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Tree Girl: A Young Adult Novel About a Guatemalan Refugee Searching for Her Sister and Hope
They call Gabriela Tree Girl. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outstretched branches of the Guatemalan forests.
Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Girl no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous miles and months of hunger and thirst, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search for self. Having turned her back on her own identity, can she hope to claim a new life?
Ages 12+
Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Girl no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous miles and months of hunger and thirst, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search for self. Having turned her back on her own identity, can she hope to claim a new life?
Ages 12+
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
July 1, 2015
http://www.ethicalela.com/treegirl/
Because of my own research to meet the 2005 Illinois public school mandate to teach about genocide, I learned about the genocide of 200,000 Mayans in the 1980s (part of three plus decades of civil war in Guatemala). Ben Mikaelsen's prose, author of Touching Spirit Bear, appeals to the eighth grade students I teach making the Mayan culture, tensions between Spanish and indigenous peoples, and aspects of the war accessible to students (and adults who, as I, were unaware of the U.S. involvement in the conflict). I think the novel opens the conversation about globalization for young readers to consider how U.S. policies and consumerism are part of a global economy(e.g., United Fruit Company, School of Americas).
The gaps in the narrative, places where the reader is somewhat confused about the conflict between the soldiers and the guerrillas, are important in any account of a genocide -- so Mikaelsen does this well. The nature of genocide is so unimaginable and beyond understanding that any texts that attempts to make it so will ultimately fail. I am, however, not sure if all the graphic details are necessary -- though my students say they are. And while readers will begin to understand the complexities of Mayan culture (e.g., there are over 20 languages), the novel also leaves questions for readers regarding experiences of the Maya and other indigenous groups across the world.
Personally, I was first shamed by this story for my ignorance, then I was moved to tears, and then I was moved to ask questions (ultimately going to Guatemala for understanding).
Because of my own research to meet the 2005 Illinois public school mandate to teach about genocide, I learned about the genocide of 200,000 Mayans in the 1980s (part of three plus decades of civil war in Guatemala). Ben Mikaelsen's prose, author of Touching Spirit Bear, appeals to the eighth grade students I teach making the Mayan culture, tensions between Spanish and indigenous peoples, and aspects of the war accessible to students (and adults who, as I, were unaware of the U.S. involvement in the conflict). I think the novel opens the conversation about globalization for young readers to consider how U.S. policies and consumerism are part of a global economy(e.g., United Fruit Company, School of Americas).
The gaps in the narrative, places where the reader is somewhat confused about the conflict between the soldiers and the guerrillas, are important in any account of a genocide -- so Mikaelsen does this well. The nature of genocide is so unimaginable and beyond understanding that any texts that attempts to make it so will ultimately fail. I am, however, not sure if all the graphic details are necessary -- though my students say they are. And while readers will begin to understand the complexities of Mayan culture (e.g., there are over 20 languages), the novel also leaves questions for readers regarding experiences of the Maya and other indigenous groups across the world.
Personally, I was first shamed by this story for my ignorance, then I was moved to tears, and then I was moved to ask questions (ultimately going to Guatemala for understanding).
December 3, 2022
Tree Girl is a YA fictional retelling of historical events, set in Guatemala in the 1980s by Bolivian author Ben Mikaelsen. Gabriela Flores lives with her Mamí, Papí and family in the mountains of Guatemala until her village is brutally massacred by soldiers, shortly after her quinceañera celebration. The story outlines the ethnic tension between the Indios or Mayan Indian and the Latinos, or those with Spanish blood. During this period tens of thousands of Indigenous Guatemalans were killed or brutalised and 450 villages ruthlessly destroyed. After the bloodshed Gabriela treks to find shelter in a refugee camp and attempts to find her younger sister Alicia. She is shocked to discover the involvement of America in the Guatemalan massacres or ethnic cleansing. The US trained and supplied weapons to the soldiers allegedly in an attempt to stamp out communism, despite the tragic irony that most of the villagers had never even heard of communism and lived simple lives not opposing either America or Guatemala.
