This book has to be on your TBR list, however old you are. Ms. Applegate's tale brings home the thought that there is room at the table for everyone, especially when your world depends on everyone and everything getting along. I fell in love with all of the characters, especially the Screecher. "Willodeen" is a book that should be read aloud to as many children as possible.

Willowdeen, the book, is a quiet reminder to everyone that all creatures have a place in this world and that all should be cared for and respected. Willowdeen, the character is kind, brave, empathetic and a good friend to all. Her past sorrows help her appreciate and care for those creatures that people want to dislike. With a name like screecher it is easy to dislike. But Willowdeen sees past the name the the animal inside. Her friendship with Connor starts out rocky because Wil,lowdeen is quick to assume negative things about him like others do about screechers. But through quiet and calm perseverance Connor is able to prove that he is not like his father. Connor and Willowdeen set out to show everyone the value of screechers. Quiet, unassuming, yet powerful. This book will be loved by all kids.

I loved it! I love Katherine Applegate! Willodeen is a beautifully written story by Applegate. The short chapters make it a quick read. You will fall in love with the characters, Willodee, her new friend Connor, her Hummingbear Duuzuu and her Quinlan. This a great book to show our students how humans and nature depend on each other to keep things in balance. I will have to buy multiple copies of this book for my elementary library!

Like her other stories this book is realistic but with make believe animals. It's a story about community and nature working together. The Hummingbears left because the town eliminated the disgusting, stinky, and loud screechers. Being inquisitive, Willodeen in her research discovers this bit of information and becomes brave enough to alert the townspeople. Willodeen is a young girl who lost her family in a fire and still grieves for them wondering why she survived. Being very much a loner Willodeen finds it hard to have a friend until Conner makes her a screecher that comes alive creating a beautiful friendship.

Willodeen is a fast-paced magical story from Katherine Applegate. Willodeen is a young girl who has lost her entire family and now lives with two women in her neighborhood. She is drawn to nature and the unusual animals that live near her. She will do anything to protect them. She befriends a boy from her town, and they work to care for and understand the animals and environment around them. This is a tender story that readers will fall in love with.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I can't wait to recommend Willodeen to my students once it hits the shelves! Sure to be a classic, this novel is classic Katherine Applegate...strong characters, beautiful prose, amazing story of love and family, and the added benefit of a profound love of nature, creatures, and the earth. I was immediately drawn in by Willodeen. She is a spectacular main character-one that many girls will be able to connect with. I feel certain this wonderful book will be loved by many, both young and old. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced eCopy.

Eleven year old Willodeen has been through a lot in her young life, including the fire that took her family and home. Taken in by two elderly sisters, Willodeen is brought up to be a child of nature, constantly observing and noting changes in the mountains around her. When the annual migration of hummingbears does not happen, the villagers blame the weird looking animals called screechers and set a price upon their heads. The annual migration is a tourist and financial bonanza for the town each year. Willodeen has always been fond of the ugly and stinky critters and is dismayed to find that they have been hunted to near extinction in the hills surrounding the town of Perchance. After receiving a surprise birthday gift, Willodeen experiences a magical event which eventually leads her to solve the problem of the missing hummingbears. Finally learning to use her voice, Willodeen stands up at the town council meeting and shares her observations about how to reverse the damage that has been done to their environment by removing the screechers from the land. A satisfying read for fans of Greta Thunberg and other kids who are standing up for what they believe with just enough of a fantasy/magical element to keep the story from becoming preachy.

Willowdeen is a traumatized young girl who keeps to herself while coming to grips with the loss of her family. She has a love for nature and the fantastical creatures that inhabit her special little town's environs. While immersing herself in the habits of those creatures she makes a discovery that will affect everyone in her town and give her courage to create attachments and relationships and find her voice.
Applegate has created a lovely fantasy that every human with a heart will relate to! Highly recommend for children, middle schoolers, but even older kids will appreciate this story.

Socially awkward 11 year old, Willodeen, is more comfortable exploring the woods than in attending school. she appreciates all creatures, no matter how smelly they may be. When the town's beloved hummingbears start to disappear and affect the local tourist economy, Willodeen's observations helps to uncover the interconnections among nature's creatures and they are all dependent upon each other to survive. Katherine Applegate weaves together a heart warming story about the need to protect, preserve and understand the natural world.

A wonderful children's/YA book that explains in beautiful terms how all of us are connected in nature, and how we all play an important role, no matter how big or small or smelly we may be. Perfect for classroom discussions on nature and how the food chain works as well.

This was my first book to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters are amazing and the story flows so well. Really cannot recommend this one enough!!

This was such a lovely read. Katherine Applegate's standalone books are just so lovely with delicate prose and strong characters. Here, we have Willodeen, an 11 year old girl who is (informally) adopted by two older women in her village after her family dies in a brutal fire. She's a little odd and friendless, she loves nature, and if this weren't a fantasy she would probably be coded as autistic/on the autism spectrum. I loved her burgeoning friendship with Connor and her love and care of animals. This would be a strong read for those into conservation and talking about taking care of the earth with young readers.

