Juvenile/Middle Grade, Novel in Verse. Thank you to Net Galley, Rosen Publishing Group and the author DJ Brandon for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC ebook copy of this new publication. I respect the creative talents of authors that are able to write in verse and convey a story with emotional feeling and detail in less words than a regular novel. Pearl, 11, lives with her alcoholic father and her cat Sundance in the countryside. Her mother apparently died when Pearl was very young. She has lived a very sheltered life, as her father has raised her believing adults are not to be trusted. He allows her to go to school but then she must immediately come home on the bus. One afternoon, when she returns home her father and his truck are gone. At first, she is nervous, as he is usually there when she gets home but thinks his landscaping job may have delayed him. He doesn’t return and several days have passed. Her meager food supply has dwindled down to just some rice. Her leg is infected from an injury. Will she trust an adult, her counselor, at school and ask for help? Story was quick paced. I felt the end may have been rushed. I would actually rate it 4.5. Recommend for 4-6 grade.

This novel in verse is told by Pearl, a girl who lives with her dad. Her dad has warned her to not tell people too much about herself and that most adults are not to be trusted, but when her dad disappears, she eventually turns to her school counselor, Ms. Sanchez, for help. The story is brief, but with beautiful descriptions of the wildlife around Pearl, which she notices because she loves to paint. This is an optimistic story with themes of love and protection, and family as well as making choices. This would be a good book for a middle grade or middle school library.

This book was a quick read that left a lasting impression. The main character does her best to live a normal life in an unstable home environment. I loved how the author described the girl's want to reach out for help and the barriers she felt around doing so. I think this book would be very relatable for lots of people. I would recommend the book for 6th grade and up.

A nice middle grade that gived you a thrilling read. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this book.

This was a really well done novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the mystery genre. It had that middle grade element that I was looking for and enjoyed the feel of this. The characters were everything that I wanted and enjoyed from in the middle grade element. D.J. Brandon wrote this perfectly and am excited for more.

Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing Group/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

What a beautiful story, it was heartbreaking and beautiful at the very same time. Pearl was such an incredible protagonist and you were really captured by her, she was such a strong girl, she was able to fend for herself and figure out her problems even at such a young age, not that she should have had too but the fact she had the skills to was amazing.

I loved how through the whole story the Midas trees were calling her, that the story of King Midas kept creeping into her dreams, but never finished it each time. I adored the symbolism of that story where it was leading her too, to something she’d always dreamt of having.

It was such a creatively and stunningly written story and I was really swept up within it, I didn’t really know what was going to happen to Pearl at all throughout the story and ended up being so happily surprised at what the outcome was. It was such a beautiful book.

I loved the characters that we met within the pages too, from the nice social work and the kind officer who both helped her and got her safe, and to Ms. Sanchez who was so incredibly sweet, loving and caring, she took Pearl under her wing and really helped her out so much, I honestly loved her so much.

I really did enjoy this book, everything about it was beautiful, though there was a very sad and scary storyline within it, it was a beautifully written verse book. It took an unexpected turn in storyline, which I adored having but never saw coming at all. I really loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and D.J. Brandon for the opportunity to read The Midas Trees in exchange for an honest review.

The Midas Trees is a hi-lo novel-in-verse, meaning it has a low Lexile level with a high interest for readers. The story is told from the perspective of sixth grader, Pearl, and is perfect for middle grade readers. 

Pearl lives with an overbearing father who never lets her go to hangouts or slumber parties with friends. It's only school and home, and she is warned not to talk to anyone besides him, given the "Hansel and Gretel" talk that others will draw her in only to do bad things. When she gets home from school one day, her dad isn't there, his truck gone, and she assumes he will be back later. She fends for herself for a whole weekend, along with their cat, battling the urge to tell somebody about his disappearance, because he told her never to talk to others like that.

Pearl's circumstance turns into much more than a mystery about her father's disappearance, but about his and her own past as well. Her recurring dreams about these golden trees and a line from the story of "King Midas" might be the only clues she has to find her father.

This novel explores family dynamics and control, as well as pre-teens learning to not be afraid to speak up when there is a gut feeling or a "pillow" filling one's chest. There are great lessons to be learned from this book, and the twists it took make for an important lesson for middle grade readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and found it to have good characterization in such few words, as well as the perfectly wholesome resolution for the readership.

If you like this one, check out Brandon's other middle grade novel, Tell Me Why the Jack Pine Grows, which also explores family dynamics and the importance of using one's voice.