‘Wishtree’ Author Responds To Virginia Community’s Cancellation Of ‘One Book’ Program

This conversation originally aired in the July 14, 2024 episode of Inside Appalachia.

Children’s author Katherine Applegate visited Floyd, Virginia, this spring after the school system canceled its “One Division, One Book” community reading program over concerns about the book’s main character — an oak tree.

Applegate’s book Wishtree was the book chosen by the county school division’s “One Division, One Book” community reading program. The schools distribute a copy of the same book to every family, with a schedule to read a few chapters each night. Midway through the reading, however, the school system abruptly suspended the program. School officials sent an email to families in March, saying community members had raised concerns about certain material in the book. The character in question? A 216-year-old red oak tree.

The program cancellation sparked an outcry among parents, which led to Applegate’s visit. Applegate is a prolific young adult and children’s book author. She won the 2013 Newbery Medal for her novel The One and Only Ivan. Wishtree came out in 2017. It’s told from the perspective of a red oak. It’s called a wishtree because there’s a community tradition where one day each year, people write wishes and hang them on the tree. 

Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with Applegate before her appearance at a library.

Adams: For people who haven’t read it, can you describe what your book Wishtree is about?

Applegate: You know, it’s funny; it’s about a lot of things. I always tell kids, once you read a book, it belongs to you. You find what you need in a story. But essentially, it’s about welcoming. It’s about a community that has had its share of immigrants over the years. And it is told from the point of view of a red oak tree, Red, who happens to be 216 rings old. And I decided to do that, A) because it would be fun. And I love playing with weird narrators. I had just come off doing Ivan the gorilla. So I figured I could handle it. And B) because a tree would have a really long perspective on the comings and goings of a community.

Adams: I’d love it if you’d read a little bit of Wishtree.

Applegate: “I was pleased to see Samar’s family join the neighborhood. It had been a little while since we’d had any newcomers. But I knew that with time they would put down roots, just like so many other families from so many other places. 

“I know a thing or two about roots. 

“One night not so long ago, Samar came out to visit. It was two in the morning. Late, even for her. 

“She’d been crying. Her cheeks were damp. She leaned against me and her tears were like hot rain. 

“In her hand was a small piece of cloth. Pink with little dots. Something was written on it.

“A wish. The first wish I’d seen in months. 

“I wasn’t surprised she knew about the wishtree tradition. I’m kind of a local celebrity. 

“Samar reached up, gently pulled down my lowest branch, and tied the fabric in a loose knot.

“‘I wish,’ she whispered, ‘for a friend.’ 

“She glanced over at the green house. Behind an upstairs curtain, a shadow moved. 

“And with that, Samar vanished back into the little blue house.”

Adams: What was your inspiration for writing the book? Was there one thing?

Applegate: Yeah, definitely. And this has been true in a couple of occasions with things I’ve written. I was just talking to a group of kids at Blue Mountain School and told them, “Write from anger. Sometimes that’s where you get your very best ideas. The things you’re passionate about, or are curious or concerned or confused about. But especially things that make you angry.”

When I wrote The One and Only Ivan, I had just read a New York Times article about this gorilla — true story — who was stuck in a mall in Tacoma, Washington, and had been there for 27 years. I was outraged and wanted to write about it. Wishtree, the catalyst was an article again, this time about a family in Iowa City. They happened to be Muslim, they could have been any family. But they had just moved into a neighborhood and somebody put a big note on their door that said, “Go away.” I was just outraged, because we’re seeing so much of that. This was several years ago. And I’d like to say things have gotten better, but I’m not sure they have.

Adams: This book has been selected for community– and school-wide book programs across the US. What do you think it is that resonates with people that in turn makes it such a popular selection for these programs?

Applegate: It’s a huge honor, by the way, to have an entire school — you know, the crossing guard and the lunch lady, everybody reads the book. I regularly confess to kids that I was not much of a reader growing up. For me, the real gateway drug, if you will, was Charlotte’s Web. I just love that book. And I loved animals. I was absolutely sure I was going to be a vet when I grew up. So it was perfect for me.

