. I would recommend it for a read aloud and independent read for grades 4 and up.

A lovely story about friendship and acceptance. When Samar's Muslim family moves into the neighborhood, they are met with some resistance. All Samar wants is a friend. This is the tale of a tree that goes out of its way to make a wish come true.

Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan is one of the finest books I’ve ever read. Not one of the finest children’s book. Not one of the finest illustrated book — although the drawings are breathtaking. No, one of the finest books, period. I have harangued countless adults to please, please give Ivan a chance!

So it pains me to say that Wishtree is no The One and Only Ivan. Yes, as is in Applegate’s 2013 Newbery Medal winner, Wishtree has an important message: We should accept people even if they’re different and get to know them before we judge them. But whereas a gorilla as narrator worked so perfectly in The One and Only Ivan, Red the oak tree as narrator seems twee. And who is the audience for this book? The message, as portrayed in the book, is probably too subtly expressed for most 8- to 9-year-olds to follow but too heavy-handed for adults, even kid-lit lovers like myself.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful story! I read it aloud to my family, at my husband's request, after hearing lots of buzz. It did not disappoint! It is just a perfect book, and I cannot wait to share it with my students! Truly a beautiful story.

Somewhat slow to start, but there are many moments of brilliance.

5 Stars for this phenomenal telling of love, hope, and the realities of human nature. 'Red', the unique storyteller, earns this book an additional star! Wow--a must read and purchase for ALL libraries.

Meg Oppelt, School Librarian & Professional Reader

The first thing I did after finishing this delightful book was to pre-order a hardcopy from Amazon.com. It will be a gift for my granddaughters. Wishtree is beautiful in its simplicity, its message, and its engaging illustrations. This should be a Newberry finalist, at least.

Wishtree begs to be used in a third or fourth grade classroom. As I read it, I thought of all the ways I could use it with children. It is ripe with opportunities for predictions and vocabulary development. I can just imagine the classroom discussions Wishtree will spark. This is a book that should be read aloud and discussed in ALL middle grade classrooms.

I'm afraid I'm going to be one of the few dissenters who is not absolutely enthralled with this book and doesn't give it an overwhelmingly glowing review. I had a very hard time getting into the story at first, for a couple of reasons. To start with, the format was somewhat off-putting to me. I have read other books written in free verse that I really enjoyed, but this one seemed very choppy to me and did not flow well at all, particularly in the beginning. Rather than being led from one thought to the next, it was a struggle. Also the story really dragged in the beginning and did not really seem to hook the reader and draw them in early enough. In all honesty, I probably would not have finished if it was not by a well-known author and I did not know people would be asking it about it.

As the book progressed, it seemed to become more narrative in nature and became more interesting as the conflict was introduced, both the issues of intolerance towards Samar's family and the issue of whether Red would be cut down. Once the story really got going, I was much more interested and found it very enjoyable. While I enjoyed Red's storytelling, especially the story of Maeve and how he became a wishing tree, Bongo was easily my favorite character, with her banter and mischievous "deposits", as well as her tender-hearted gift-giving. While I tend to be a bit cynical and often suspicious about authors' true motives when they seem to be jumping on the latest social justice bandwagon, I must admit the ending did make me tear up (as well as laugh when Bongo gave someone a well-deserved "gift").

Many refer to this as book all children "must read", and while I have no doubt that it will be assigned in many a classroom this year as well as mentioned numerous times as a potential award-winner, I really wonder how many kids would really find it appealing and enjoy reading it? I think this is one of those children's books that is more appealing to adults than children. Adults will describe it as "beautiful" and "powerful", but I'm afraid many kids might describe it as "boring". I think the slow pace at the beginning would be an obstacle for many readers, though if they can get past it, I think they would find the rest of the story much more enjoyable as I did. Still, I think this book is best for those who don't need a lot of action and dialogue to draw them in, and can appreciate something that is more "quiet" and thoughtful in nature, and especially those with an interest and appreciation for nature and relationships between people and nature. I would recommend for ages 9-13.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a seemingly simple tale told with such cleverness and sometimes hilarious dialogue among plants and animals. At one point, I was afraid that the tale of Red the oak was becoming a little sappy (pun intended), but I have to admit that eventually I hid my tears while reading this on an airplane. I think this would be ideal as a read aloud; I would love to hear someone attempt to give voice to the various animals (who even have creative, funny names).

Using a tree to help explain about tradition and to help stop racial bias was an interesting approach. The tree and animals it sheltered were endearing characters and the story was great, albeit it sad at times. Definitely a story worth reading.

Wishtree is a delightful and charming tale. Yet it also deals with very real and disturbing issues such as prejudice and racism. I loved how Wishtree handled these difficult topics with grace and in a way that would be understood by readers of all ages. Wishtree is definitely going to be read in my bookgroup and hopefully in classes and homes everywhere.

Katherine Applegate has done it again! This is an exquisite and touching tale with absolute perfect timing! It should be required reading for all Americans.