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Blue: When Hiding Isn’t Safe Anymore
In a time of windstorms and wildfires, Blue is a huge tree growing in an ancient forest. Blue’s best friend is Maisie-Grace, a girl with a terrible, beautiful secret. Not only can Maisie talk to trees, she has dreams and visions that come true, a 'gift' she has to hide from everybody. One day, Maisie dreams of loggers coming to cut down her beloved forest. A series of events propels her from the woods, where she has been homeschooled her entire life, to a middle school she doesn’t know. There she makes unlikely friends with JAX, a paraplegic artist, and Macon, an animal-loving farm girl. The three girls venture into the forest where they get to know the trees, and eventually themselves. Can they save the forest from being silenced? Will Maisie-Grace come out of hiding and tell people all that she sees? Will she let them silence her, too?
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 28, 2025
1 person is currently reading
619 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Allen
5 books33 followersCaroline Allen worked in newsrooms in Tokyo, London, and Seattle, and as a travel writer through Asia. She is now a novelist and visual artist who lives in Oregon. She is the founder of Art of Storytelling, a coaching service for writers.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 18, 2025
I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.
BLUE is a giant tree growing deep within an ancient forest. Maisie-Grace is her best friend; an almost 12 year old young girl who is going to attend public school for the first time. She has a gift that is disturbing to herself and others - dreams that come true. If that’s not enough, she talks to trees and other plant life AND…they whisper back to her; animals too.
BLUE:WHEN HIDING ISN’T SAFE ANY MORE isn’t an example of magical realism or fantasy, IMO. It’s YA metaphysical fiction with strong scientific themes. Science themes include: forestry, climate change, weather, plants, entomology, ornithology and the sustainability of all these.
Maisie-Grace is Bohemian in style, metaphysical in heart, mind and spirit; not your typical middle school student. Her foray into public school is fraught with stress and challenges that when added to the impending disaster she recently dreamed, MG is on overload. Her mom is an artist with an extremely sensitive spirit, her ex-bestie is in her class at school and is harboring anger from an old dream that came true while a new friend is trying to lend support; so much angst.
Author, Caroline Allen, uses single voices in each chapter. Included and starting with: Blue, (the giant tree), Maisie-Grace, Macon and JAX, (her friends from school). It works wonderfully as a way to develop the characters and advance the story. I love stories where characters grow and change and this book is full of them.
MG and her friend, Macon, experience a lot of bullying in school and out. The parental response is miserable which is why I deducted a star. Both girls are strong of spirit and rise above the ignorance making for good examples to young readers. Parents and educators should be aware of the content for warning purposes. Additionally, mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, death of a parent, serious injury from an accident and of course, destruction of a forest, are potential triggers.
A challenging read for advanced Middle School students📚
Read and Reviewed from a GoodReads GiveAway, with thanks.
BLUE is a giant tree growing deep within an ancient forest. Maisie-Grace is her best friend; an almost 12 year old young girl who is going to attend public school for the first time. She has a gift that is disturbing to herself and others - dreams that come true. If that’s not enough, she talks to trees and other plant life AND…they whisper back to her; animals too.
BLUE:WHEN HIDING ISN’T SAFE ANY MORE isn’t an example of magical realism or fantasy, IMO. It’s YA metaphysical fiction with strong scientific themes. Science themes include: forestry, climate change, weather, plants, entomology, ornithology and the sustainability of all these.
Maisie-Grace is Bohemian in style, metaphysical in heart, mind and spirit; not your typical middle school student. Her foray into public school is fraught with stress and challenges that when added to the impending disaster she recently dreamed, MG is on overload. Her mom is an artist with an extremely sensitive spirit, her ex-bestie is in her class at school and is harboring anger from an old dream that came true while a new friend is trying to lend support; so much angst.
Author, Caroline Allen, uses single voices in each chapter. Included and starting with: Blue, (the giant tree), Maisie-Grace, Macon and JAX, (her friends from school). It works wonderfully as a way to develop the characters and advance the story. I love stories where characters grow and change and this book is full of them.
MG and her friend, Macon, experience a lot of bullying in school and out. The parental response is miserable which is why I deducted a star. Both girls are strong of spirit and rise above the ignorance making for good examples to young readers. Parents and educators should be aware of the content for warning purposes. Additionally, mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, death of a parent, serious injury from an accident and of course, destruction of a forest, are potential triggers.
A challenging read for advanced Middle School students📚
Read and Reviewed from a GoodReads GiveAway, with thanks.