After that, I started seeing the value of reading, but it took me a while. So the idea of a one-school read — I think if I’d had that when I was growing up really might have transformed my view of reading. Even if you don’t like the book. You don’t have to like the book, but you’re talking about it and everybody’s having the same experience.

With Wishtree, I hope it’s in part because it has some funny moments and some poignant moments, but especially because it’s so much about community and about how we protect each other and welcome each other. It fits really nicely into a school curriculum.

Adams: I happen to be a parent here, two kids in the Floyd County school system. And this year, Wishtree was selected for our “One Division, One Book” program. But partway through this year’s program, the school system sent out an email that noted, “Some of our community members are uncomfortable with the content in question … After careful consideration, we decided to suspend the “One Division, One Book” reading event. Families are welcome to continue reading the book on their own, but schools will not be hosting any corresponding activities.”

So it is chapter five that apparently caused the controversy. Would you mind reading that chapter?

Applegate: “Names aren’t the only way we differ from crows. 

“Some trees are male. Some trees are female. And some like me, are both. 

“It’s confusing, as is so often the case with nature.

“Call me she. Call me he. Anything will work. 

“Over the years, I’ve learned that botanists — those lucky souls who study the lives of plants all day — call some trees, such as hollies and willows, ‘dioecious,’ which means they have separate male and female trees. 

“Lots of other trees, like me, are called ‘monoecious.’ That’s just a fancy way of saying that on the same plant you’ll find separate male and female flowers. 

“It is also evidence that trees have far more interesting lives than you sometimes give us credit for.”

Adams: Did this come as a surprise to you? And has it come up in other community book programs?

Applegate: Well, the first time I’d heard that Wishtree had been challenged, I was actually on a book tour last year and a kid in a bookstore audience asked me about it. And I had no idea what he [was] talking about. Apparently, it’s been challenged in Florida, it was featured in an Oscar-nominated short documentary last year called “The ABCs of Book Banning.” And in it, they have this lovely young Muslim girl reading a passage from Wishtree.

So that was my first clue that it had occasionally had some effect on people. This particular objection was new to me. And while it’s easy to laugh at, I think the undercurrent behind it is very clear.

Adams: What did you think when you heard about the Floyd County situation? You addressed it on your Facebook page. What was your initial reaction?

Applegate: I think what I found most disturbing was that the book was halfway through the process of this “One Division” read. So kids were well into reading it. And there was no explanation for why it was pulled. So the message clearly was, “Hey, there’s something wrong with this book. And you better not read it.” Which of course, is there’s no better way on earth to get a kid to read a book than to tell them that.

Adams: What have you heard from the community here? I mean, you’ve traveled here to speak. What led you to come here?

Applegate: This is what I hope people take from this. It has been absolutely miraculous the way parents have stepped up. And a parent reached out to me and said, “Hey, if you come, I have a B&B, you can stay at it.” Another one said, “Hey, I’m going to talk to the Roanoke Times and get this covered.” And another one said, “Hey, I will talk to the school board. I’ll do whatever you want.” It was remarkable. And the open arms with which I was welcomed, I just said, “Hey, you gotta go visit these kids.”

Adams: What would you tell kids who’ve been told they shouldn’t read your book?

Applegate: Here’s what I tell parents: If you don’t want your child to read a book, that is absolutely your right as a parent. If you don’t want your kid to participate in school sports or sex ed class, absolutely, your right. But you cannot tell my kids what they get to read and what they get to learn. And if I’m talking to kids, I say, “Yeah, read it. They don’t want you to read it; read it.” But you know, that’s just me.

Adams: What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers, too?

Applegate: I tell them again and again and again, “Embrace your weird.” The wonderful thing about illustrators and authors for children is we are, to a person, a little quirky. And I mean that in the best possible way. We look at the world differently. There’s such pressure when you’re growing up to become just like everyone else. And it’s that spark, that weirdness that often helps you look at the world in a new way. I often tell them about The One and Only Ivan, which halfway through I decided to throw out because I was convinced nobody would read a book about a gorilla. And then I realized, “You know what? I want to read a book about a gorilla! I’m going to stick with this.” And that’s how you have to approach your writing. You have to love what you’re writing. Don’t worry about your best friend. Write from your heart.