The Secrets of Tree Taylor

May 19, 2014
In rural 1960s Missouri, 13-year-old aspiring journalist Tree is looking for a story to write to earn a spot on her school newspaper when a man is shot on her street. Her father, the town doctor, calls it an accident, but Tree saw Mrs. Kinney, the victim's wife, holding the shotgun and has a feeling that "there was a big story in this shooting." Tree begins gathering information about the Kinneys' miserable lives, but when she begins to befriend the obviously abused Mrs. Kinney, she wonders, "How can I tell which secrets to leave alone and which not to?" Mackall (The Silence of Murder) provides a rich sense of time and place: Tree's father gets in a heated argument with a family friend over the impending Vietnam War, and Tree's new friend Penny is passionately against segregation. Tree's unlikely friendship with Mrs. Kinney comes across as contrived, as do the mysterious quotes that Tree keeps finding, but conversations with her wise father and her friend Jack help create a thoughtful coming-of-age story about a girl learning to see beyond black and white. Ages 12âup. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown.

March 15, 2014
In Mackall's first-person coming-of-age narrative, an aspiring young writer wrestles with the difference between facts and many-layered truths, learning the role of compassion in deciding which secrets need to be shared and which are not hers to tell. Tree Taylor has two goals during the summer after eighth grade: write an article that will win her the freshman spot on her high school's newspaper and taste her first kiss. When she witnesses her neighbor holding a rifle, her husband shot, Tree thinks she has her story. As she investigates, she uncovers a long history not only of domestic abuse, but also of coverups--even by her pillar-of-the-community father, the local doctor. Tree struggles as she discovers webs of secrets in her family and community. Where is the truth? Tree is an appealing, naive 13 ("Somebody swore--the 'd' word for the structure that keeps water back"); indeed, the whole book has an old-fashioned feel, harking back to simpler times when teenagers gladly went to the drive-in with their families. Small-town Missouri in 1963 is nicely captured in many references to current events, music and movies. Quotations from famous authors are scattered throughout, reflecting Tree's focus on writing. Tree's godlike father is too reminiscent of Atticus Finch to altogether succeed, though; his moralizing and invoking God become sermonic. A simple story with surprising depth in its examination of truth and compassion. (Historical fiction. 11-14)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-It's 1963 and Tree Taylor has two goals for the summer before her freshman year of high school: to write an article that will earn her a spot on the school newspaper and to have her first kiss. When a shooting takes place in the 13-year-old's sleepy Missouri town, she sees it as an opportunity to showcase her journalism skills. As Tree begins to investigate the supposed accident, she befriends the woman involved. Tree soon finds that the knowledge of anyone's secrets comes coupled with the burden of dealing with them responsibly. Though Tree and her friends spend long days at the local swimming pool and nights dancing under the stars, Mackall also weaves in the era's tumultuous history, such as the U.S.'s presence in the Vietnam War. The protagonist grapples with the fact that the media is an authority of truth on issues at home and abroad, how "words in print became truth for readers-even if the press got it wrong," and whether some stories are best left unpublished. This novel would be a good discussion starter about ethics in journalism; budding reporters will especially appreciate the likable teen's passion and the quotes from famous writers interspersed throughout.-Amanda Mastrull, School Library Journal

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Grades 6-10 During the summer of 1963 in the small town of Hamilton, Missouri, 13-year-old Teresa Tree Taylor is occupied by two goals: securing her first kiss (from a boy who isn't related to her) and writing an article worthy enough to earn her the freshman reporter spot on the school newspaper. A sensitive tomboy who loves to dance, Tree is determined to uncover the real story behind the accidental shooting of her neighbor Mr. Kinney. Stonewalled by the key witnesses, her father, the town doctor, and Mrs. Kinneywhom she suspects as the shooterTree grapples with her evolving awareness of the differences between fact and truth. Mackall's storytelling is gentle, and Tree is an innocent and engaging heroine. Deft use of dialogue peppered with period slang and references to the civil rights movement and America's presence in Vietnam firmly ground the story in midcentury America, while illustrating the deep questions conscious teens often face, which are as relevant today as they were in 1963.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)