Willodeen

Starred review from July 12, 2021
Employing flawlessly simple, candid prose that belies deeper messages, Newbery Medalist Applegate again considers the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. Before Willodeen’s family died in the Great September Fire when she was just six, her father taught her to love and respect animals, especially the most unlovable. Now, Willodeen’s kind but occasionally cantankerous guardians don’t seem to mind when the 10-year-old skips school to look for screechers. The sharp-toothed, foul-smelling animals are hated—and hunted—by Perchance’s townspeople, who prefer sweet-faced, tourist-garnering hummingbears. Lately, though, both species have been disappearing. After Willodeen witnesses the killing of an elderly screecher, new friend Connor crafts one for her birthday that magically comes to life. Now, Willodeen must overcome her aversion to people to protect it while trying to solve the mystery of the animals’ disappearance. Via imaginative depictions, including interspersed chapters from the screecher’s point of view, Applegate brings an intimate cast of default-white human characters and scene-stealing mythical ones to life. Fiercely protective Willodeen is easy to champion, and her belief that “nature knows more than we do” is a message worth sharing. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties.

Starred review from July 1, 2021
Grades 3-5 *Starred Review* You know you're in for a treat with an Applegate fantasy, but when she dreams up hummingbears--tiny, winged bears that nest in bubbles--it's instantly catapulted into irresistible territory. For Willodeen, who happens to have a flightless hummingbear as a pet, her heart is far more occupied with the welfare of unlovable creatures, namely the widely detested screechers--a grumpy combo of skunk (odor), warthog (snout, tusks), beaver (tail), and porcupine (quills). This is, perhaps, because Willodeen herself is an outsider, preferring to spend her time alone, observing nature and helping the two women--older, but spitfires--who took her in after a terrible wildfire claimed the lives of her family. Two events force Willodeen out of her comfort zone and into the company of other townsfolk: (1) the steady, mysterious decline in hummingbear populations, and (2) the bounty placed on screechers, as a way to rid Perchance of their smelly presence. Thus, the 11-year-old comes to find her first friend, a baby screecher in need of a home, and her voice when it matters most. Applegate's gentle yet honest tale mixes magic with very real environmental messaging, both warning of human-caused harm and pointing to nature's resilience and interconnectedness. Perchance feels charmingly antiquated without being idyllic, and Applegate empowers her young characters by not only granting them courage but also ensuring they earn the respect of their elders.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Adored and acclaimed, Applegate has been given a 750k first print run for this release. That's a lot of hummingbears!

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October 1, 2021

Gr 3-7-Applegate's latest fantasy is a simple but beautiful story about humans' relationship with the natural world. Orphaned Willodeen has never quite fit in with her peers. She loves all animals, but especially the widely despised screecher: a smelly creature with tusks, a snout, tails, and quills. She is happy keeping to herself until the screechers begin to disappear, mainly due to the bounty the town of Perchance has placed on them. The rest of the town is focused on the disappearance of the hummingbears, winged bears responsible for the tourist draw to Perchance. After witnessing the killing of an old screecher, Willowdeen's new friend Connor carves her one that is magically brought to life through her tears. Determined to save this last screecher, Willodeen finds the connection between the screechers and hummingbears and stands up for them at a town meeting. Red-haired Willowdeen is cued as white. Connor has brown skin. VERDICT A sweet fantasy about standing up for what you believe in. Hand to all young environmentalists.-Katharine Gatcomb, Nashua P.L., NH

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2021
Applegate's (Wishtree, rev. 11/17; The One and Only Bob, rev. 7/20) latest novel is set in a town that is home to two creatures unfamiliar to us but affected by similar environmental issues. The village of Perchance has put a bounty on "screechers," animals whose odor and appearance threaten the tourist industry; meanwhile, the small flying "hummingbears" that attract visitors are also disappearing at an alarming rate. Ten-year-old Willodeen lost her family and home to wildfire, but with the support of the two elderly women who took her in, she upholds her father's respect for the environment and remembers his words: "Nature, Willodeen, knows more than we do, and she probably always will." Like the unlovable screechers she admires and her pet hummingbear whose singed wings prevent it from joining its kind, Willodeen struggles in this community. She is most at ease alone in nature where she observes and takes notes. When Connor, another independent child determined to win her friendship, brings her to a town meeting, her anger at the villagers' environmental negligence results in a chain of events (and possible magic) that could ultimately right the balance of nature. With gentle line drawings throughout, this accessible fantasy offers hope as well as a tender examination of people re-learning to work together to care for one another and the world around them. Julie Roach

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 15, 2021
An orphan loner's small town faces a hard future after it unwittingly disrupts a natural cycle. Willodeen is lucky that elderly retired thespians Mae and Birdie took her in after the wildfire that killed her parents and brother, not only because they're a loving couple, but because they let her roam the woods in search of increasingly rare screechers--creatures so vile-tempered and stinky that the village elders of Perchance have put a bounty on them. The elders have other worries, though: The migratory hummingbears that have long nested in the area, drawing tourists to the lucrative annual Autumn Faire, have likewise nearly vanished. Could there be a connection? If there is, Willodeen is just the person to find it--but who would believe her? Applegate's characters speak in pronouncements about life and nature that sometimes seem to address readers more than other characters, but the winsome illustrations lighten the thematic load. Screechers appear much like comically fierce warthogs and hummingbears, as small teddies with wings. Applegate traces a burgeoning friendship between her traumatized protagonist and Connor, a young artist who turns found materials into small animals so realistic that one actually comes to life. In the end, the townsfolk do listen and pitch in to make amends. Red-haired, gray-eyed Willodeen is cued as White; Connor has brown skin, and other human characters read as White by default. The young folk and (of course) the animals are engagingly wrought in this tale with a strong ecological message. (Eco-fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)

July 1, 2021
Applegate's (Wishtree, rev. 11/17; The One and Only Bob, rev. 7/20) latest novel is set in a town that is home to two creatures unfamiliar to us but affected by similar environmental issues. The village of Perchance has put a bounty on "screechers," animals whose odor and appearance threaten the tourist industry; meanwhile, the small flying "hummingbears" that attract visitors are also disappearing at an alarming rate. Ten-year-old Willodeen lost her family and home to wildfire, but with the support of the two elderly women who took her in, she upholds her father's respect for the environment and remembers his words: "Nature, Willodeen, knows more than we do, and she probably always will." Like the unlovable screechers she admires and her pet hummingbear whose singed wings prevent it from joining its kind, Willodeen struggles in this community. She is most at ease alone in nature where she observes and takes notes. When Connor, another independent child determined to win her friendship, brings her to a town meeting, her anger at the villagers' environmental negligence results in a chain of events (and possible magic) that could ultimately right the balance of nature. With gentle line drawings throughout, this accessible fantasy offers hope as well as a tender examination of people re-learning to work together to care for one another and the world around them.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)