Windfall

by Sara Cassidy

Life is full of challenges for thirteen-year-old Liza. She is already having trouble coping with the death of a local homeless man when she learns that her family's apple tree will need to be chopped down. If that wasn't enough, the new principal at school keeps blocking her attempts for a positive outlet by refusing permission for every project that GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) and BRRR! (Boys for Renewable Resources, Really!) proposes. Liza starts to feel like she needs to create change in her world without seeking permission. When she chooses the school grounds as the site for her latest endeavor, she may have gone too far.

Genres: Young Adult, Middle Grade

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Sara Cassidy is an award-winning Canadian author of 20 acclaimed books for children and teens. Her early novel GENIUS JOLENE won the 2020 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. Her middle-grade novel NEVERS was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award in Young People's Literature and the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. Two novels appeared on Kirkus's Best Middle Grade Books of 2018 and 2016: THE GREAT GOOGLINI and A BOY NAMED QUEEN.

She is the author of the highly praised picture book FLOCK, and the wordless graphic novels KUNOICHI BUNNY and HELEN'S BIRDS, a 2021 Canadian selection for the Silent Books Collection (IBBY). Her board books include I MAKE SPACE, about creating boundaries, THE SUN IS A PEACH and THE MOON IS A SILVER POND, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Sara lives on Vancouver Island and loves to visit classrooms over Zoom/Skype/Teams. sarascassidy@gmail.com

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet short novel about dealing with loss, many different types of loss as it be in this book. Liza a young girl and her two younger brothers are called into their mothers room early one morning to be told that Richard is dead. Richard was the homeless person that sat on the bench in the park that they walked by everyday on their way to school. He was a friendly and nice man, never asking for anything, but who taught many people many things inadvertently. That evening Liza and her friend sit in the apple tree in Liza’s backyard only to have the tree house fall from the tree with the two of them in it. Before Liza knew it things were falling apart all around her. She did not know how to deal with Richard’s death and was suddenly angry at him at his funeral and was confused by how others acted or reacted to his death and funeral. She often wondered why no one was sad or angry and seemed to go about their normal lives to quickly. With the family apple tree she was upset at the news that it had to be taken down due to it being sick. She felt so lost. She ended up talking with the minister that was at Richard’s funeral and found out about need and necessity and hunger. How we should give what we have if we don’t need it, that is why he put out boxes of apples from his tree for everyone to enjoy as he could not eat or use them all on his own. Liza learned from the Imogen, the arborist, that there were guerilla gardeners everywhere turning unused soil and land into flower gardens or food gardens all over Vancouver and the world. Imogen took Liza around with her to show her gardeners and how they kept the world sustainable. Liza empowered by these people and her losses needed to do something, but what she was not sure. Sitting in class one day she saw the school groundskeeper digging up the ground, she later found and asked him what he was doing, he advised that the grass was overtaken by weeds that he could not get under control so he had to dig up the ground and was going to reseed it with grass soon again. Liza had the sudden idea to be a guerilla gardener, but needed to ask GRRR!, Girls for Renewable Resources Really!, and BRRR!, Boys for Renewable Resources Really!, for help. With the help of Imogen and the two groups they set to work on the garden late one night. The next morning her mother got a call from the principle and wanted a meeting with everyone that was involved. Liza and the groups stood by their decision, even though they were refused permission, tv crews and newspapers came to cover the story. The school board called the principle to advise the trees and garden were to stay, but everyone had to help out with it. Liza had finally been able to do more than just for herself, she was helping others and teaching as well. She felt better about the apple tree, and about Richard’s death, she found a way to cope with losing both.

I thought this was a sweet novel about loss on different levels and the courage to stand up and do something right not only for yourself but for the environment as well. Everyone deals with death in a different way and having the garden and apple trees available for all helped her deal with the deaths in her life. Sometimes doing the right things means doing something wrong to get the right thing done. We must remember that, to stand up for what we believe in and to do whatever it takes. In this case standing up for the environment and using gardening as a way of healing.

[KyBunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a Good Reads First Read contest win.

This is a very short book only 117 pages but it is such a wonderful book. This is a young adult / teen book but it is something everyone can learn from.



The girls from GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) is a group of young teenage girls that is trying to make a difference in life. Liza is trying to cope with the needless death of a local homeless man while dealing with everyday problems.

I hope some teenage girls reads this book and decides to try and help make a change. The author has wrote a wonderful book. This is the second book in the Orca Currents series.

The bunnies and I give this book 4-Carrots.

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some good points in this book meant for grade 5 readers but overall there was too much preachy dialogue and messages that often popped onto a page and had what? to do with the storyline which was atoning or doing something in memory of a homeless man recently deceased in Liza's neighbourhood plus doing something good in the recent demise of the family's very old apple tree with an interesting lineage plus doing something eco friendly at their lackluster public school (and that meant a bunch of kids stealing in the dead of night to plant apple trees in a swath of newly dug earth on school property--'why use it for stupid grass when we can grow things for food for people?')
So, yes, a big fleshy storyline/s in just 117 pages.
A book with a definite slant, all eco warrior (oil companies bad, cell phones will kill, etc) and social justice (Guatemala got into the picture) and living product free/grow your own for a year goodness.
A book that seemed to be making a statement and a 13 year old main character who was by turns very naive then very articulate. Guerilla justice encouraged.
I'm all for working for and living in an environment and community that encourages picking up trash, sorting collectibles, living within one's means and creating a smaller footprint but Windfall smacks of hardcore stuff, stuff that is the right way and everyone else is on the wrong side.
And, yes, a book meant for grade five readers.

[Sheri Radford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quirky novel, with a bit of a disjointed feel, but it's also an unusual and compelling story, sure to get reluctant readers turning pages.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve all been there… we see a homeless person on the street and we become uncomfortable. To see someone in such a sad state should cause us to lend a helping hand, but rarely is that the case. Most of us would rather cross the street than walk near the homeless, a sad, but true fact. In our world, there are many dangers, and unfortunately, strangers and the homeless tend to be feared in our society. Windfall is unique in that is in a fictional book dealing with the death of a homeless man, Richard, and its effect on the children and families that live in the area. Liza questions her nonchalant attitude toward the homeless and ultimately comes of age through Richard’s untimely death as she decides to give back to society. While an explicitly environmental novel, I think many middle grade students will enjoy this novel, and hopefully be inspired to give back to the community and take care of the environment at the same time...

To read my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol17/no39... for a review!

[Ariel's Booklist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly, this was quite an insightful read despite how short it was. The way the author handled death and grief through the eyes of young Liza was poetic and relatable. Highly recommend.