The Perfect Tree

by Kenneth S. Harris

Blake Kiser is a 12-year-old boy who has given up his latest summer to help out more around the farm. It's not like he has much else to do though—his best friend, Matt, has moved away, leaving Blake more alone than ever, until Greta arrives. Gretchen Wills is a bit of an oddity, who stands out even more in the quiet country town of Hemingford, like a firefly in a dark basement. But like every firefly, shine too bright and you're bound to get caught.

Blake shows Greta some of Hemingford's local color, including the old Bradley House—a house every kid in Hemingford believes to be haunted. They are enthralled by the broken-down shack and the eerie tales that surround it—stories of the man who used to live there. But they find something much more concrete than ghosts waiting within: a crude man who becomes a very unlikely friend. But as wicked crimes are committed throughout the rural community, Blake witnesses the quiet town of Hemingford transform into something ugly he doesn't recognize—and suddenly, childish fears of ghosts and monsters seem irrelevant in the wake of true, tangible danger.

The Perfect Tree is a novel about trust, who you should and who you shouldn't, and the people who surprise you along the way. Truly, like nature, we all harbor the capacity for good, evil, and the various degrees in between.

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 24, 2012

About the author

Kenneth S. Harris has a B.A. in English. His passion for crafting fiction has led to the creation of his novels The Perfect Tree and Any Flavor Jellybeans but Black, and several short stories. He currently lives in Kentucky with his wife and three children.

"Writing is an escape and a celebration of life, much like reading," Kenneth says. "Story telling is an essential part of the world's traditions and evolution. Who humanity is 100 years from now will likely be defined (at least in part) by the stories we tell."

Visit Kenneth online at www.kennethscottharris.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ken_s_harris.

Reviews

[Taylor Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Tree is a ‘coming of age’ story. It captures the feelings of childhood perfectly—that stage in life when you’re still a kid, but you’re making the transition into the teenage years. The characters of Blake and Greta act and think like real children and I think this is what kept me so very intrigued. I love a book that portrays a child as a child, with child-like thoughts, not adult thoughts. It reminded me of my childhood; the innocence, the carefree days, and the first tender feelings of young love. The relationship between Blake and Greta is endearing. The Perfect Tree has a ‘feel’ to it, a certain ambiance that stayed with me after I finished the book. I know this is a somewhat cliché concept, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days afterwards.

In essence, the young characters are intrigued by a ‘haunted house’ said to be inhabited by a ghost. I assumed the book was going to be some kind of ghost story and I felt that tingly anticipation as my heart raced that little bit faster. Sorry, no spoilers! However, the characters soon find that there are many things in life that are worse than ghosts. The innocence of childhood ends and their eyes are ‘opened.’ I greatly enjoyed the book and it’s an easy five star rating. And the ending—well, the ending is AMAZING. I wanted more! I found myself daydreaming about what happened next. Again, no spoilers. You’ll have to read it! It’ll be worth your time.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully-written story set in rural America of two children who meet by chance. Blake has worked on his parents' farm all his life, while Greta has recently moved from the city. Both outcasts, they develop a close friendship. This coming of age story is written from the children's point of view, and the author manages to write their thoughts and feelings in such an open, honest way that you feel as if they are real people and not characters in a book.
Their childhood innocence is abruptly taken from them when a series of events overturns their lives, and they discover that they cannot always believe what they see. The narrative is so good that the reader feels the characters' delusion, anger, sadness and fear as the events develop. And there is a twist on the very last page that will shock you to your core, while leaving you to make up your own mind. Very clever.
This book is reminiscent of Stephen King's "Stand By Me", in the way that it evokes memories of your own childhood, forgotten friends, and daring escapades your parents never found out about.

[Heather Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read in a while. It really held my interest and I didn't want to put it down. I loved the way I saw the world through a child's eyes and felt as if I were right there with Blake and Greta. I liked how you can see that the world isn't all flowers and rainbows. The ending actually surprised me. Very good twist at the end. I won't spoil it and tell you how it turns out. ;) Overall, excellent read!

[Ben Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a story that will grip you, get this book.

I am not one normally to get drawn into a story but this one did the trick. You will find yourself growing to love the main character, Blake and Greta. With twists and turns every step of the way I was not able to put it done. I hope the author has other works in mind I can't wait to read them.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a couple of little inconsistencies that bothered me with this book. An unknown girl was at one point referred to as an unknown boy. The main character claimed he didn't have an aunt living in the area and then shortly after it's revealed that he does. Times to travel distances were more story (so certain events could happen after dark) -convenient than real - eg it took the two kids over 8 hours to walk to a house (they left at 7:30 am and arrived some time before dusk). They then walked home again in the dark in a shorter time frame. Next time they decided to ride to the house, but that took almost as long, but then it was later said that riding took 1.5 hrs and driving 20 minutes.

Apart from the inconsistencies, the story was well-written and engaging, although at times the story-line could be confronting.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading and couldn't stop. This is a coming of age, mystery, romance, thriller... I'm not sure what to call it except a captivating read. The characters are well written and complex. The story is constantly changing, but in a good way. You think you know what the whole story is, but you don't. I finished reading and the book kept me up a few hours after thinking about the story, the ending and that tree. That's unusual for a story to get to me that much. Just shows the prowess of the writer and quality of the book. Now I just need to get a friend to read it so we can talk about that ending!

[Natasha House · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts off in first person with a little girl who writes poetry and is encouraged by an elderly man to continue her writing.
Then one day he seems to disappear. Then it jumps to a separate character and further into the future with a little boy named Blake.
It takes you on twists and turns of this little boy’s life as he meets a girl, who’s his neighbor, and they become fast friends.
They encounter bullies, creepy houses, a man living an abandoned house and other normal type life stuff.
I really enjoyed this book! I don’t normally read a book that has no paranormal type stuff, but I really liked the perfect tree.
The beginning really captured my attention with the little girl and the elderly man. It did jog me for a second when it threw me into a
separate character since I was growing attached to the little girl already. As I read about Blake though, I soon got caught up in his story.
I really loved Gretta! She reminded me of myself with her wild crazy outfits. She had such a fun loving personality. Man I felt for the
characters as they encountered the bullies and some other events that really grabs you by the heart. I have to say one thing though,
the way it ended made me like “WHAT?!” Because I wanted to know what happened next. The way the author wrote was also very
unique. I felt like at times I was reading a book from the 1800’s, and then other times it felt very modern, and I really like that about it.
Some of the description was really creative too, but yet it still felt easy to read for me. The Perfect Tree is a great book! I was given this
book for free for an honest review.

[Tim Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I'm impressed. A good book, well written. I was blown away by the quality and accuracy of the first two chapters (from memory, certainly the first chapter). Writing was strong, use of language and flow very refreshing. I could see a lot of effort had been made to get these chapters flowing.
Like a child passing themselves of as a grown up, the book takes a similar transition not long after those opening scenes. We're in the heads of a 12 and 10 year old for the most part. Errors do then creep in a little (nothing that damages the story in any way, but the careful edit from the opening scenes has backed off somewhat here).
So it felt like the start of one book and the middles and ending of another.
Again, I enjoyed it and actually read it over just a few days. It's got 4 stars (a great rating!) because it was good. The opening section was 5 star for sure and couldn't tell where it was going but wanted to know more for sure!

Well done! More of the same please! (For me, more of those opening scene quality style books a bonus!)