I absolutely love this book! It skillful combines realistic fiction with a touch of magic. I think my 7th graders will love this book.

Twelve year old Isa is feeling invisible and neglected as her parents focus all of their energy on her 6 year old sister Junie, who is in the hospital receiving treatment for cancer. When she finds that a magical tree grows in the orchard behind her house, she keeps it a secret until an unexpected friend arrives. The story is touching and tells the story of a sibling of a child with cancer. I think this book does a good job of portraying that as well as including some fun magical realism.

I've noticed that often younger siblings with cancer in middle grade books aren't true characters - they're plot devices. They're plucky and cute and teach the protagonist about bravery or responsibility or something. I like that that was not initially the case here. WE saw the little sister somewhat changed, less open to magic, more weary. Eventually that irrepressible pluckiness brought through. It was a chance to explore how cancer changes everything in a family's life but that was missed.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a magical story! I was instantly drawn to the title and cover illustration and was captivated the moment I started reading. This book will be a favorite for those that love reading about magic, family, and friendship. Caprara has a distinct voice in her writing, or at least in this book. I really loved the words that the Junie, Isa, and Kira used and I am definatelh adding them to my vocabulary. You can tell this book was well thought out and a lot of love was put into each character, setting, and the plot as a whole. The ending was wrapped up quickly, but I think it was done well. It felt a little fast, but it didn’t need to be drawn out either. I would read more by Caprera and look forward to more books.

This book is about a girl named Isabell, who's sister has cancer. So in the starting Isabella finds a little tree growing in long since abandoned   Melwick Orchard which stopped growing years before, then a squirrel tells her to put her shoes in the hole he dug in front of her. The next day the tree has fully grown into a giant tree with feathery balls with fruit inside and what's the fruit?? peach? Nope. Apples? Nu uh. Shoes? YES!!!!! she finds pairs of shoes in the balls!

I like this book because it is magic and I can kinda relate to Isabell because she has a hard time making friends and she's grumpy.

I recommend the book to everyone who is in 3rd grade and up who likes magic.

I give this book 15 magic stars.

Wow! This is magical realism at its best. I loved this sweet story about a family in crisis due to the younger sister’s cancer and their mounting medical bills. At her loneliest, the older sister, Isa, discovers the their new orchard’s magic. The magic, her new friend, and her sister all have some powerful lessons to teach Isa, too. I loved so much about this story— the close sister relationship, the character arc of Isa, the magic of nature, the sisters’ word play,...what a delightful read! This story is a heart-warming hug that belongs on every shelf.

What a great ARC and I can’t believe this isn’t the authors first MG novel. She has found her spot and I’m so excited that she joined this world, This was beautiful. Clear, a nice balance of dynamic and small town slowness that eased you into feeling like you were really there’s in this intimate moment of Isa’s life. The messaging was fantastically done without being heavy handed or on the contrary, too aloof. This is one of those stories where there are conflicts that feel so real and everyone involved... is right. This evening moments where you can see from everyone’s point of view is one of my favorite type of well done scenes in a good story, as I find that’s usually most true to life. I thought that the author created a real, rich character and I’m amazed at how she wrote such a heavy story (mental health struggles and childhood illness is pretty heart wrenching ) that was so delightfully intertwined with wonder and whimsy. The youngest human in the mix didn’t always read like her age, but I think that was part of the point and she was so fun that it worked out well enough. Excellent and lovely, truly a book for the heart. I loved it.