Available:*
Library | Audience | Home Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Heights | Teen/Young Adult | Fiction | Teen Book | VACHH | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Henington-Alief | Teen/Young Adult | Fiction | Teen Book | VACHH | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Shepard-Acres Homes | Teen/Young Adult | Fiction | Teen Book | VACHH | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Funny, thoughtful, and deeply moving--with a unique blend of fantasy and actual science--this novel explores both personal grief in the face of family loss and collective grief in the face of climate crisis, and how the only way to move forward is through friendship of all kinds.
In Shajarpur, everyone is always happy. The weather is always perfect. But newcomer Savi, a lonely teenager, doesn't know what happiness means anymore. If she were to make a list of things that were the absolute worst, moving to Shajarpur would be right on top. Well, right after missing her father, who just died of a heart attack.
As Savi grapples with loss in a strange new town, she discovers something startling. Not only can she communicate with her father's plants--all forty-two of them--she can talk to the giant ficus tree behind her school. Savi soon learns that Tree (as they are known) knew her father as well and that their friendship was at the heart of a magical network of animals and plants working together to protect Shajarpur.
However, Tree is in danger, along with everything else, and needs Savi's help. As she joins with all kinds of living things to save the town, Savi is shocked to find she is happy again, even if forces of nature are beyond her control.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Seventeen-year-old Savi's family of three relocates from Delhi to Shajarpur, once "Dad's family home"--but without Dad, because he's dead. At least Savi managed to save his 42 plants. Mom's (understandably) distracted and distanced; perfect older sister Meher seems to be the only one not fighting the changes. Their posh new school isn't particularly welcoming until Savi discovers "ginormous" Tree in the school's back fields; Tree's inexplicable familiarity eases the overwhelming newness of everything. Tree offers the purpose--and friends--Savi needs to start healing. Ethnic South Asian favorite narrator Nankani fluently ciphers Indian author/climate activist Vachharajani's adolescent drama enhanced with magic realism, comfortably adapting accents and ages. Her unrushed, indulgent tone is instantly recognizable, raising her register for younger characters, adding lowered gravitas for older, particularly for Tree--and the memories Tree enables. VERDICT Inspiring youth facing environmental threats ensure for a timely, urgent read.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The weather is always ideal in the city of Shajarpur, 1,500 miles away from Delhi's smog-steeped streets. Following her father's abrupt death, moving to Shajarpur from Delhi is the fresh start that 13-year-old Savitri Kumar, her mother, and her older sister need. After she discovers that touching the foliage in her father's beloved plant collection conjures visions of the past and present, Savi worries that the peace she craves may still be out of reach. Things worsen when the massive tree on her new school's grounds shares with her messages of impending environmental strife. As she grows closer to Tree and discovers more about her father through her visions, her interest in plants and the changing climate deepens, prompting her to join her school's environmental club. But bullying by popular "Very Cool and Hip" classmates raise feelings of inadequacy in Savi. Heavy-handed environmental messaging and over-the-top villains sometimes detract from the overarching narrative, which teems with vibrant and intriguing cultural details that make the fictional setting spring from the pages. Savi's family's individual experiences with grief encourage rumination on mental health and recovery, while brief mentions of class and caste discrimination will inspire conversation. Ages 12--up. (Aug.)
Kirkus Review
Six months after Dad's fatal heart attack, his grieving family moves to his hometown. Lonely Savi is just shy of 14. Her older sister escapes into social media. Mom is withdrawn, cleaning obsessively. Leaving polluted Delhi, the Kumars settle in Shajarpur, renowned for its perfect climate and clean air, along with Dad's 42 houseplants, withering without his care. Savi is determined to save them, and soon something strange happens: Whenever she touches a plant, she has visions, glimpses into her father's youth, Shajarpur's history, and threats to its future. At her new school, Savi meets Tree, an enormous Ficus mysorensis, or fig tree, who communicates especially powerfully with her. She joins the school ecology club but is also approached by the uber-wealthy Very Cool and Hip People, who make her feel insecure. Hiding her new powers, Savi is torn between the two groups until the shocking announcement that Tree, who seems to be dying, will be cut down. Tree's decline also mirrors a negative shift in Shajarpur's weather. The growing urgency forces Savi outside her comfort zone as the story builds to a climax that exposes a shadowy group of conspirators. Narrated in Savi's fresh, humorous voice, this dreamy, atmospheric story skillfully explores the dynamics of grief. The nuanced conclusion reinforces central themes of interconnection between people and environment and the joyful, healing properties of nature. The often playful tone helps soften the serious subject matter, and Eipe's spot art whimsically references the environmental content. Lush, imaginative, and emotionally insightful. (Eco-fantasy. 10-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
