3 stars
After reading The One and Only Ivan and reading glowing reviews of this one, I couldn’t wait for the hold to come in. But I just didn’t like it very much, though there were things about it I really liked. The story was told from the perspective of an old tree that people hang wishes on each year. The tree becomes the canvas for a hateful message to a Muslim family that has moved into the neighborhood, and meanwhile, the owner of the property the tree stands on has decided to cut it down. The voice is dreamy and, I guess, tree-like, but mostly I found it irritating. It may have been a me thing. And the message was too overt for my tastes, though it was one I agreed with. Short and sweet, if you’re interested.
