Telephone of the Tree

McGhee (Dear Brother) injects a speculative twist to this tender tale about death and grief. Most of the trees on 10-year-old Ayla’s block were “planted to celebrate new babies.” Ayla and her best friend Kiri always reveled in their connections to their trees—a river birch and white pine, respectively—caring for them and spending time nestled within their branches, encouraging each other to “dream big.” When Kiri suddenly disappears, Ayla convinces herself that Kiri will be home for their 11th birthday in three weeks. Then an old-fashioned telephone mysteriously appears in Ayla’s tree, and her astute grandfather suggests that “maybe it’s there just in case you want to call someone,” an idea that Ayla rejects, though it seems to bring comfort to others in the community: five-year-old neighbor Gentleman calls his deceased gecko, and a grieving husband phones his late wife. As Kiri’s birthday draws near, Ayla grows tired of resisting the shattering truth behind their disappearance. Employing spare, sensory language, McGhee explores the painful negative space created by loss and the devastation of a friendship cut short, as well as the healing found in moving forward while remembering that “there’s more... so much more.” Characters are described as having varying skin tones. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary. (May)