Customer Reviews

Kyleah's Tree

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Kyleah's father and twin brother had just disappeared after their parents' divorce, and then her mother died. Kyleah's life in foster homes has been lonely and she feels great despair from the loss of her family. Now she climbs her favorite tree each morning just at sunrise, because she is sure that if she makes a wish just as the sun starts to appear over the horizon, and she keeps her eyes closed until the sun is in full view, her wishes will come true.

Her main wish is to find her father and brother again.

Kyleah doesn't really feel like she fits in with her foster family, and she and her foster brother, Benjamin, plot to run away. Benjamin has a family in Moose Jaw, just across the Canadian border, and since Kyleah came from Montana, she thinks she might find family members there.

The great escape is filled with suspense and emotion, and sometimes the adventure turns dangerous as they flee from Kansas to Canada, stowing away on vehicles or catching rides when they can. Kyleah and Benjamin sometimes contradict each other as they tell lies about who they are to keep from being caught by the authorities and sent back to the Holcomb farm.

This story addresses the emotional problems of being abandoned and living within the foster care system. It shows how a child might imagine threats that either don't exist or are misinterpreted, and might be tempted to take matters into their own hands.

Herb Leonhard's black-and-white illustrations add visual depth to the story. We have come to expect great characters from Janet Muirhead Hill, and Kyleah and Benjamin are impossible to forget. This great storyteller is a master at realistic, but nearly heart-stopping excitement, in a fast-moving plot with a satisfying ending.

Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

When nothing is going right, sometimes all you can do is run away. "Kyleah's Tree" is the tragic tale of one young Kyleah. Losing her brother, losing her father, losing her own personal place, she finds the only person to understand her in her foster brother. The two leave the serenity of Kansas on a long whirlwind journey that crosses international borders, learning that even when things are at their worst, love and respect can bring joy to one's heart. "Kyleah's Tree" is a unique story of growing up done in a rarely before seen way, greatly recommended to youth readers.