Tree By Leaf [Paperback]

Cynthia Voigt (Author), Suzanne Duranceau (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

It's not fair that Clothilde's father has returned from World War I so disfigured that he retreats to the boathouse as a recluse. It's not fair that her brother has abandoned the family to live with his rich grandfather in Boston. It's not fair that her mother has reverted to the role of a lady, leaving Clothilde to do all the housework. And it's certainly not fair that the Maine peninsula that Clothilde inherited from a great-aunt may have to be sold to support the family.

Then a mysterious Voice speaks to Clothilde, giving her the chance to change the life fate has dealt her and the people she loves. But Clothilde's wishes come true in unexpected, frightening ways -- and at a price she isn't sure she has the courage to pay.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Set on the New England coast in the summer of 1920, this beautifully written novel traces the course of a few eventful days in Clothilde Speer's life. The author has woven together her themes of love, war and loss, and it is miraculously convincing and moving," said PW. Ages 9-13. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Clothilde Speer's life is falling apart. Her father, the son of a wealthy and proper Boston family, enlists in World War I, only to return disfigured in body and soul. He moves to the boathouse of their Maine property and refuses to see anyone. Clothilde's mother, too, is changing in dark and unsettling ways. She fires Lou, the family servant and Clothilde's only friend. Miserable, confused, adrift, Clothilde wanders deep into the Maine woods, where she hears a Voice, a Voice that can grant all her wishes -- but at a very dear price. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689835272
• ISBN-13: 978-0689835278
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,227,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, both part of the beloved Tillerman Cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle-grade and teen readers, including Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Jackaroo. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives in Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tree by Leaf, April 4, 2003

By 

penelope11 (Massachusetts, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tree By Leaf (Paperback)

Tree by Leaf by Cynthia Voigt is about a girl named Clothilde Speer who lives on a peninsula in Maine that she owns. Her father has returned from the war (World War 1) disfigured and so ashamed because of it that he retreats to the boathouse and refuses to see his family. Her older brother Nate has gone to Boston to live with their rich grandfather. Her mother has assumed the role of a "lady" and refuses to do any work, and since their hired girl is leaving, that leaves Clothilde to do all the work. She's very upset, but then she hears a mysterious Voice out in the woods that talks to her and seems to be coming from the air. It asks her what she wants most, and she tells it. She figures that she just dreamed the whole thing. But then the things that Clothilde wished for start to come true, in horrible ways that she never meant to happen. Can Clothilde fix the damage that she has done? Will the Voice ever come back to explain itself? This book was good, but it was a bit confusing at times. I mean, a Voice coming from the trees and the air? But despite that it was pretty good.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be Careful What You Wish For, October 29, 2005

By 

Reviewer (North American Continent) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tree By Leaf (Paperback)

Clothilde is a girl who lives in Maine in 1920. After her father comes home from the war disfigured and she has all these other problems on the home front, Clothilde takes a walk in the woods where she thinks she hears a voice telling her to share her wishes. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for is what I think the point of this story is, but I'm not sure. This book is just okay, but not great.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What's the point?, September 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tree By Leaf (Paperback)

This tells the story of a girl in the years after World War I. Clotilde is a rather unlikable heroine. She has reason to be moody and dark however -- her father has come home from the war disfigured, her mother has withdrawn to be "ladylike", her brother has betrayed her family and gone back to his grandfather who is filthy rich, her best friend is fired from her job as maid. A mysterious Voice offers Clotilde the answers to her wishes. I'm still trying to figure out the point of this story. Most of Voight's other books seem to have points, this one just wanders around and nothing really is resolved at the end.