This short but powerful story gives insight into both the tragic events of the time and the way of life of the Indios. It uses occasional Quiché words and sets the scene of rural Guatemala. The content is obviously distressing, and at times presented rather starkly including descriptions of sexual violence. I found this to be an important and engaging read.
Guatemalan village from Girl About the Globe
This short but powerful story gives insight into both the tragic events of the time and the way of life of the Indios. It uses occasional Quiché words and sets the scene of rural Guatemala. The content is obviously distressing, and at times presented rather starkly including descriptions of sexual violence. I found this to be an important and engaging read.
Guatemalan village from Girl About the Globe
August 12, 2010
Well written and very touching! Reading the book was like watching a war theme movie. It tells a shocking story through a young girl's eyes to show what wars can bring to human beings. I actually cried when I read about Gabriela's little brother who was found dead painfully yet peacefully during hiding from the soldiers. And it really terrified me by the genocide happened in Guatemala. I was tortured to read through that paticular chapter of massacres, which made me want to throw up.( And all the description of military atrocities constantly reminded me of the Nanking Massacre commited by the Japanese soldiers during WW2.) I also felt so sad to read about the lives of refugees in the camps--scrounging for food, water and blankets and kept waiting for peace while not knowing how long they still needed to wait.
It seems to me that I haven't got luck for months. Thanks to this book. I realized AGAIN how lucky I am just to be born and grew up in a country that has no war.
It's a great book, but I hope my next reading can be something bright and happy coz I cannot stand continuing reading sad books. I'll be crushed by that...
At last, Salute to the real tree gril!
It seems to me that I haven't got luck for months. Thanks to this book. I realized AGAIN how lucky I am just to be born and grew up in a country that has no war.
It's a great book, but I hope my next reading can be something bright and happy coz I cannot stand continuing reading sad books. I'll be crushed by that...
At last, Salute to the real tree gril!
September 9, 2012
The only thing that kept me reading was the detailed account of the Mayan/Indio culture in Guadalajara, Mexico. The characters were all flat and had stereotypical personalities. One brother was a "follower" who dragged his feet and laughed when other children did something but never had his own ideas. Her parents were paper-cut-outs of people without real qualities, especially her mother who seems almost unnecessary to the entire plot. I also had a hard time understanding why the main character didn't feel the loss of death as strongly as I imagined a child would. Understandably, her unique culture may have given her the belief system to uniquely deal with the deaths of those around her, but I would have liked to hear more about that. I felt bad for the children but didn't understand the motives of the antagonists. The soldiers beat and kill adults and children in her life with no explanation or reason. The author seems to be creating evil "bad guys" that have no character or dimensionality. I did enjoy (and those who are giving it a good rating seem to say this is the main reason they liked the book as well) the detail about this girl's culture. I knew little to nothing about the Mayan farming culture in Mexico and enjoyed the details about how they lived, prayed, learned, survived, and died. It is written from a little girl's perspective, however, and I found that I didn't learn what was really going on politically from the book as the character herself is unclear about the situation. Overall I found it unimaginative and poorly written.
October 25, 2011
Wow! This was a very real and incredibly distressing story. I've never been very familiar with the genocide in Guatemala, and I don't think I'm the only American who can say that. That's not surprising since the Genocide in Guatemala was caused by soldiers who were outfitted with weaponry, uniforms and military training by the United States Government. It is and should be considered a great shame of our nation, one of many if I'm going to be very blunt.
Gabriela, a happy girl with a wonderful family and friends, has her life ripped apart when the soldiers begin their bloody rampage across the country, decimating villages, raping and torturing citizens, and leaving no one alive in their wake. Gabriela watches everyone she loves systematically slaughtered and somehow survives to make her way alone to safety. You think that things must get better with every page in this book, as they can't seem to get much worse. But they do get worse. If ever I were to say a book was almost TOO MUCH, this one would be it. However, I respect it for its unapologetic honesty and authentic portrayal of this type of tragedy, of which there are too many to count. I don't think I'll be forgetting about this book any time soon.
