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A review by joinreallife
Willodeen by Katherine Applegate
5.0
“Once upon a time, when stones were soft and stars were bits of dust, I loved a monster.” I mean, what a FANTASTIC line.
This is a really sweet, soft fantasy about a girl called Willodeen. Strong found family vibes (which is a perpetual fave) and an enduring, impactful story. Willodeen loses her mom, dad, and younger brother in a fire that rages through their small village and leaves her injured as well. She is taken in and nursed by two older women who live together, but can't quite let herself get attached to them because she doesn't want to be hurt again. For related reasons, she's also quite isolated and has a hard time making friends. But a thing she does love doing is observing the unique wildlife in their village. She has a small hummingbear (a creation of this fantastical world that is a very small bear that can fly like a hummingbird, freaking adorable) who is injured and has adopted her, and she likes to explore the woods, especially looking for screechers, an animal deemed less than desirable by the community because of its powerful stink when frightened. Coincidentally, around the same time the screecher population is dwindling because of a bounty the village has placed on them, the hummingbears also stop building their nests in the village, which is a problem as the hummingbears have been a big draw for tourists. Willodeen investigates why this might be, along with an accidental friend she's made, Connor, a boy who lives in the village and crafts fantastical creations, including a model screecher that he gifts to Willodeen on her eleventh birthday.
This book made me unexpectedly emotional? It is a book about the importance of community - not just with other people, but with nature. About being vulnerable and strong, and having your voice heard, even when you're a young person. And about there being value to be found in all living things, if only there is an attempt at understanding.
It's got lots of short chapters, which makes it a good choice for younger kids looking to get into longer chapter books but still needing some solid stopping points.
CW: death of a parent
This is a really sweet, soft fantasy about a girl called Willodeen. Strong found family vibes (which is a perpetual fave) and an enduring, impactful story. Willodeen loses her mom, dad, and younger brother in a fire that rages through their small village and leaves her injured as well. She is taken in and nursed by two older women who live together, but can't quite let herself get attached to them because she doesn't want to be hurt again. For related reasons, she's also quite isolated and has a hard time making friends. But a thing she does love doing is observing the unique wildlife in their village. She has a small hummingbear (a creation of this fantastical world that is a very small bear that can fly like a hummingbird, freaking adorable) who is injured and has adopted her, and she likes to explore the woods, especially looking for screechers, an animal deemed less than desirable by the community because of its powerful stink when frightened. Coincidentally, around the same time the screecher population is dwindling because of a bounty the village has placed on them, the hummingbears also stop building their nests in the village, which is a problem as the hummingbears have been a big draw for tourists. Willodeen investigates why this might be, along with an accidental friend she's made, Connor, a boy who lives in the village and crafts fantastical creations, including a model screecher that he gifts to Willodeen on her eleventh birthday.
This book made me unexpectedly emotional? It is a book about the importance of community - not just with other people, but with nature. About being vulnerable and strong, and having your voice heard, even when you're a young person. And about there being value to be found in all living things, if only there is an attempt at understanding.
It's got lots of short chapters, which makes it a good choice for younger kids looking to get into longer chapter books but still needing some solid stopping points.
CW: death of a parent
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent