Even though this book may have a little bit of a "lessons learned" theme, it's still a beautiful story of loss, trust, and hope. The Mulberry Tree is an easy read. It's good and applicable for any age. There's a good story here. I read it just over a few days and wanted to know if the tree really was as bad and haunted as everyone in the book said it was. I loved the ending. Normally, books geared towards a younger audience might be a little predictable. But I didn't find that here. I was open to whatever the ending might have been, and I think that worked for me.

Overall, it's a solid story with a good theme to think about.

The Mulberry Tree publishes 7.14.2020.

4.5/5 Stars

I LOVE a good creepy book, and this one is amazing. If you're a Mary Downing Hahn reader, run to your computer and request or buy The Mulberry Tree. Ten-year-old Immy (Imogene) and her parents have moved from Australia to the English countryside as her father battles depression. They decide to rent an adorable thatched English cottage, but the realtor - and the town - have their misgivings about anyone living there. You see, there's an cursed mulberry tree in the backyard; a tree that's rumored to have stolen two girls away on the eves of their 11th birthdays. People cross the street rather than walk by the tree, and when Immy's father speaks out on the ridiculousness of a tree kidnapping girls, Immy finds herself even more of a pariah at school. But when she starts hearing a strange song in her head, and seeing the tree move, she begins to wonder whether the rumors may be true after all. What's the story of the tree? Immy's going to have to do some investigating to find out, and she'd better hurry... her 11th birthday is coming.

This book hooked me from the first page. It deals with depression and grief, and how it can drive a wedge into a family; a spooky tree with a cursed history, and mean girls. If you have readers who love a bit of the creepy, with some supernatural thrown in, give them this book. I read this one in one night, because I refused to put it down until I was done. The setting, the pacing, everything built at such a wonderful pace, and the resolution... chef's kiss good. One of my favorite Quarantine Reads so far.

This was a really sweet book. I went in expecting something a lot darker, along the lines of Coraline, and this is definitely not that. The premise makes it sound like a horror book, and while emotionally it definitely goes into some dark places, dealing with child kidnapping and death, it's not a scary book in the traditional sense.

The big creepy mulberry tree is a metaphor for unresolved anger that comes from grief and regret, and this book explores how to work towards forgiveness in a mature and delicate way that will resonate with children and adults alike. A lovely read.

A beautiful story about grief, forgiveness, and understanding. I was surprised by how much I loved this story. It was heartfelt and the way it describes dealing with grief and depression in a loved one was realistic. I loved our 10 year old protagonist Immy. She may be 10 but she was such a strong character and I adored her. I liked the mystery of the disappearing girls and the heartbreaking truth about the mulberry tree. I would definitely recommend this book for all ages!

This book was very interesting! Like any good spooky story, whether it be movie or book, I found myself screaming at the characters. “No, don’t do that! “Oh that’s a bad idea!” “Get outta there!” Which of course, makes the story all the more enjoyable! If you as the reader aren’t frustrated by the characters choices to go toward the danger, the story must be missing the element of fear. This one definitely kept you worried for the safety of the main character without being too scary! Those people who can’t tolerate too much scary could probably tolerate this one. Then again, I like scary, so maybe don’t take my word for that part!

Magical, mysterious and suspenseful! An intriguing tale of empathy and community. My fifth graders will love this book!

The Mulberry Tree by Allison Rushby is a children's book aimed at Middle Grade readers ( Ages 8-12)
The book tells the story of ten year old Immy and her family, who move to a rural English village from sunny Sydney. While searching for a new house they find Lavender Cottage, which seems perfect, except for the creepy Mulberry tree which dominates the back garden, and has something of a reputation. According to local legend, and a rhyme chanted by children at the local school, on the eve of their eleventh birthdays, two young girls who lived in the house, hundreds of years apart, vanished without trace. Believing it to be nonsense Immy's family moves in, but she soon notices that there is something strange about the tree and decides to try to find out what really happened to the missing girls.
There were some genuinely creepy moments in this story and the author does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere and mood, My favourite thing about the book however was that it was a really great example of how a parent's mental health issues with depression and guilt impact on a child and indeed on the family as a whole. On the downside I thought the ending was a little too resolved, its difficult to say more without spoiling the book, but I feel that the author took it a little too far in terms of the changes caused by Immy's actions.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This book was lovely. It starts with that cover, which perfectly captures the heart of the story and ends with a wonderful message of understanding others' perspectives.