Gabriela, a happy girl with a wonderful family and friends, has her life ripped apart when the soldiers begin their bloody rampage across the country, decimating villages, raping and torturing citizens, and leaving no one alive in their wake. Gabriela watches everyone she loves systematically slaughtered and somehow survives to make her way alone to safety. You think that things must get better with every page in this book, as they can't seem to get much worse. But they do get worse. If ever I were to say a book was almost TOO MUCH, this one would be it. However, I respect it for its unapologetic honesty and authentic portrayal of this type of tragedy, of which there are too many to count. I don't think I'll be forgetting about this book any time soon.
June 30, 2015
A pretty powerful and sometimes pretty graphic (meaning detailed, disturbing at times) novel written by Mikaelson, who was told this story by a survivor of the Guatemalan genocide that even this summer will be dealt with in the Guatemalan court. The details came from the girl who managed to make it, as a teenager, from her village in Guatemala, to the U.S. Some images will stay with me, but one in particular connects to the title. Gabriela is a tree climber, which is what she does as the Guatemalan army comes in and slaughters her village, her family, friends, all housing. She watches this from a tree, thankful no one ever looks up. Like all survivor stories, it is almost unbelievable how she manages to escape Guatemala, and then survive the escape to the north. Hard to read at times, but beautifully written, too.
My third reading of this book, first read in August 2012.
My third reading of this book, first read in August 2012.
May 30, 2012
This story is really deep. So much was happening during the (genocide) and it’s impressive to see how one strong little brave girl got thought all the pain and struggles. Its amazes me how one person can think of that much stuff to do to try to save her family, friends and even herself.
April 7, 2019
A brutal story of an historical event of which I had very little prior knowledge: the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Mayan peasants by the Guatemalan government from 1980-85. Tree Girl is the story of a young girl who loses everyone and everything she has ever known and loved. It is based on a true story (as told to author Ben Mikaelsen) by a refugee who managed to survive massacre by climbing trees and fleeing Guatemala north to the Mexican border in search of hope despite all the atrocities she has witnessed. In a time where desperate refugees are seeking asylum all over the world, this powerful book is relevant now more than ever.
July 27, 2019
Haunting story of survival, family, and culture.
April 22, 2018
Powerful, based on a true story from the Guatemalan conflict. For older, as well as young, adults, but not for the faint of heart.
May 15, 2019
Based on a true story, This story is about a young girl named Gabi growing up in a small village located in Guatemala. Her story starts in a time leading up to a genocide beginning in the early 1960's. Within her community, Gabi is known as the Tree Girl because she feels most at home among the tops of the trees where she can watch the eagles fly and the sun come over the horizon. After losing her entire family, except her younger sister, Alicia, due to a massacre in her village, she is forced to flee. Along the way she must stop in another village for food, while leaving her sister to hide in the forest. Upon her arrival, the Gautama Army raids the town, forcing Gabi to climb a tree once more to hide and have a chance of survival. She trapped sitting atop the tree for nearly three days, watching the soldiers murder and torture the entire village. Feeling guilty and cowardly as she falls out of the tree when it is finally over, she internally vows to never climb another tree. Gabi weakly continues her long, hard journey to a refugee camp in Mexico. As she proceeds onward, she is motivated by her desperation and hope of one day finding her little sister again.
I would have a hard time including this book in my classroom because of the graphic nature. I may use this in an upper grade classroom to introduce cultural differences in war and provide details of historical events that can often be overlooked in textbooks.
I would have a hard time including this book in my classroom because of the graphic nature. I may use this in an upper grade classroom to introduce cultural differences in war and provide details of historical events that can often be overlooked in textbooks.
December 1, 2014
This was a short but definitely not easy read. The title caught my eye in the library, and when I read the blurb, I was intrigued by the story. I didn't know that there was this sort of violence in Guatemala. I'd only heard of it in relation to El Salvador before. It was a short audio book, so I thought why not cross another country off my international reading list, and learn something new. After all, I relate to smart girls who like school and climbing trees, right?
