BookPage Children's Top Pick, October 2017

What can be done in the face of racism and hatred? Newbery ­Medal-winning author Katherine Applegate deftly explores this question in her stellar new novel, Wishtree.

A 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar and her parents move into a house in a suburban neighborhood, hoping for a new life. Samar has wary eyes and a shy smile, with “the look of someone who has seen too much.” Even so, she is quietly hopeful, tying her written wish on a large red oak wishing tree in front of her house, as people have done for decades. “I wish for a friend,” she whispers, and the tree listens.

But the next-door neighbors aren’t friendly. A teenager carves the word “LEAVE” into the tree’s trunk. Someone throws eggs at Samar’s house. A car races by whose occupants shout, “Muslims get out!” Finally, the “wishtree,” named Red, can stand silent no longer. It’s time to act.

Using an oak tree as a narrator is a huge creative risk, but Applegate carries out this feat with literary bravado, elevating her tale to an unforgettable, timeless fable in the process. Red has not only carefully watched the world for over 200 years but is also very funny. “I could write a book,” Red muses, wryly adding, “In fact, I could be a book.”

This neighborhood story has a marvelous animal and human cast, including a pair of policemen who investigate the tree vandalism and the tree’s owner, Francesca, who wants to cut the oak down. Helping Red in the quest for neighborhood peace is a menagerie of animals that find shelter in the wise old tree and whose interactions add another layer to this story about the pleasures and difficulties of living in harmony.

Wishtree is a page-turning, magical read that packs a lot into its pages. This gentle yet powerful book is suitable for all ages, from young to old, and its message remains more vital than ever.

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

In this companion to her 2009 novel, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, Kate Messner satisfyingly reaffirms her ability to hone in on the concerns of young readers.

Kirby Zigonski Jr. goes by Zig, just like his dad once did. Zig Senior is something of a high roller, and it’s always lots of fun when he’s around. Problem is, he hasn’t been around for over a year. Zig buries his disappointment in a preoccupation with electronics and strong friendships with two girl pals. But Zig’s foreboding that something is wrong proves accurate.

When Zig and his mom are evicted from their apartment, Zig discovers it’s because child support hasn’t been coming for several months. Even when they end up in a homeless shelter, Zig’s mom still isn’t talking about his father’s conspicuous absence, leaving Zig to become obsessed with discovering his whereabouts. This obsession manifests in a conviction that Zig Senior is behind numerous geocaches in the area, and Zig searches these out recklessly.

The characters here are believable, particularly as they are solidly portrayed through the lens of Zig’s middle school-aged sensibilities. Zig’s attempts to hide the shame of his family’s homelessness are realistically poignant. While readers may wonder why Zig’s mother chooses to keep the truth of Zig’s father a secret, it does permit Zig to imagine hopeful explanations, something with which many young readers will identify.

Diane Colson is the Library Director at City College in Gainesville, Florida.

Franny knows she’s lucky. Adopted as a baby by Sina and Old Tom, she lives on a farm on Vancouver Island, overlooking the sea. The farm is awash in all sorts of gardens. Best of all, though, is the mysterious night garden where only Old Tom and a hermit who does the weeding are allowed entry.

When Franny is 12, her life takes a turn to the annoying, complex and exciting. Crying Alice—as they call the weepy woman next door—begs them to keep her three children while she goes to the military base to prevent her husband, Fixing Bob, from doing “something stupid.” Franny and her family brace themselves, fearing the children will be as emotional as their mother. Instead, Franny enjoys having part-time siblings, though their arrival comes with complications and unforeseen consequences.

A mysterious chain of letters between Zebediah, the youngest boy, and his father, hint that Fixing Bob is up to something. His job is to maintain a special military plane, with which both he and Zebediah share an obsession. With the backdrop of World War II, Bob’s secret plan becomes a threat to everyone. Meanwhile, Zebediah has learned of the night garden’s power to grant one wish—one single, irreversible wish. Will he use the garden’s magic? Watching the plot unfold is nearly as much fun as getting to know Franny herself.

With evocative language and a hugely appealing protagonist, the latest book from National Book Award winner Polly Horvath is a tantalizing tale.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making brings to life the imaginative world of one of the most revered literary families of all time: the Brontës.

Living in a small Yorkshire parsonage, still grieving the deaths of their mother and two eldest sisters, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne use their games in the playroom at the top of the stairs to help them cope with their harsh reality, especially now that Charlotte and Emily are soon returning to boarding school. But when the siblings head to the station for Charlotte and Emily’s departure, they find a different kind of train waiting for them, one that whisks them away to the magical land of their imaginings. But what are they to do when the world they created expands beyond the rules they set for it, and will they ever be able to find their way back home?

With this story, Catherynne M. Valente has created a unique blend of fantasy and historical fiction. Readers are transported to a land where loyal suitcases turn into hot air balloons to transport their owners, where people are made of all manner of objects, from scraps of lace to writing tablets, and where toy soldiers come to life and fight real battles. But best of all, readers experience all of this whimsy with the young Brontës as their guides, each one’s unique and vibrant personality brought to life by Valente’s exquisite descriptions. This book is a masterful look into the childhood lives of these beloved literary legends, and one that asserts the power of literature and one’s own imagination.

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Set in the idyllic seaside tourist town of Isla, a place famed for its talking birds, Pablo and Birdy is a mystical, fable-like novel that gently examines big questions of identity, family, refugees and freedom.

As a baby, Pablo was set adrift at sea in a child’s inflatable swimming pool with a parrot named Birdy. After Pablo washed ashore, a souvenir shop owner named Emmanuel took him in, helped by other shopkeepers who had emigrated from places like Cuba, Haiti and Ireland.

Now, on the eve of his 10th birthday, it’s no wonder that Pablo is haunted by questions about his past. Just as Pablo is coming to terms with his mysterious origins, he faces a turning point with his beloved Birdy, long presumed to be flightless and voiceless. Helped by a comic “Committee” of talking birds, Pablo begins to realize that his guardian parrot may be an elusive Seafarer, who according to legend can hear and reproduce every sound ever made.

Pablo hopes that Birdy’s special powers may help reveal his origin story. At the same time, however, he worries that he will be forced to set Birdy free, to return to the ocean on the rare “Winds of Change” that are quickly approaching Isla. As news reporters race to capture a legendary Seafarer, possibly endangering Birdy’s life, Pablo is faced with a gut-wrenching decision.

Pablo and Birdy provides an engaging introduction to an all-important issue: As Emmanuel explains, there are many “in this world who had to leave their homes, for various reasons, and their journeys are long and hard.”

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

There’s no shortage of books for young readers about grief, but it’s safe to say that Michelle Cuevas’ new novel isn’t quite like any of them. Set in the mid-1970s, The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole is poignant, funny, inventive and downright wacky, and at its center (literally!) is an unforgettable metaphor for the grieving process.

Stella Rodriguez’s world hasn’t been the same since her joke-telling, science-loving dad passed away. As the story opens, she is swinging by NASA headquarters, hoping to ask them to include a recording of her dad’s laugh—alongside other iconic Earth sounds—on the Voyager interstellar spacecraft.

On her return home, Stella discovers that she’s picked up a stray—and very hungry—black hole. She soon realizes that the black hole, which she names Larry (short for cosmic singularity), is also starving for companionship. Stella wonders whether Larry might be her best hope to get rid of now-painful memories and reminders—but when that plan begins to backfire, Stella realizes that perhaps the only way to escape the black hole is to travel through it.

In addition to being a powerful story about how to live with—and through—grief, Stella’s tale is a wild adventure, featuring talking garden gnomes, mutant sweaters, a not-too-annoying little brother and the world’s smelliest hamster. Just like Larry, this book will absorb pretty much any young reader—whether they are coping with a loss, love scientific speculation or just enjoy an imaginative tale.

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Curses, golden alligators and a blood-red moon form the backdrop for Tumble Wilson (a girl) and Blue Montgomery (a boy), who are searching for their places in life. The second middle grade novel from Cassie Beasley (Circus Mirandus), set at the edge of the Okefenokee swamp in Georgia, imbues the everyday with mystical and magical elements to captivate readers.

Blue’s family has been cursed for over 200 years. However, their curse is unique, because each member of the family receives a different curse, which can cause conflict. Blue’s father’s curse is to always win, and Blue’s is to always lose. But the curses can be altered: When the rare blood-red moon rises, one person in the family can change his or her curse.

After being dumped by his father at his grandmother’s house for the summer, Blue—feeling resentful, sad and abandoned—expects the worst. But the special moon will soon appear, and his granny’s house becomes overrun with kooky relatives, all hoping to meet the golden alligator named Munch and to change their future.

Meanwhile, Tumble has just moved in down the dirt lane, and she’s determined to be a superhero. Misfits Tumble and Blue form a fast bond, and eventually they realize Tumble also has a curse—one that will stretch the bonds of family and friendship.

Throughout this magical book, the setting of rural Georgia wends its enigmatic presence to cast a lasting spell.

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.