Wishtree meets Song for a Whale, in this beautifully moving story about a boy whose wish for his family to return to the way it used to be, teaches him the real meaning of roots and the new ones that can grow if we let them.
Ever since getting a little stepbrother named Harlan, Denver hasn't felt like he fits into his own family. Lots of people find Harlen charming, but not Denver. His pesky stepbrother tags along everywhere Denver goes, breaking things and wanting Denver's attention every. single. second. After an especially disastrous morning, Denver escapes to the forest, experiencing a whiff of ancient magic when he meets an old and dignified but lonely tree named Spiro. When Spiro offers to turn Harlan into a tree for a few hours, Denver jumps at the chance-only to realize he's made a mistake when nobody, including his mom and stepdad, seems to remember Harlan existed. And now Spiro isn't certain he can reverse the transformation.
To save Harlan, Denver will need to find out what happened to Spiro to make him so disconnected from the other trees in the forest . . . but to do so the change he might have to make first is within himself. Celesta Rimington is the author of The Elephant's Girl and Tips for Magicians. The Elephant's Girl was the winner of the 2020 Reading the West Book Award and has been recommended on several state and readers' choice lists for middle grade readers. Celesta holds a degree in social psychology and has presented to thousands of students about resilience, generating ideas, and writing their own stories.While she grew up in almost every region of the United States, Celesta currently resides in Utah. She enjoys acting, boxing, and exploring the fragrant forests of the Wasatch Mountains with her family and her five-pound Yorkie named Winston.