Turns out my life hasn't had much in common with Gabi beyond those elements. listening to the horrific things she experienced and witnessed was almost too much for me to even hear. Knowing that the author had based this book on the true life story a real "tree girl" had related to him at a safe house in Guatemala made it even harder to listen and to know it wasn't just a disturbing story. So often we think of genocide in terms of the Holocaust, Turkey/ Armenians, the Balkans, Native Americans and Australians, and places like Rwanda. For some reason I'd never stopped to consider South America on that list. No more. My eyes are open. This story becomes more personal when I think back and realize that my aunt, uncle, and cousins were missionaries in Guatemala over this time period, and one of my cousins is adopted and of Indio heritage. I guess I have a lot more questions for them next time I see them at a family gathering. and more questions to research in history non fiction books.
If you are the sort of person who requires trigger warnings, I can't say I'd recommend this book to you. the violence is brutal in several sections, although not described in explicit detail, and was disturbing enough that I wondered what (other than the brevity of the story and the teenage protagonist) made it be considered Young Adult. I'm not sorry I read it, and if you want more of a sense of life in Guatemala for the Maya/ Indio communities in the 1980s, and the genocide that occurred there by the government troops, then I would recommend it. Just don't go in thinking it's a light read because it's short and categorized as young adult. Gabi suffers a lot, and while she survives and grows throughout the story, it's not for the faint of heart.
Turns out my life hasn't had much in common with Gabi beyond those elements. listening to the horrific things she experienced and witnessed was almost too much for me to even hear. Knowing that the author had based this book on the true life story a real "tree girl" had related to him at a safe house in Guatemala made it even harder to listen and to know it wasn't just a disturbing story. So often we think of genocide in terms of the Holocaust, Turkey/ Armenians, the Balkans, Native Americans and Australians, and places like Rwanda. For some reason I'd never stopped to consider South America on that list. No more. My eyes are open. This story becomes more personal when I think back and realize that my aunt, uncle, and cousins were missionaries in Guatemala over this time period, and one of my cousins is adopted and of Indio heritage. I guess I have a lot more questions for them next time I see them at a family gathering. and more questions to research in history non fiction books.
If you are the sort of person who requires trigger warnings, I can't say I'd recommend this book to you. the violence is brutal in several sections, although not described in explicit detail, and was disturbing enough that I wondered what (other than the brevity of the story and the teenage protagonist) made it be considered Young Adult. I'm not sorry I read it, and if you want more of a sense of life in Guatemala for the Maya/ Indio communities in the 1980s, and the genocide that occurred there by the government troops, then I would recommend it. Just don't go in thinking it's a light read because it's short and categorized as young adult. Gabi suffers a lot, and while she survives and grows throughout the story, it's not for the faint of heart.
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December 31, 2020Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.
Only a dude would start a middle grade book by having its MC sexually assaulted and chased up on a tree, and then having her mother, knowing this happened, ignore the whole thing and ask if she finished her homework. And have this be treated as a positive thing.
I have no words.
No, that’s not true. I have a lot of words. First of all, on a technical level, the writing isn’t great. The dialogue is really stilted and strange and doesn’t flow well, and there are multiple times when a line is repeated almost word for word and it’s very obviously not on purpose. It’s just super repetitive. The author also lacks the ability to make you understand what the main character is really feeling. The narration tells us… sometimes… but she comes across as not being affected by what happens to her.
And a lot happens to her! People constantly get murdered, often right in front of her. Her teacher and six classmates are murdered in front of her. Her entire family besides for one sister is murdered. She literally witnesses a massacre (also, sidenote, this is an MG book where the main character watches multiple women get raped, beaten, and murdered – that’s a little dark, guys) and basically never really reacts.
The acknowledgements say that this is the true story of a woman who still works the resistance movement in Mexico. I get how she wouldn’t feel safe coming forward and using her real name, and maybe – hopefully – she would approve of this, but I feel like it’s stripped of its emotional depth. Maybe this would have been better as a young adult or even adult book, but even then, I really don’t feel like this is a white dude’s story to tell. It doesn’t read as an authentic young woman’s voice, and the one conversation about there always being a war Gabi will fight because she’s female comes from a man and feels very… mansplaining.
This just… it’s not very good. It didn’t work for me at all. The only thing that’s good is the idea, because it’s based on someone’s actual life, and she sounds awesome. I wish I had read something from her instead.
Only a dude would start a middle grade book by having its MC sexually assaulted and chased up on a tree, and then having her mother, knowing this happened, ignore the whole thing and ask if she finished her homework. And have this be treated as a positive thing.
I have no words.
No, that’s not true. I have a lot of words. First of all, on a technical level, the writing isn’t great. The dialogue is really stilted and strange and doesn’t flow well, and there are multiple times when a line is repeated almost word for word and it’s very obviously not on purpose. It’s just super repetitive. The author also lacks the ability to make you understand what the main character is really feeling. The narration tells us… sometimes… but she comes across as not being affected by what happens to her.
And a lot happens to her! People constantly get murdered, often right in front of her. Her teacher and six classmates are murdered in front of her. Her entire family besides for one sister is murdered. She literally witnesses a massacre (also, sidenote, this is an MG book where the main character watches multiple women get raped, beaten, and murdered – that’s a little dark, guys) and basically never really reacts.
The acknowledgements say that this is the true story of a woman who still works the resistance movement in Mexico. I get how she wouldn’t feel safe coming forward and using her real name, and maybe – hopefully – she would approve of this, but I feel like it’s stripped of its emotional depth. Maybe this would have been better as a young adult or even adult book, but even then, I really don’t feel like this is a white dude’s story to tell. It doesn’t read as an authentic young woman’s voice, and the one conversation about there always being a war Gabi will fight because she’s female comes from a man and feels very… mansplaining.
This just… it’s not very good. It didn’t work for me at all. The only thing that’s good is the idea, because it’s based on someone’s actual life, and she sounds awesome. I wish I had read something from her instead.
April 9, 2008
They call her Tree Girl. she climbs trees to be with the eagles and watch the sun rise into the sky. She is at home with the landscape and branches of the Guatemalan forests.
One day she is forced to leave her hole family; her entire village has been chopped into pieces.But still she has hope the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister one of the only survivors, Alicia. Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safety. Will she ever have her live again.
I think of these book is very nice I liked it but not love it I do recomed to some people who like stories of hope.
The autors tecnique or theme is that the character tells the whole story and you can have mental images of what going on.
the part that I most liked was the end it says: "climb higher, climbing a tree takes you closer to heaven" these phase gives me hope.
One day she is forced to leave her hole family; her entire village has been chopped into pieces.But still she has hope the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister one of the only survivors, Alicia. Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safety. Will she ever have her live again.
I think of these book is very nice I liked it but not love it I do recomed to some people who like stories of hope.
The autors tecnique or theme is that the character tells the whole story and you can have mental images of what going on.
the part that I most liked was the end it says: "climb higher, climbing a tree takes you closer to heaven" these phase gives me hope.
March 30, 2008
This is a true story about a young girl who survived the brutal massacres (or genocide) of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala during the 1980s. The military that brutally attacked them was trained in the US and received arms from the US. When you start reading this book, things get bad, and then you start reading faster and faster so that you can find a place where things finally get better for Gabriela, the "Tree Girl", but, instead, they get worse and worse. If this book doesn't make you a pacifist, I don't know what will. Gabriela's struggles and courage are inspiring, and the writing of the book is simple but graceful. It just tells Gabriela's story as it occurred without a lot of embellishment or dramatizing, and her story, as it is, is full of more sadness and cruelty than any human could imagine.
January 7, 2019
This book is a really emotional book. "Tree Girl" is about a girl and how she survived the war, as she faced horrible deaths all around her. This book has a huge connection with the book "A Long Walk to Water," they're both about the main character surviving a war while having all of their families killed.