June 3, 2025
Blue by Caroline Allen—an Enchanting and Profound Tale of Connection, Courage, and Compassion
I am fortunate to live in an area surrounded by trees and the many creatures who dwell among them. They are not my possessions but my neighbors—beings with whom I share this space and for whom I feel a deep sense of responsibility. Yet, so often, trees are viewed as little more than oxygen-producing stumps—wood, leaves, and limbs—stripped of their complexity and significance. This limited perspective is not only reductive but also dangerous.
Caroline Allen’s novel, Blue, challenges this narrow view with a poignant and magical story that reveals the rich, interconnected lives of trees and their silent, often overlooked wisdom. Grounded in scientific truths—such as the remarkable fungal networks trees use to communicate—Allen weaves an imaginative narrative around Maise-Grace, a 12-year-old girl who can hear and speak with trees, especially one she names Blue.
Maise’s gift is extraordinary, yet her life is anything but easy. She struggles with intense social anxiety, a crushing fear of abandonment, and the emotional weight of a mother battling clinical depression. Her intuitive bond with the forest becomes both sanctuary and source of strength as she navigates these internal storms.
But Maise’s world, as a Seer who can ‘read and converse’ with people, plants, and others, and a “dreamer’ who sees events unfold before others, is a complicated one, especially set against a society that barely reads books, much less listens to their fellow human beings. I loved a particular passage in the book where Maise confronts her English teacher, asking, “What if you see lots of things and you try to say them and nobody will listen?... I guess what I mean is, do other people also dream things that come true?”
Poor Maise wants to know she fits in, that she is not alone, and that her gifts, which she considers curses, are not a burden only she bears. But it was her teacher’s response that I thought poignant.
“Yes!” He holds the book in both hands toward Maise, as if making an offering. (a copy of a paperback from a stack of falling down paperbacks on the other side of his desk) “Artists and writers see what others cannot see all the time! Many of them dream their books, dream their characters. I believe books are as real as anything else in the world. They’re able to write about everything they see and give it to people to read. So, yes, I do believe in dreams; I do believe they can come true. And I do believe there are people out there who can shout them from the rooftop even when most people won’t listen!”
Blue is not just a tale of magical realism; it is also a mirror held up to society. Allen masterfully exposes the contradiction of a world that claims to honor beauty and life while simultaneously plundering and destroying its most sacred elements. The story gently but firmly reminds us of our collective responsibility—to tread lightly, to live with awareness, and to protect the vulnerable, whether human or not.
Although written for a young audience, Blue resonates with readers of all ages. It carries a message with the power to awaken a more profound sense of stewardship and empathy. Through Maise-Grace’s quiet courage, readers are invited to imagine a world where compassion, understanding, and interconnectedness are guiding values.
I purchased this beautiful book for my grandchildren because I believe in the transformative power of storytelling. Through shared stories like Blue, we pass on wisdom, nurture empathy, and help the next generation walk through the world not as exploiters, not as pillagers, but as protectors.
Caroline Allen has written more than a children's book—she has offered us an extraordinary, soul-searching, yet gentle call to action, wrapped in the voice of a brave young girl and the whisper of trees.
I am fortunate to live in an area surrounded by trees and the many creatures who dwell among them. They are not my possessions but my neighbors—beings with whom I share this space and for whom I feel a deep sense of responsibility. Yet, so often, trees are viewed as little more than oxygen-producing stumps—wood, leaves, and limbs—stripped of their complexity and significance. This limited perspective is not only reductive but also dangerous.
Caroline Allen’s novel, Blue, challenges this narrow view with a poignant and magical story that reveals the rich, interconnected lives of trees and their silent, often overlooked wisdom. Grounded in scientific truths—such as the remarkable fungal networks trees use to communicate—Allen weaves an imaginative narrative around Maise-Grace, a 12-year-old girl who can hear and speak with trees, especially one she names Blue.
Maise’s gift is extraordinary, yet her life is anything but easy. She struggles with intense social anxiety, a crushing fear of abandonment, and the emotional weight of a mother battling clinical depression. Her intuitive bond with the forest becomes both sanctuary and source of strength as she navigates these internal storms.
But Maise’s world, as a Seer who can ‘read and converse’ with people, plants, and others, and a “dreamer’ who sees events unfold before others, is a complicated one, especially set against a society that barely reads books, much less listens to their fellow human beings. I loved a particular passage in the book where Maise confronts her English teacher, asking, “What if you see lots of things and you try to say them and nobody will listen?... I guess what I mean is, do other people also dream things that come true?”
Poor Maise wants to know she fits in, that she is not alone, and that her gifts, which she considers curses, are not a burden only she bears. But it was her teacher’s response that I thought poignant.
