The Strange Wonders of Roots

April 1, 2024
While fighting to conserve a grove of trees, a young girl discovers she's put down roots in the community surrounding her. When 12-year-old Holly arrives in a tiny Vermont town to stay with her uncle, she's certain her itinerant actor father will tire of his current role (understudy for Woodland Sprite #4 in A Midsummer Night's Dream) and will soon uproot her yet again, so she vows to remain an uninvolved stranger. But it's hard for tree-loving Holly to stay detached after she learns about a grove of endemic Arden trees that are threatened by the expansion of the town's job-creating plastics factory. As Holly joins the fight for the grove, she realizes that trees aren't the only ones that depend on the support of others, and that sometimes, found family can be just as important as biological relatives. Holly's journey has a leisurely pace, and Holly is an introspective, quiet, and reflective protagonist. Her character is richly imagined, and she thrives with the support of a diverse, if rather one-dimensional, set of townsfolk. Holly and her uncle, who's gay, read white. Adults may find more nostalgic delight in the whimsical town than young readers will, filled as it is with quaint shops and local artists. Readers seeking a title that touches on the environment, pollution, and the interconnectedness of life will find many educational moments woven into this gentle tale. A quiet story to spark conversation about conservation and community. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2024

Gr 3-6-Twelve-year-old Holly Foster is not excited about her summer break-she's spending a month in a small Vermont town with an uncle she's barely met while her mom takes a cruise and her dad tries for his big acting break. Holly is accustomed to moving around the country on her dad's frequent whims, so she doesn't expect to feel any attachment to the town of Arden. But when she learns that the Grove, a unique group of trees in town, might be chopped down to allow the local factory to build a museum, Holly gets involved in spite of herself. Griffith's latest is quiet and character-driven. Readers get to know Holly, antiquarian Uncle Vincent, and a cast of interesting locals, ranging from a traveling musician to an elderly woman who takes her giant pet tortoise on walks. Holly, her family, and many community members default to white, though more diversity is seen among the group involved with saving the Grove. The story works on multiple levels; loner Holly must navigate new relationships and reexamine existing ones, all while learning about civic engagement and ecology. Holly provides some insight into trees from her science fair project and forges new connections in the local university's forestry department to aid her cause. She observes the town council in action and, with the help of other concerned locals, plans a community event in the Grove to engage more citizens. VERDICT Hand this book to young readers who love realistic fiction and want to save the planet.-Lindsay Loup

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
In the five years since her parents divorced, twelve-year-old Holly has lived in and visited lots of places with her actor father; she is used to not feeling rooted in any one spot. Now her father has flown off to San Francisco for his "big break" in A Midsummer Night's Dream while Holly goes to Burlington, Vermont, "a city she'd never heard of in a state she'd never been to," to stay with her uncle Vincent for a month. Holly hasn't seen him since three Christmases ago, but she remembers a lot about him: he's gay; is a year younger than her father; lives alone in a small town outside Burlington; and runs a bookstore, where he is "drowning in books." The beautiful cover illustration and even Holly's name refer to her love of plants, and the metaphor will not be lost on readers: Holly yearns for roots in her life, and Uncle Vincent and his community just might be the ones to help. And, sure enough, she does find much of what she's looking for. Holly is a well-drawn, likable protagonist dropped into a New England setting, where she thrives. A gentle, uplifting, and memorable story. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
In the five years since her parents divorced, twelve-year-old Holly has lived in and visited lots of places with her actor father; she is used to not feeling rooted in any one spot. Now her father has flown off to San Francisco for his "big break" in A Midsummer Night's Dream while Holly goes to Burlington, Vermont, "a city she'd never heard of in a state she'd never been to," to stay with her uncle Vincent for a month. Holly hasn't seen him since three Christmases ago, but she remembers a lot about him: he's gay; is a year younger than her father; lives alone in a small town outside Burlington; and runs a bookstore, where he is "drowning in books." The beautiful cover illustration and even Holly's name refer to her love of plants, and the metaphor will not be lost on readers: Holly yearns for roots in her life, and Uncle Vincent and his community just might be the ones to help. And, sure enough, she does find much of what she's looking for. Holly is a well-drawn, likable protagonist dropped into a New England setting, where she thrives. A gentle, uplifting, and memorable story.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)