Although both of the books are about characters going through war, Salva, in ALWTW, had much more support around him. "Tree Girl" had to bare all the pain by herself with her little sister who doesn't talk at all."Tree Girl" doesn't give exact information about the main character surviving the war, but it gives a lot of information about her feelings and her conditions while facing her challenges, deaths, and abuses. Unlike ALWTW, "Tree Girl" was easier, for me, to make connections to myself while reading the book.
Although both of the books are about characters going through war, Salva, in ALWTW, had much more support around him. "Tree Girl" had to bare all the pain by herself with her little sister who doesn't talk at all."Tree Girl" doesn't give exact information about the main character surviving the war, but it gives a lot of information about her feelings and her conditions while facing her challenges, deaths, and abuses. Unlike ALWTW, "Tree Girl" was easier, for me, to make connections to myself while reading the book.
February 16, 2019
War is wrong. War is evil. War destroys nations, communities, families, and children. Mikaelson presents the war in Guatemala in graphic detail from the perspective of a 15 y/o Indian girl/woman. Gifted by her parents, poor compesinos, with an education, Gabrielle watches horrified as war becomes up close and personal: her family is killed; her _____ is burned. This coming of age story recounts the will to survive under unimaginable circumstances. And survive and succeed she does. She struggles to redefine family. She struggles with the ethics of living when others have died. She struggles with madness of war and its aftermath. Yet, she survives. Mikaelson humanizes the struggles, challenges, and losses that result.
May 11, 2009
I am not quite sure what to say about this book. I thought it would be a real simple quick read. It was easy to read but the content was a little bit harder. It deals with genocide of the Guatemalan massacres during the 1980's. Gabriela survived them but saw them actually happen.
I would read the authors note in the back first. It will help to put everything into perspective in the book.
I did give the book 5 stars. I thought the author wrote it well and was able to get the feeling across without to much gory detail.
I would read the authors note in the back first. It will help to put everything into perspective in the book.
I did give the book 5 stars. I thought the author wrote it well and was able to get the feeling across without to much gory detail.
August 19, 2012
Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen is a very intense and great book. It takes place in a little village in Guatemala. The main character is a young girl named Gabriela. She experiences a war, a war of her country fighting against itself. She looses friends and family, and finds herself staying in a refugee camp.The book is called Tree Girl because Gabriela climbs trees to get away from the outer world. With her skill of climbing so high so fast, she saves her own life. I highly recommend this book.
February 5, 2023
This book is beautifully written and really great. I would not say this book is for younger kids because they do have a scene that might be a bit inappropriate for young kids. There is a graphic scene of sexual abuse. This book is really full of emotion and really sad. This book might still be the most beautiful and best written book I have ever read.
January 23, 2009
I really liked book because it used like a true life setting, about people living in a war zone. And how they have to hide their own heritage, just so they can protect themselves from the gurillas.
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April 22, 2013i really liked this book!
March 28, 2014
This is an amazing story. I loved it a lot. ^-^
January 29, 2015
I finally finished this, lol. It's actually better than I thought. It makes me really sad though :(
February 3, 2015
So sad D:
January 21, 2019
This book came into my life randomly and second hand with no recommendation. When I started reading it I assumed it was meant for middle school readers (and that may be true) but there was a bit of somewhat graphic details of tragic events. The fact that this story is based on truth makes it all the more compelling. But, even if it was pure fiction I would love it. The story is heartbreaking and eye opening but ends on a hopeful note. My only complaint is where the story ends. The author's dedication implies the girl who originally told this story did live to tell this story but the book itself doesn't take us to current day. I want to know more about Gabriela. Parts of the story and style remind me of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl although that may be simply a matter of content. Either way, I found this book easy to dive into and compelling enough to complete and thirst for more so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a short read that doesn't mind some tear jerking (and sometimes infuriating) content.