“Yes!” He holds the book in both hands toward Maise, as if making an offering. (a copy of a paperback from a stack of falling down paperbacks on the other side of his desk) “Artists and writers see what others cannot see all the time! Many of them dream their books, dream their characters. I believe books are as real as anything else in the world. They’re able to write about everything they see and give it to people to read. So, yes, I do believe in dreams; I do believe they can come true. And I do believe there are people out there who can shout them from the rooftop even when most people won’t listen!”
Blue is not just a tale of magical realism; it is also a mirror held up to society. Allen masterfully exposes the contradiction of a world that claims to honor beauty and life while simultaneously plundering and destroying its most sacred elements. The story gently but firmly reminds us of our collective responsibility—to tread lightly, to live with awareness, and to protect the vulnerable, whether human or not.
Although written for a young audience, Blue resonates with readers of all ages. It carries a message with the power to awaken a more profound sense of stewardship and empathy. Through Maise-Grace’s quiet courage, readers are invited to imagine a world where compassion, understanding, and interconnectedness are guiding values.
I purchased this beautiful book for my grandchildren because I believe in the transformative power of storytelling. Through shared stories like Blue, we pass on wisdom, nurture empathy, and help the next generation walk through the world not as exploiters, not as pillagers, but as protectors.
Caroline Allen has written more than a children's book—she has offered us an extraordinary, soul-searching, yet gentle call to action, wrapped in the voice of a brave young girl and the whisper of trees.
May 1, 2025
I finished Blue and I had to sit in the quiet for a bit afterward, heart full and eyes swollen. As a 36 yr. old woman who has loved trees like old friends for as long as I can remember, this book hit me somewhere ancient and tender. I was Maisie-Grace once... and in many ways, I still am her.
Caroline Allen captures something rare and sacred here - the soul-deep bond some of us feel with the natural world. Maisie’s connection to the trees, her dreams, her overwhelm in the chaos of middle school... it was all so familiar. I felt seen in a way I didn’t know I still needed. Her pain when the forest is threatened, her determination to protect what’s left, her softness in a world that demands hard edges - it was like watching my childhood heart walk around on the page.
I cried. Ugly cried, beautiful cried... Not just from sadness, but from that ache you get when a story feels like it was written just for you.
And yet, this book isn't just for the nature lovers who never outgrew their magic. It’s also a story for the next generation, which is why I handed it off to my middle schooler the second I finished. Because I want them to feel it too - to know that softness is strength, and that loving something fiercely is a gift, not a burden.
This wasn’t just a good read. It was a healing one. A reminder. A return to me.
Caroline Allen captures something rare and sacred here - the soul-deep bond some of us feel with the natural world. Maisie’s connection to the trees, her dreams, her overwhelm in the chaos of middle school... it was all so familiar. I felt seen in a way I didn’t know I still needed. Her pain when the forest is threatened, her determination to protect what’s left, her softness in a world that demands hard edges - it was like watching my childhood heart walk around on the page.
I cried. Ugly cried, beautiful cried... Not just from sadness, but from that ache you get when a story feels like it was written just for you.
And yet, this book isn't just for the nature lovers who never outgrew their magic. It’s also a story for the next generation, which is why I handed it off to my middle schooler the second I finished. Because I want them to feel it too - to know that softness is strength, and that loving something fiercely is a gift, not a burden.
This wasn’t just a good read. It was a healing one. A reminder. A return to me.
May 10, 2025
This was a beautiful story. I was rooting for Blue and Maisie. I loved the friendships and I loved the emotional journey. I thought this was well written and I think my granddaughter will enjoy it as well.
March 16, 2025
Caroline Allen's book Blue is a beautiful story that weaves a mystical and realistic tale for and about young people, although I loved it so much and I'm 62 years old! The characters are so real, and I particularly loved Maisie-Grace, who does what her heart urges her to do and stands up for Mother Earth. Her bravery and sense of not belonging becomes part of the roadmap to her true self, and it's all such a perfect encouragement for all of us, including those of us who are no longer young. Blue is full of wonderful descriptions and characters who don't seem like characters at all since they are so alive. Highly recommend this beautifully written book.
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March 17, 2025Blue: When Hiding Isn't Safe Anymore is rich. It's rich in characters, rich in story line, rich in wisdom and rich in compassion for that space we all encounter...uncertainty and fear. Caroline's writing is lyrical and many layered while remaining easily accessible.
Her grasp of the teenage experience is excellent. Her understanding of the struggle to incorporate the unseen world into "everyday" life is excellent as well.
Whatever age you are at this moment, this is well worth the read! Support, understanding and compassion for the real struggle of being our true selves abounds. Lisa Cooper
Her grasp of the teenage experience is excellent. Her understanding of the struggle to incorporate the unseen world into "everyday" life is excellent as well.