Immy and her family move from Australia to England under stressful circumstances. It's first mentioned that it's for her mother's new job, but it progresses to her father's troubles stemming from a patient's accident. When they arrive at Lavender Cottage, they think it's the perfect match for them: charming village life away from the big city. But there are warnings everywhere: the ominous mulberry tree in their yard is said to take girls on the eve of their eleventh birthday.

And Immy's is only days away. The villagers believe the tree is evil, while Immy and her family think they're being absolutely ridiculous. But are they?

This is a wonderful choice for younger middle graders. It reads quickly and deals with issues other than the spooky tree factor: moving to a new school and fitting in, dealing with bullying behavior, developing empathy, a parent's mental illness.

I loved the flashbacks to Bridgette and Elizabeth, particularly VE Day, and wish there was more of that. It did seem a bit rushed by the time it happened. I wish it could have been more balanced with the father's depression.

I was also so frustrated with Immy's mother (the dad I get, he was not well) leaving her ten year old daughter to be checking whether her dad was taking his medication. This actually isn't a criticism of the book: I think it's something a lot of children deal with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing this arc for review. This publisher continues to impress with its quality children's literature.

Spooky and cute, a fun book for middle grades. Immy reads as older than ten years old to me, but that isn’t a negative. I like the way the author shows a child’s perspective on a parent’s mental wellness (or lack thereof) and if the ending is a little too out there, so what? It’s a good read.

The Mulberry Tree by Allison Rushby Reviewed May 15, 2020

Superstition has it that the mulberry tree carries a curse …..
“Do naught wrong the mulberry tree, or she’ll take your daughters … one two, three; in the dead of
night, spirited away never to see her eleventh birthday.
Awww ~ dark, creepy, mysterious with a bit of magic sounds like my kind of a book.
Don’t let the middle school level discourage you, it really means no profanity or explicit sex and the story is usable for middle schoolers. Our protagonist, Imogene aka “Immy” is in middle school and is one of the three girls the other two are Elizabeth and Bridget who lived in the same home but believe taken by the tree!

Immy and her family move to England from Australia as her mother a heart surgeon has a one-year assignment in a local hospital. Dad was a doctor, currently not practicing. His personality has changed after a situation with an elderly patient and he is going through emotional depression.
Immy is not happy about the move and upset that her father is not the same; her sweet elderly neighbor tells her that “sometimes people can care so much that it affects their own life”.
<i>This situation actually just happened doing our Covid-19 crisis. A young ER Doctor recently took her life as she was so depressed treating so many patients who died from the virus and she just could not cope with not being able to save them</i>.

Back to story: Immy’s family settles in the cute thatched “Lavender Cottage”, however this cottage is known to local as the house with the evil tree.

Story is about love, forgiveness and, of course, magic!

I just love Immy and you will as well! This is a 5 star novel for me. I give very few 5 star ratings. To me a story has to be awesome! Yes! This quick read is that good!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Candlewood Press for this early release granted in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 14, 2020

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “The Mulberry Tree” for my review.

This was a really entertaining book and many reasons why I enjoyed it.

Firstly, I loved the overall theme. It is a well written spooky, middle grade book that is intriguing but not too creepy. It’s one of those stories that a person of any age group would enjoy reading. The author provides quite a few twists and turns so you really don’t know where the story is going.

Immy is a nice character who is inquisitive and eager to solve the mystery of the tree. I also liked her friendship with Riley. The author talks about various conflicts of the new kid like adjusting and making friends. One thing that stood out for me was Immy’s relationship with her father. I really liked how the author realistically portrayed Immy’s anger at her father and did not try to sugarcoat it.

Moreover, I just loved the author’s style of writing. She has a very fluid, simple yet gripping way of telling a story. I would love to read some of other novels. On a side note, I also loved the part science fiction time travel element that happens towards the end. It was interesting to see how Immy’s actions had consequences.

I wished they didn’t focus on the father so much and his issues. Personally I feel that if you have been a doctor for many years, you should be able to copy with such incidents. I didn’t find it plausible that the father was in the medical field for many years and still could not deal with what happened. It would have been nice if the author focused on the past girls like Elizabeth. I would have liked if they even focused more on Caitlyn and what she was going through.

