Family Tree

Young Tyler Stoudt recalls the discovery of her family's roots in this delightful and engaging story. As an assignment in Ms. Custer's sixth-grade class, Tyler and her classmates are to trace their family trees back several generations. But Tyler knows nothing about her family. She lives with her widowed father and has no idea if she has any relatives. Her father isn't telling. Finally, through her persistance, Jakob begins to tell the stories of his Amish family and of Tyler's mother. Montbertrand portrays Tyler with a deadpan, nasal voice that ably conveys the girl's youth and initial lack of confidence. The other characters are just as well portrayed: Ms. Custer is a no-nonsense matron; Jakob Stoudt has a gentle German accent. All the characterizations are consistent and credible. Children will delight as Tyler discovers where she came from and who she is. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

October 2, 1996
Tyler cringes at a sixth-grade assignment to make a family tree and write about her ancestors. She has never known any relative except her widower father, Jakob, who rarely speaks of the mother killed in a car accident with Tyler still in her womb. But with encouragement from her teacher and her best friend Casey-and help from her initially reluctant father-Tyler uncovers her history: Jakob is Amish, and was officially "shunned" for marrying Sarah, an "English" woman. Sarah's parents, disapproving of the marriage, cut off all communication with them. First-novelist Ayres delivers an intriguing plot and deftly paints a self-reliant heroine on a mission to find the truth. Tyler's struggle to understand her father's and her grandparents' actions and beliefs are palpable. But while the issues raised by the classroom family-tree assignment (e.g., America as a nation of immigrants) are presented in a way that may stir readers' imaginations, Ayres's use of neat resolutions and borderline stereotypes unfortunately renders her work a little more pat than poignant. Ages 8-12.