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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Autistic traumatized girl investigates local ecology; rescues unlovable special interest-wildlife and in doing finds her place in her community & family. And it's ridiculously charming. Applegate is unsubtle in her approach: everything plays out in predictable ways and the ecological message is uncamouflaged. But she has a knack for integrating capital-I Issues into organic, rounded characterization, particularly in the protagonist, and the inclusion of fantasy wildlife, the bubblenest-building hummingbears and skunk/boar-hybrid screechers, gives this a necessary sense of whimsy that lightens the heavy topics and relieves my urge to put a warning sticker about "rescuing" wildlife on the cover. Wholesome, cozy, and tells me to read more modern Applegate.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A sweet chapter book for, I would guess, late elementary school children. Full of love, tolerance, kindness, and joy, it also deals with themes of loss, environmental degradation, frustration, cruelty, and death. I am also impressed with the way in which the author deals with a protagonist who, by all appearances, is neurodivergent—antisocial, has difficulty making friends, strongly prefers being alone, sometimes becomes focused on a single topic to the exclusion of all else—though Willodeen could just as plausibly be using these behaviors to cope with her deep grief.
Considering the audience for whom this is intended, the environmental message is welcome and cogent. Had this been for an adult readership, I might have called this aspect of the book a bit heavy-handed, but Applegate skillfully negotiates this territory. Her creation of a parallel world and the creatures in it is also delightful.
I found the use of colloquial language and phrasing to be a bit forced, trying too hard to make these rural people folksy and therefore relatable, I suppose. Of course, since this is an alternative world, it could be claimed that this is just how people talk there; I nonetheless found it a bit too cute.
Despite that caveat, if you are looking for a sweet fable with a touch of sadness, an appealing plot, attractive characters, and a hopeful ending, you could do worse than to pick up Willodeen.
Considering the audience for whom this is intended, the environmental message is welcome and cogent. Had this been for an adult readership, I might have called this aspect of the book a bit heavy-handed, but Applegate skillfully negotiates this territory. Her creation of a parallel world and the creatures in it is also delightful.
I found the use of colloquial language and phrasing to be a bit forced, trying too hard to make these rural people folksy and therefore relatable, I suppose. Of course, since this is an alternative world, it could be claimed that this is just how people talk there; I nonetheless found it a bit too cute.
Despite that caveat, if you are looking for a sweet fable with a touch of sadness, an appealing plot, attractive characters, and a hopeful ending, you could do worse than to pick up Willodeen.
Content: appropriate for any age
Things I loved about this book:
Hummingbears
Willodeen
Connor
Birdie and Mae
Mr. Burke
A town called Perchance
Screechers
Environmental awareness
Magic and reality
Things I didn't love about this book:
It should have been touch and feel. You can't just use words like Hummingbear and purple fur and expect people won't NEED to pet them.
Things I loved about this book:
Hummingbears
Willodeen
Connor
Birdie and Mae
Mr. Burke
A town called Perchance
Screechers
Environmental awareness
Magic and reality
Things I didn't love about this book:
It should have been touch and feel. You can't just use words like Hummingbear and purple fur and expect people won't NEED to pet them.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Willodeen is a beautifully written heart-warming story with a moral lesson for all young activists. This junior novel is set in a fantasy world (with modern world references) and focuses on a small village named Perchance. The village’s main income is tourist season when people visit from all over to see the magical Hummingbears. The village has been plagued with wild fires, loosing both villages and local wildlife to these disasters. Willodeen is a young loner living in this village. She has very limited interests, really only limited to Screechers, creatures who are unpopular in the village for their skunk like smell and horrific screeching noises at night. The village promotes the hunting of these creatures and soon they are almost extinct. Willodeen must find the strength to fight her fears and anxiety to advocate for these creatures. But soon she finds out they are even more important than she, or the village thinks! Alongside some friends, Willodeen goes on a journey of environmental research, scientific findings, and the true definition of ”making a difference.”
Applegate's imaginary animals are sweet and the lesson about "nature knowing best" and the importance of keeping all things in balance is good. Just a little heavy-handed.
Willodeen has been orphaned in a forest fire and now lives with Mae and Birdie and mostly keeps to herself (including not bothering with school), until she meets Connor and he gifts her one of his "puzzlers" - a small version of a "Screecher" (smelly pests that have been eliminated b/c they scare away tourists who come to Perchance to see "Hummingbears" during their annual migration).
Screechers had been extinct and Hummingbirds appear to be not returning to Perchance. Willodeen does some good scientific thinking and discovers what may be the reason for the lack of Hummingbears.
Story a little preachy and very much glossed over to bring us into this world. Nice parallels between Willodeen's life and that of the city.
Works for Cold War or Earth Day themes
#NetGalley thanks for the ARC
Willodeen has been orphaned in a forest fire and now lives with Mae and Birdie and mostly keeps to herself (including not bothering with school), until she meets Connor and he gifts her one of his "puzzlers" - a small version of a "Screecher" (smelly pests that have been eliminated b/c they scare away tourists who come to Perchance to see "Hummingbears" during their annual migration).
Screechers had been extinct and Hummingbirds appear to be not returning to Perchance. Willodeen does some good scientific thinking and discovers what may be the reason for the lack of Hummingbears.
Story a little preachy and very much glossed over to bring us into this world. Nice parallels between Willodeen's life and that of the city.
Works for Cold War or Earth Day themes
#NetGalley thanks for the ARC
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a good book introducing how the world is interconnected, but I'm not sure who it was targeting. There was a lot of death and fear and trauma (e.g., in the main character losing her entire family to a fire) for it to be targeted at younger kids, but the very simple framing of how one species affects another seemed basic for later elementary. This is a book I wanted to like more than I did.
fast-paced
It was not one of my favorite books by this author. The writing felt choppy to me. I also didn't connect with the characters. There were some sweet elements in it though, but overall it was a miss for me.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes