Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Reviewed by Isabella P.

Imagine that you are a tree, not allowed to talk to humans. But now, there is an emergency and you need to speak out! Well, that is exactly what happens in the book Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate.

This book is narrated by Red, who is an Oak tree. He lives with what he calls his roommates, which are many different animals that find a home along his branches. His best friend Congo, a very kind lady crow, enjoys having conversations with him and his fellow roommates. He and his other animal friends are not allowed to talk to humans, but one day they must make a choice between playing it safe and speaking out. What makes them have to make a choice is that one day, a boy carves “LEAVE” on the trunk of Red. There is commotion, and other people agree that Red (A.K.A. The Wish Tree) should be cut down, since he takes up a lot of space and is hard to clean up after. Other people are opposed to this action, and they want Red to stay since there is a day where people hang up their wishes on the old Oak tree. Can Red work well with the animals and people on his side, or are they helpless even when working together?

One of the reasons that I really liked this book is because I got to hear the story from a tree’s point of view instead of from a person. This really gives the reader a new and interesting experience when they are reading this book. It is really refreshing to see how the author thinks that trees communicate with animals, other trees, and humans, too. It is also different from other books, since all of the creatures that find a home inside Red each have personalities. This gives the reader a new view on going on a walk or hike.

Another reason that I liked this book so much is because I felt a sense of community and friendship between all of the animals in this story. Even though some of the animals are not kind to each other in the beginning, they end up helping each other in the end. There is a snotty family of opossums, but when Red really needs help, they choose to assist their friend. I enjoyed how some of the characters change over time as the story goes on. It was also really amazing to see that the lives of the characters in this book are very similar to ours, and that the author had a great imagination when writing this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes nature and friendship. I would give this amazing read a 10/10 because I think it is different from any book that I have read so far. Good news, it is also now available on the Sora app and on a Kindle, so it is super easy to get (or download) and read!

Macmillan Publishers, 224 pages