The Strange Wonder of Roots

Giffith, Evan. The Strange Wonder of Roots
May 28, 2024 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Holly's father is an actor who will travel wherever he needs to go for a part, and her mother and stepfather are taking a cruise. Since there is nowhere else for Holly to go, she is sent to live with her Uncle Vincent for the summer in his small town of Arden Vermont. Uncle Vincent is gay, and has created a strong community for himself in the town, where he runs a bookstore. Holly is a voracious reader who has recently become obsessed with trees, so when she sees that the local Arden grove is supposed to be torn down to make room for the expansion of the local plastic factory that employs most of the residents, she is ready to support her Uncle with his efforts to save it. In her journeys, she meets Lionel, a boy her age is is willing to help out, and the two spend a lot of time meeting with the quirky residents of the town, which include a pet massage business owner. They do a lot of research in the newspaper archives, and find out that the Madisons, who own the plastics factory, destroyed a large part of an Arden forest to build the first factory, which is why there are so few remaining trees. The trees are not doing well, and when Holly contacts scientists, she manages to convince some to come and study what might be killing the trees. She and Lionel also find that there was as Arden festival, last held in 1958, and plan to resurrect it. It's a lot of work, and when Holly finds out secrets about one of her collaborators, and a local newspaper attacks her for causing trouble even though she is not from Arden, she's ready to go back home to her mother. Will she be able to put down her own roots as well as save the grove?
Strengths: As someone who owned a copy of a tree identification book until the glue petrified and all the pages fell out, I'm a big fan of students who want to study and identify trees. Holly's life has been full of moves and separation, so it is understandable that she would enjoy becoming part of the life of a small, quirky town, especially since her uncle is a constant and reassuring presence. I'm also a fan of Kids Doing Things, so Holly's attempts to save the grove, and her measured and sensible approach to research and organizing, definitely appealed to me. There is a good amount of scientific information about trees, and the environmental message is strong. Lionel is a good foil for Holly's activities, and his presence also adds an element of surprise to the plot. Secondary characters are well developed and engaging, and add some fun and quirkiness to the Arden setting.
Weaknesses: This was a bit on the slow side, and I got distracted by Holly's prescription toothpaste that her mother had sent to her. I felt like I was missing more backstory about that small element. 

What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed this author's Manatee Summer,  Guillory's Nowhere Better Than Here, Helget's The End of the Wild, King's Me and Marvin Gardens, or McDunn's When Sea Becomes Sky.