July 30, 2022
I would never have chosen to read this book had it not been for the BYL parents bookclub. But, I read this book over the past 24 hrs. Partially because it was so good and it pulled me in so deeply and partially because I needed to get through it and have it be over. This book is absolutely heartbreaking. It reminded me that people and governments can be truly terrible. It shored up even stronger in me the belief that all people are deserving of safety, shelter, food, love, education, freedom and community. I am made both better and worse by this book. I feel broken and helpless, but also more aware, my eyes widened to something that I knew little about. This took place while I was a child playing happily on a farm in MN. A childhood like that is what the real Tree Girl and her siblings and all of the children of Guatemala should have had. What does a person do with these feelings, with this knowledge? Especially when this is just one of many, many terrible things that has taken place. That are still taking place. Knowledge may be power, but it is also pain.
October 30, 2024
Holy cow, this book wrecked me. I chose this as part of my read the world series for Bolivia, although it takes place mainly in Guatemala. Mikaelsen although born to Danish parents was born in Bolivia. This is based on a true story from a woman who witnessed the atrocities in Guatemala in the 1980s, but Mikaelsen does not reveal who she is in order to protect her identity.
This book is written for middle school age readers but I have to warn you there are some horrific things that happen in this book. It starts with her being chased up a tree by 2 boys who try to sexually assault her. The main character in Indio (indigenous with Mayan ancestry) and her people are being taken and killed by the government. I ugly cried when she came back from the market to find what was left of her village.
While I personally believe it is important that we learn about all of history, I can see this being a very difficult read for a younger reader. It's beautifully written, it has great messages, but please take care when reading because it emotionally wrecked me.
This book is written for middle school age readers but I have to warn you there are some horrific things that happen in this book. It starts with her being chased up a tree by 2 boys who try to sexually assault her. The main character in Indio (indigenous with Mayan ancestry) and her people are being taken and killed by the government. I ugly cried when she came back from the market to find what was left of her village.
While I personally believe it is important that we learn about all of history, I can see this being a very difficult read for a younger reader. It's beautifully written, it has great messages, but please take care when reading because it emotionally wrecked me.
September 15, 2017
The historical fiction book "Tree Girl" by Ben Mikaelsen was an amazing read! Gabriela lived in a Mayan village with her family and all of her friends. She loved to climb trees because she says it takes her closer to heaven. One day her village is destructed by guerrillas while she is at school. This leaves her all alone so she starts on a journey to Mexico. On the way, she finds a pueblo and war comes again. After she climbs a tree for protection she witnesses rape and harsh actions toward the citizens of the pueblo by the guerrillas. She feels like a coward and vows to never climb a tree again. She starts on her journey to Mexico again and finds her sister on the way. Will they make it? Will they get caught by guerrillas? Read to find out.
In my opinion, Gabriela was the perfect main character. I enjoyed reading this book because all of the parts of the story fit together perfectly. This book reminded me of my everyday life. I see the news everyday and I always see images of wars and issues in the world. If I could change one thing about this book it would be making readers have more background knowledge about the culture this was set in. Overall, I would recommend this novel to almost everyone.
This book was a great read for anyone who is mature and knows enough about culture and different countries. When I started reading this novel I thought I would be bored because I am not very into history. It ended up being one of my favorite books I have read! If you're looking for a novel that is not too long and is a book you can't put down, "Tree Girl" is for you! I hope you get to surround yourself with this amazing novel!
In my opinion, Gabriela was the perfect main character. I enjoyed reading this book because all of the parts of the story fit together perfectly. This book reminded me of my everyday life. I see the news everyday and I always see images of wars and issues in the world. If I could change one thing about this book it would be making readers have more background knowledge about the culture this was set in. Overall, I would recommend this novel to almost everyone.
This book was a great read for anyone who is mature and knows enough about culture and different countries. When I started reading this novel I thought I would be bored because I am not very into history. It ended up being one of my favorite books I have read! If you're looking for a novel that is not too long and is a book you can't put down, "Tree Girl" is for you! I hope you get to surround yourself with this amazing novel!
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