Overall, I this is a really nice book that is worth reading!

Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick press for providing me with this arc.

"Fear, ignorance and hate can lead to terrible things"

So, this started off so well. It was creepy, enticing and unsettling but as it went on, my interest downgraded. The mystery around the Mulberry tree was not what I expected and was not really to my liking. Nonetheless, the writing is really nice and still made the story captivating.

Perfect spooky read for young readers. Although I worry that the English countryside setting and Australian protagonist might be difficult for some readers to connect with.

"Do naught wrong by the mulberry tree, or she’ll take your daughters … one, two, three.
In the dead of night, spirited away, never to see an eleventh birthday."

How can any potential reader not want to keep reading with an intro like that?

I know that it instantly piqued my interest, and at 304 pages, THE MULBERRY TREE is a substantial length which means that readers will be able to lose themselves in the story the same way I did. 

Imogen (Immy) and her parents have moved to England from Australia. They are moving in order to seek a fresh start after her father experienced a trauma. In fact, since that fateful day, her father's personality has completely changed and not in a good way. Immy doesn't understand what has happened to her father and finds it extremely frustrating to feel so powerless. She wants her Dad to go back to the way he was, but she is starting to believe that this is his new normal.

As with all children, Immy had no say in the plans to relocate, and she is  unhappy about leaving behind all her friends and everything else familiar. 

Immy's mother is a heart surgeon, her father was a Family Doctor, well, I guess he technically still is, but he isn't currently practicing. He is depressed and blames himself for the actions of one of his patients.

The family decides to rent a cottage style house known to locals as "Lavender Cottage." In the backyard of their new home is a huge mulberry tree. Little do they know this tree is at the center of a local superstition and the rhyme at the beginning of the book is about this same tree.

The locals all believe that the tree is evil, which is patently ridiculous ... Or is it?

THE MULBERRY TREE has everything a middle grade reader could possibly want. The characters are believable, and most readers will find parts of  themselves in Immy's personality. I can still vividly remember my father doing embarassing things when I was Immy's age, just like her father does to her. (As an adult, now I am the one embarassing my own kids.)

The story is fast paced and readers may just find themselves unable to put this book down. At night, I kept saying to myself that I would just read one more chapter before going to bed, but ended up staying awake until I finished the entire book.

So, since the plot is terrific, the story  engaging, the characters relatable and believable, and the writing is nothing less than fantastic, I have no choice but to rate this book as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

Immy and her mother and father are moving from Australia to Cambridge, England, where the mother has a position in a hospital. The father is not working, having had a problem with a patient back home that has spiraled him into depression. After looking at several rental properties in a nearby village that don't suit, Immy spies a quaint cottage that is just what they are looking for. The realtor doesn't want to show the family the place, because on two occasions, girls on the eve of their 11th birthday have disappeared from the home, supposedly taken by the mulberry tree in the back yard, and Immy is a month away from turning 11. Still, Immy is drawn to the place, and the family rents it, deciding to take a trip to Paris for Immy's birthday in order to be away from the house. The family settles in to their new routine, although Immy struggles to get along with the other girls in her grade, including the daughter of the owners of the home, who are renting it out precisely because they ARE afraid of the tree. Immy befriends Jean, an older neighbor whose friend Elizabeth went missing on VE Day in 1945. The two care for a family of hedgehogs that were found in the yard, and Immy connects with a gardening group at school, including an American boy who doesn't care about the legend of the tree. As Immy's birthday approaches, her mother further angers the community by planning a birthday party in the garden, and Immy struggles to understand not only what the tree has to say to her, but also how her father is dealing with his depression. Will Immy be able to figure out what the tree wants in time to prevent her own disappearance?
Strengths: This had a bit of a Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden (1958) feel to it, and I personally am ALWAYS glad to read a book set in a small English Village. The tree is gently spooky, and I can see a bookish nine year old really enjoying this tale. There's a good balance between family and school drama, history, gardening, and hoglets that I would have adored in third grade. The ending is quite a twist-- a bit hard to believe, but a very interesting use of Immy's power.
Weaknesses: Including more about Jean and Elizabeth's life in 1945 instead of the subplot with the father's depression would have made this more interesting to me.
What I really think: I may pass on purchase. My students seem to prefer violently murderous ghosts, and this author's The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery, which I enjoyed, does not circulate well.