The Boy in the Tree - Lisa Thompson - ★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Lisa Thompson

GENRE: Middle-grade Fiction.

PUBLICATION DATE: May 8, 2025.

RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fiction about a troublemaker who tries to save a tree. A good story, but some minor issues stopped it from being great. I liked the ending though, and the illustrations are excellent. This book would be a nice option for classroom discussions. Do note that one of the key themes might be upsetting to some children.

Plot Preview:

Twelve-year-old Noah is going through a tough time at home as his parents are on the verge of splitting up. He rebels at school and resorts to mischief, which gets him in further trouble. So when he suddenly decides to assist Grace, the goodie-goodie girl of the school, in saving an old oak tree that the council is planning to cut down for a road widening project, even Grace doesn’t trust his motives and sudden change of heart. But Noah has his secret reasons for wanting to help, and he decides to sit atop the tree until the council changes its mind. After all, no one will fell a tree with a boy in it. Or will they?

The story comes to us in Noah’s first-person perspective.

As with many Barrington Stoke books, this book covers several impactful themes without sugarcoating them. This story includes a problematic couple who don’t hesitate to fight in front of their son, and the resultant impact on the child’s mental health. At the same time, Noah doesn’t show much remorse in defacing school property, or bunking classes, or indulging in other reckless conduct. Grace should have been the positive counterfoil to Noah, but she too comes with her own flaws, always being quick to judge him based on his earlier actions. All put together, this becomes a difficult book to rate. It is true to life, but it makes me wonder if I want young children to read stories with such grey characters who don’t get much comeuppance for their misbehaviour.

The struggles faced by Noah are quite relatable. Noah has a good heart but it's like he can't stop himself from getting in trouble. Unfortunately, we get the narration in his limited first-person POV, which isn’t always on the right side, so it is tougher to notice the flaws in his attitude. I think the book would work better in classroom discussions as Noah’s (and Grace’s) behaviour might be analysed in the right light under the guidance of varying viewpoints.

There is a lot of sadness in this tale. While I didn’t always like Noah’s behaviour, I did feel sorry for him. This story depicts marital stress and parental bitterness in an overly honest manner. The fights between the parents are quite extreme, and might be distressing to kids going through similar conditions at home. That’s why I like that the book’s ending shows the parents explaining to Noah why they might be a happier family when not living together. This was my favourite part of the story, and hopefully, it makes little readers going through the same issues realise that accepting change and moving forward is sometimes the best way. Not everything can be saved easily.

The parts of the story connected to nature were quite good. The importance of saving trees and not sacrificing greenery for modern amenities is an important topic for today’s generation, and the story brings out the importance of activism well. It is, of course, at a very simplistic level, but it works for an MG-level book. I liked how Noah went prepared for his stay in the tree instead of jumping into the decision blindly. Then again, he left his house in the wee hours of the morning without his parents’ permission and without letting them know of his plans – not acceptable!

The vocabulary is quite easy. Written in Hi-Lo language, the content of the book is accessible to youngsters with the reading age of 8+, though it is targeted at slightly older middle-graders.

The story is peppered with some wonderful B&W illustrations. The sketches added much to the story, even in terms of context. (Grace, for example, is a Black girl, but we see this only in the illustrations as the text doesn’t describe her appearance.)

All in all, this is a good enough middle-grade book, but the idea that the protagonist gets away with a lot of questionable behaviour didn’t make me comfortable. Plus, the parents’ aggressive behaviour towards each other should probably come with a content warning.

This is my first book by this prolific children’s author, and I did like it, but not so much as to blow me away. Fingers crossed that my next attempt of her work goes much better.

Recommended for classroom discussions on importance of urban greenery, activism, acceptance of change, and knowing when to resist. It might also work well in counselling centres.

My thanks to Barrington Stoke for providing the DRC of “The Boy in the Tree” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.