I adored Red! And her story could teach us a lot about kindness, friendship, family, heritage, and so much more.
My favorite was, "the stars freckled the sky." The story is sprinkled with strikingly beautiful language, but never showy. There's sly humor, and fun friendships involving the tree, talking animals, and humans, mixed in with some meaty scientific information about trees and animals. In "Wishtree", she takes on anti-Muslim bigotry, handling the subject with a light touch, so the treatment doesn't feel heavy. So she and her best buddy, a crow named Bongo, begin to scheme about helping Samar make a connection to the community, with poignant results.Īpplegate often untangles thorny subjects for young readers. As much as she doesn't want to be chopped down, Red still persists to help Samar. Amidst all this, the woman who owns the property threatens to cut down Red, having forgotten the story of her ancestors and the beginning of all the wishes. When a teenager carves a hateful message into Red’s trunk, she worries about its effect on Samar and her family.
Samar, a recent Muslim refugee, is lonely and in need of a friend. The pacing starts out slowly, with early chapters focused almost entirely on the natural world, but eventually we get to meet the human at the novel’s center.
“Two hundred and sixteen rings, and I still haven’t figured them out.” She knows well the habits of creatures in her world and treats readers to an insightful analysis - though the habits of humans could be a bit trickier for her. It’s easy to suspend disbelief with her wise voice, active mind and caring soul. Red is a caring oak who describes her life as a leafy shelter for generations of animals, and as a wishtree for humans. With Red, Katherine Applegate introduces another quiet, resilient protagonist who - like the caged gorilla in “The One and Only Ivan,” - speaks movingly to a noisy, belligerent world.
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