A TREE WORTH READING

THE DRAGON TREE by Jane Langton is not about dragons. This is the story about a family of free-thinkers, an evil tree inspector, and a girl kept captive in an attic. You would think that these things would have absolutely nothing to do with each other. But they are all brought together by a magical tree that grows foot by foot in a matter of minutes, with leaves that tell stories and fruit that feeds body and mind. It's a quick read for a chapter book, with a lot of excitement and some political activism thrown in for your reading pleasure. Plus, you get to learn a little bit about Henry David Thoreau. A great read for 4th grade and up.