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read an advance copy of this sweet book. It’s a wonderful tale about humans and other creatures and the earth and how we’re all connected. It beautifully interweaves a story of love and family and friendship. The illustrations are enchanting (even on my old kindle). Highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were great and the story was entertaining. The chapters were short and there illustrations complimented the story.

The story is about an eleven year old girl named Willodeen who suffered through a tragedy. She is taken in by two women and become friends with a boy named Connor. Willodeen loves all creatures especially “screechers”. The villagers do not like the screechers and consider them pests. Willodeen’s village, Perchance, is dealing with a problem that will affect everyone’s lives. The village relies on the migration of hummingbears. The hummingbears migrate to the village every year and causes tourists to visit. However, not a single hummingbear arrived this year and the town is panicking.

Will Willodeen be able to solve the problem? This was such a great story and lessons learned are so important. I think both children and adults will enjoy this story.

Willodeen by Katherine Applegate is a beautiful story of love, loss, friendship, fighting for what’s right and finding your way. The story follows Willodeen as she struggles to make sense of her loss and social awkwardness through the magical gifts of friendships and trust in the natural world. I’m wishing I could head to Perchance to live among the Screechers and Hummingbears as Willodeen works to restore balance to nature, who always knows more than we do, and honor the memory of her family in the process.

Thank you Netgally for Willodeen. I was honored to have been granted access to one of my favorite authors newest offering in an ARC.

Katherine Applegate has given us a cautionary tale young and old are going to adore and in the meantime be left with a greater awareness of this world in which we share with some of the lowliest of creatures,

Our hero, as I think of her, is Eleven-year-old Willodeen. She adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the most unlovable beasts in the land: strange beasts known as “screechers.” They are smelly and loud! The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes and understands screechers and all animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature. Yet, the adults want the unsightly beasts gone from their village.

Lately, though, her hometown of Perchance has seemingly angered nature. You see, Perchance has been cursed with fires and mudslides, droughts and fevers, and even the annual migration of hummingbears, a vital source of local pride and income, has dwindled. The hummingbears are tiny, adorable animals that winter in Perchance. They create beautiful shimmering bubble nests perched atop blue willow trees. This fact draws tourists from far and wide to see the startling creatures. The village puts on a street festival called The Faire that brings great revenue into Perchance. For as long as anyone can remember the hummingbear migration has been a financial lifeline for the little town. This year, however, not a single hummingbear has returned to Perchance, and no one knows why.

On her birthday, Willodeen receives a gift called a puzzler from her new friend, Connor that brings unexpected magic into her life and sparks a revelation in Willodeen. Even though she is young, she’s determined to speak up for the animals she loves, and with great hesitation, does so in the town meetings with boldness she didn’t know she possessed. Can a child possibly have discovered the key to the answer of the mystery of the missing hummingbears?

Readers will love the story and find it to be a timely and timeless tale about our fragile earth, and one girl’s fierce determination to make a difference.

Here are Applegate’s ending words to this impressive story...

“She has just a moment on this old, wise earth, this earth that will always be wiser than its inhabitants. And she is lucky indeed to be part of its magic.”

A heartfelt read! A young orphaned girl is determined to find and protect the last remaining Screecher, despite fierce opposition. She has to find a way to convince the townspeople that it is in their best interests, and that she has credibility. Beautifully depicted, it will empower readers to stand up for what is right, and protect the resources we have. Themes of conservation, believing in yourself, healing, and maybe some magic.

This was absolutely darling. I really appreciated the neurodivergent-coded main character, and her ability to be herself with her strengths saving the day. Really good message about the circle of life, and how important each of us is to the planet, no matter how repulsive or disagreeable. Excited for my kiddo to be old enough to read this together.

In Willodeen’s village of Perchance, there was a yearly Faire to celebrate the nesting of the fantastical beasts known as hummingbears. These winged bear like creatures who made nests of bubbles in the blue willow trees were cute, cuddly and a favorite tourist attraction. But to Willodeen, it was the ugly, monstrous screechers that found a way into her heart. When the hummingbears stopped nesting by the village, Willodeen felt certain it had to do with the disappearance of the screechers.

This whimsical tale of the fragility of nature and the chain reactions set off by events throughout the ecosystems is both timely and cautionary. Katherine Applegate is a master storyteller and this one does not disappoint. It is a great read to kick off a conservation unit and would make a wonderful read aloud for any age.

A fun story from the author of The One and Only Ivan and Wishtree. This one follows a young girl named Willodeen. She loves animals, but pays particular attention to one kind of animal, which the locals call "screechers" which have tusks and let out s horrible smell when scared. When her town starts paying hunters for screecher pelts, no one notices when the population is down to almost zero. They also don't notice that their beloved hummingbears are also missing. A great story of how nature works together, even the stinky, smelly ones.