Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (attacks from tree monster, animals brutally killed, kidnapping, peril, danger)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE; MS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: EL - SEVERAL; MS - SOME
Following the death of his father, 11yo Linus and his mother move across town for a fresh start. Almost immediately, Linus becomes fixated on a strange, sinister tree in his neighbor’s backyard. When pets begin to go missing and he finds deep scratch marks on the back of his bedroom door, he knows something is terribly wrong.
Teaming up with his best friend Spencer and a new friend, Abby, Linus sets out to uncover why his neighbor seems to have a vendetta against the town—and how she may be using terrifying tree monsters to carry out her plans. Can the three friends stop her before she goes too far?
We see a young boy trying to process the grief and anger of losing his father. Linus, like his father, is an artist, but since his dad’s death he has struggled to return to his art. He also lives with asthma and color blindness, while Abby wears hearing aids. The three friends are kind, loyal, and supportive of one another. I enjoyed both the story and the writing style. Although the book has some scary moments, it’s an overall strong and satisfying read.
Linus and Abby are white and Spencer is black.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
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