Forest - Softcover

Janet Taylor Lisle is the author of many novels for children, including the Newbery Honor book, AFTERNOON OF THE ELVES; THE ART OF KEEPING COOL; HIGHWAY CATS; SIRENS AND SPIES; FOREST; and A MESSAGE FROM THE MATCH GIRL (from the Investigators of the Unknown series). She lives with her family on the coast of Rhode Island.

Grade 4-7-Furious with her father, Amber Padgett, 12, climbs a giant white oak to think about things and sees a squirrel in what the creature would call the "Upper Forest." Woodbine is intelligent, but sadly, is as vulnerable to the same fears and power-seeking types as the humans in Lower Forest. Bellicose Barker leads most of his fellow mink-tailed squirrels into a war by showing that people are too dangerous to be ignored. Amber's father, an impossibly stupid man, does everything he can to show that Barker is right. People line up to shoot squirrels and squirrels rise in giant numbers to attack them. Only Amber, her younger brother, and a dreamy, curious squirrel named Woodbine, plus his sister and best friend, are clearheaded enough to seek a new understanding. This is an unusual, witty, and thought-provoking satire, with children proving far more intelligent than most adults-a little like all of those students now being raised in ecologically oriented classrooms who must face adult compromise and backsliding-but with one unusual scientist who's willing to listen. The clear-eyed Amber, though a wee bit too adolescent and sure of herself, and her intuitive brother provide a dauntless pair of heroes well matched by Woodbine. Quick repartee, genuinely interesting details about an unknown species, and clear and infuriating guidelines to letting fear lead us into battle add up to a great read-aloud and discussion starter.
Sara Miller, Rye County Day School, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.