What do you think?
Rate this book
WOOD: Taller, Older, Wiser
Patrick Wood is a boy with privacy needs. Robert is the tree that provides him with shade. The pair communicate via treemail and a partnership is forged - Thousands of leaves releasing oxygen and one small nose exhaling carbon dioxide.At home Patrick retreats to his birdwatching ‘HQ’ (A converted garden shed). He’s aware that grown-ups want him to be someone else - perfect Pat Wonderwood - not timid Woodmouse as he’s known. The pressure is on to make friends and mix more.
Enter Charlie Fairfield, blackmailer and budding den-builder, and Natalie Jackson, inventor of the bonkers bird code. Things get complicated for Patrick when these two invade the shade beneath the oak tree. Human relationships are hard work, but the biggest challenge comes when Charlie’s mum, Stella, identifies Patrick’s beloved tree as a health and safety hazard.
Robert, the magnificent Quercus robur, must be removed.
Can Patrick come out of his shell to save Robert? Can he rebel and break rules? Can he join forces with Charlie and Natalie and stage a protest? Robert thinks he can.
Enter Charlie Fairfield, blackmailer and budding den-builder, and Natalie Jackson, inventor of the bonkers bird code. Things get complicated for Patrick when these two invade the shade beneath the oak tree. Human relationships are hard work, but the biggest challenge comes when Charlie’s mum, Stella, identifies Patrick’s beloved tree as a health and safety hazard.
Robert, the magnificent Quercus robur, must be removed.
Can Patrick come out of his shell to save Robert? Can he rebel and break rules? Can he join forces with Charlie and Natalie and stage a protest? Robert thinks he can.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2025
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Tanya Turner
1 bookWOOD Taller, Older, Wiser has been shortlisted in the 9+ age category of the SPARK! Book Awards 2026.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 31, 2026
I really loved reading this odd, warm little book. I knew nothing about it- it’s one of the Spark Book Awards shortlisted books- but I was instantly drawn in. I can totally see why the panel chose it: at 170 pages, it’s really accessible but it also has so much to it: humour, conflict, complex characters, a race-against-time, and some serious emotional heft! I’m so interested to see how the kids respond to it.
Patrick Wood is a shy boy (and probably neurodivergent). He’s thought of as a loner, but has a friend called Robert, who he talks to, empathises with, and protects. The problem (as others see it)? Robert is an oak tree.
Patrick feels like a let down for his parents; he imagines they’d much rather live with his (imagined) alter ego, Pat Wonderwood, who is gregarious and can turn his hand to anything. His parents worry, and try to push Patrick out of his comfort zone. No-one can blame him for wanting a calm, undemanding ally to shelter under.
Circumstances lead to Patrick being thrust into new social relationships with Charlie and Natalie. All three of the children have issues to overcome: Charlie is impulsive and can be cruel, but is largely misunderstood. Natalie is a dreamer and has just moved to the area, where the cold reality of fitting in has hit hard. Being sociable is very difficult for Patrick- will he find the benefit of branching out?
It’s a story about community and friendship, about looking after each other and our environment. It’s about having the faith to send your roots further to increase your network, and the benefits of an ecosystem.
Wood has a surreality to it brought through the ‘magic’ of nature. Robert means a lot to Patrick and has had an impact on others’ lives too. Is Robert’s sentience and sapience real or just the product of vivid, and hopeful, imaginations?
I found some of the revelations about the past towards the end a bit of a stretch (the talking tree, I was fine with 😆). But, ultimately, they were still in keeping with the weird wonderfulness of the rest of the book. A cracking read that I perhaps wouldn’t have seen if not for Spark!
Patrick Wood is a shy boy (and probably neurodivergent). He’s thought of as a loner, but has a friend called Robert, who he talks to, empathises with, and protects. The problem (as others see it)? Robert is an oak tree.
Patrick feels like a let down for his parents; he imagines they’d much rather live with his (imagined) alter ego, Pat Wonderwood, who is gregarious and can turn his hand to anything. His parents worry, and try to push Patrick out of his comfort zone. No-one can blame him for wanting a calm, undemanding ally to shelter under.
Circumstances lead to Patrick being thrust into new social relationships with Charlie and Natalie. All three of the children have issues to overcome: Charlie is impulsive and can be cruel, but is largely misunderstood. Natalie is a dreamer and has just moved to the area, where the cold reality of fitting in has hit hard. Being sociable is very difficult for Patrick- will he find the benefit of branching out?
It’s a story about community and friendship, about looking after each other and our environment. It’s about having the faith to send your roots further to increase your network, and the benefits of an ecosystem.
Wood has a surreality to it brought through the ‘magic’ of nature. Robert means a lot to Patrick and has had an impact on others’ lives too. Is Robert’s sentience and sapience real or just the product of vivid, and hopeful, imaginations?
I found some of the revelations about the past towards the end a bit of a stretch (the talking tree, I was fine with 😆). But, ultimately, they were still in keeping with the weird wonderfulness of the rest of the book. A cracking read that I perhaps wouldn’t have seen if not for Spark!
August 23, 2025
A beautiful story about a young boy's journey to find himself. As a tree lover and from a family of tree huggers myself, I really connected with Patrick. Full of humour and moments that made me smile. A heart-warming story that it utterly relevant in these difficult times. I'd definitely recommend to children and adults alike.
October 26, 2025
A funny, quirky, beautifully written tale about unexpected friendships, with endearing characters and crackling dialogue. Pretty perfect in every way.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews