Katherine Patterson's latest book, wishtree, begins with the following dedication:

for newcomers

and

for welcomers

I can't think of five better words to start readers off on an incredible journey. wishtree is a story told by Red, an oak tree that has been standing in a small community for over two hundred years. Red has seen many things: homes being built, kids walking to school, and the coming and going of animal and human families. Every year, people in Red's community hang paper wishes on the tree's many branches. Red has seen dreams come true, but when there is concern that the tree is going to be cut down, Red wants to grant one more wish to make a difference in the world before leaving it. Red's going to have to find a friend for Samar, a girl whose Muslim family hasn't been warmly welcomed into the community.

This book is for the young and the old, the pessimists and the optimists, the allies and the oppressed. If this book made its way into the hands of our nation's leaders, I have to believe a change could be made.

We have an obligation to connect young readers with these stories. The books we put into children's hands today determine how they choose to live their lives tomorrow. wishtree inspires us all to live our lives with kindness, decency, and a whole lot of hope.

Oooh...I love this story...a tree with history, a story to tell. Kids will absolutely love it. It has that magical realism edge that kids love. I can think of lots of students to hand this book to once it's in the library! The names of the animal characters are so fun, unique. This is the type of book that makes kids love to read.

If anyone can get readers to believe in and care about a tree narrator, it's Katherine Applegate. While I think the writing is beautiful and the themes are important and relevant in the classroom, I also feel like the story is a bit slow paced for my fourth grade readers. I can definitely see this appealing to some of my students, and I will definitely be putting it in the hands of some!

Such a sweet touching book truly worthy of Katherine Applegate.

SUMMARY: 
This story is told from the Wishtree's point of view which we all know from The One and Only Ivan is something that Katherine Applegate does beautifully. A new family with a young daughter has moved into one of the houses that the tree shades and the daughter really needs a friend. Instead her family gets insults because they are different. The wishtree will have to do some unprecedented things to help its new friend and maybe even to save itself.

CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none



THE BOTTOM LINE:  an absolutely wonderful story. I will recommend this book to everyone! And it's a quick read so it will be an easy one for reluctant readers. 



STATUS IN MY LIBRARY:  on order for the middle and elementary schools.

Wishtree is the story of a tree named Red. It is told through the tree's perspective as she interacts with the animals that live in her branches and people around her. Once a year people come and leave wishes within her branches. She hopes to help grant one for a young girl who needs a friend. This book is filled with hope, community, love, wishes, dreams, and friendship. A must buy for libraries all around and a must read for children of all ages.

A warm and funny book about friendship. And although this is a a children's book, it is a book after pretty much anyone's heart.

Wonderful voice brings this tree to life and, it's as if, the author is letting us into the private world of nature to which she has the key! A beautiful book on a very important subject these days. It should be in every school library ... read aloud in classrooms and the ideas discussed.

Wishtree is a delightful book for children of all ages! I loved Katherine Applegate's use of personification. Using the tree as her narrative was both unique and inspired. I loved the themes of love and friendship and the simple acts of kindness used to convey them without being "preachy."

A wishtree is part of an Irish tradition where people tie scraps of paper or fabric with wishes written upon them to a sycamore tree. In Katherine Applegate's Wishtree, the wishtree is a red oak, named Red, since there were no sycamores in the neighborhood that Maeve, an immigrant to the United States, moved to. She tied her first wish to Red many, many years ago, and her wish came true. Now, 216-odd years later, people are still making wishes, but Red has seen a lot in that time. There is a new immigrant family in one of the houses she shades, but not everyone is welcoming. Samar's wish is for a friend, and Red thinks she might be able to help, but two things stand in her way - her impending removal, and the fact that she isn't supposed to talk to humans.

I enjoyed this story very much. It was a bit slow to start, but after the first few chapters it rolled right along. I liked how the animals and the humans both learned about coexisting and learning that (as Red already knew) just because we are different, or have differing opinions, doesn't mean we can't agree to disagree and still be kind to one another. It is a message that needs to be more widespread these days.

If you have read Charlotte's Web, --and what reader of children's literature has not?-- you will be in familiar territory as you begin Wishtree. In this story the narrator, a 186 year old red oak, takes on the role of the problem-solving spider. The conniver Templeton is played by clever crow Bongo. The farmyard animals are replaced by a cast of woodland creatures, including possums, skunks, owls and squirrels, and Fern whose wish to save the pig Wilbur begins the whole saga, is played by another little girl with a deep need for a friend. Where this story grows astray is in making the narrator a tree. Since trees are by nature passive, much of the tale is conveyed through the musings of the oak as she shares her philosophy and history and attempts to problem solve by getting others to fall in with her plan. The crisis in the story is that the oak is going to be cut down, but since the story is narrated by the oak, it is immediately evident that the crisis is ultimately averted. The motivation of Francesca, owner of the land on which the tree grows, is thin and the resolution of story all takes place off-stage which definitely diminished the drama. Since this is a book by Award-winning author Katherine Applegate I expect it will be very popular. But compared to her previous works, I think it is thin gruel indeed.

My wish is for classrooms across the country to use this story as a read aloud to nourish community this year and beyond.

Sweet little novel about loving each other as narrated by a tree, with help from crows, skunks, owls, opossum, and two sweet children. I am thankful to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Thank you to netgalley.com & Macmillan for letting me experience this book! I've been hearing so much buzz around this title and now I see why. Katherine Applegate has done it again with beautiful writing and such a touching story

What would you do if you were 216 years old, carrying all the experience and wisdom of that time, and you knew your end was near?
The Wishtree is home to many animal families and one best friend who is a crow. After years of wishes left on scraps in her branches, she decides that before being cut down she will try to make a young girl's wish come true and find her a friend.

In a beautiful and gentle way the story of the Wishtree, her varied animal residents, an isolated Muslim family, and a woman who forgot her roots, shows how simple things in life, nature and people can bridge differences and bring hope.

WISHTREE! Katherine Applegate, I ❤️you! The author of The One and Only Ivan has written another wonderful book about friendship, compassion, and life...a perfect read aloud for 3rd grade on up! It is a book EVERYONE needs to read! Release date - 9/26/17 PS - Thank you #kidlitexchange Network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own! Netgalley finally approved my request last night, so thanking them too!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this ARC copy! Out of the 30 plus books I have read this summer, this was by far my favorite! I love Katherine Applegate's book and I think this is my favorite. I will be purchasing multiple copies for my school library. I know the kids will love it as much as I did! Beautifully written, touching, lots of good feels to this book... just a fantastic story. Loved this!

Wishtree is an unbelievably outstanding book. The story, the way it is told and the numerous topics dealt with throughout was inspiring. Red (the tree) had so many wise old tree remarks that I ran out of stock notes. The history, the present times and everything in between was held together by an old tree. Katherine Applegate does not disappoint her readers. Absolutely five stars and beyond.

This is a wonderful book with an important and timely message. It's a story told from the perspective of an oak tree named Red. Red notices that not everyone is accepting of the new family who has just moved in nearby. Red, is also a wishtree, so she has a plan to help. This is a unique, heartwarming, and hopeful story. For a chapter book, it is on the shorter side, making it very suitable for a classroom read aloud. I'm sure many teachers will have this book on their list to read aloud to their classes next school year.