Whatever age you are at this moment, this is well worth the read! Support, understanding and compassion for the real struggle of being our true selves abounds. Lisa Cooper
March 20, 2025
I just finished Blue, and I already want to read it again. I found layers of wisdom in its pages, feeling part of myself in each of the characters, even though they are much younger than I. I love how their stories unfold independently and together, and the entire work is so beautifully written, as if each sentence is its own painting, with image, color and meaning, leaving an impact that unfolds over time. I will be thinking about Maisie Grace, Jax, Macon and Blue for days to come as I walk through the world, noticing and communing with people, animals and trees. And I will be asking myself—what can I do?
March 17, 2025
This book is a love story, one between a girl and a tree, but also one between humans and the earth. The language is beautiful, mystical and poetic. It is a page turner, and the adventure Maisie-Grace is called upon to undertake is remarkable, heartbreaking, and yet ultimately triumphant. She is forced to enter the world in order to try to bring her visions to others. It calls us all to see ourselves as part of a much larger web of life, one where other lives matter as much as ours do, as in the end we are all intertwined.
We do not often see it, but being intertwined this way means we need the other creatures of the earth, but they also need us, and this is an age old story between living beings on the planet, and one that we have almost entirely forgotten.
"Blue" tells the story of a girl who sees visions, who does not think in the pre-set, linear way we are conditioned to think. She sees trees as beings, and she can communicate with them. These visions are not welcome. They make her life complicated, almost impossible. Despite the challenges she encounters trying to make her way in the world, she discovers a strength deep within that she comes to realize is the gift she can give back to the trees, and to the earth. She wants to give us our story back.
Highly recommended! This is not just a mid-grade book, but a must read for all ages.
We do not often see it, but being intertwined this way means we need the other creatures of the earth, but they also need us, and this is an age old story between living beings on the planet, and one that we have almost entirely forgotten.
"Blue" tells the story of a girl who sees visions, who does not think in the pre-set, linear way we are conditioned to think. She sees trees as beings, and she can communicate with them. These visions are not welcome. They make her life complicated, almost impossible. Despite the challenges she encounters trying to make her way in the world, she discovers a strength deep within that she comes to realize is the gift she can give back to the trees, and to the earth. She wants to give us our story back.
Highly recommended! This is not just a mid-grade book, but a must read for all ages.
December 15, 2025
Recently reading in bed, I was moved to tears as I finished BLUE. It was so deeply moving. Thank you, Caroline, so much for the work you do and share in the world. It so touches me.
The book helps me deepen into the appreciation of where I live in Maine in the woods. It helps shift my perception of my life here. There are so many different layers wrapped up in BLUE, and it works on so many levels as a metaphor for my own life. I am now more determined to come home to myself and let the creative juices flow.
Thank for being a light on my path. Thank you for writing such a beautiful book for young minds to take in and be influenced by, as I’m, too, on this journey of healing this young piece of me. It was so beautiful to spend a morning being so moved by your writing. I can’t wait to read your next book!
The book helps me deepen into the appreciation of where I live in Maine in the woods. It helps shift my perception of my life here. There are so many different layers wrapped up in BLUE, and it works on so many levels as a metaphor for my own life. I am now more determined to come home to myself and let the creative juices flow.
Thank for being a light on my path. Thank you for writing such a beautiful book for young minds to take in and be influenced by, as I’m, too, on this journey of healing this young piece of me. It was so beautiful to spend a morning being so moved by your writing. I can’t wait to read your next book!
August 24, 2025
The story of ‘Blue’ is truly magical and incredibly sweet. While reading it, I found myself transported back to my own childhood, brought face to face with a younger, more playful version of myself. The journey of Blue gently opened my heart, allowing me to reconnect with my inner child at a time when I needed it most. This beautiful story offered both comfort and hope, reminding me of the importance of imagination and self-compassion during challenging times.
August 21, 2025
A magical coming of age story about Maisie Grace, a girl who can talk to trees and sees visions of the future. When she dreams that loggers will destroy her beloved forest, she teams up with two new friends to find her voice, embrace her gift, and fight to save the woods.
July 12, 2025
While this book might be written for teens, I am certainly not, yet it spoke volumes to me. It was such a pleasant surprise to find parts of me in each of the characters in this book. The experiences and thoughts shared seemed familiar to me, and that brought comfort and peace to some of my longings put away. I read it slowly and reflectively. It helped to untangled with clarity hidden places within me that are being called out because it was no longer safe anymore to hide or deny them in my life. Although Maise-Grace is a child, she helped my inner child find her way and be brave, because if Maise could do it, so can I. And as Maise did it, so did the people around her in their own way. This to me was inspiring and encouraging! It's time to step out and it times to invite others to join. What a delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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