"Another solid outing from veteran Hahn." —Kirkus "Hahn gives Brendan a narrative voice that is urgent, contemplative, and believable in this nuanced story about transformation, trust, identity, friendship, and loss." —Publishers Weekly "This is quintessential middle-grade realistic fiction, with an unvarnished depiction of the miseries that can be visited upon a quiet sixth grader and the succor that can be found in the hard-won friendship of peers and the attention of understanding elders." —Horn Book Magazine "A gentle and moving story." —Booklist "The fantasy of a forested getaway spot and the universality of Sam’s self-doubt give this strong appeal to a wide audience, who will start prowling their own neighborhoods for secret arboreal hideaways." —Bulletin —
Description
No one is kind to sixth-grader Brendan Doyle: his foster mother, his teachers, his classmates, and especially the thugs who bully him. He takes refuge in books, drawing, carving, and daydreaming. When Brendan stumbles upon an old man near his tree house in the Virginia woods, he is quick to believe that this is the magical Green Man, guardian spirit of the forest. Brendan's need to immerse himself in his fantasy world becomes more acute, until he meets a girl with secrets of her own who may just keep his feet on the ground.
Genres
Pages240
Released2014
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
ISBN9780544374287
SellerHarperCollins
About the author(s)
Mary Downing Hahn’s many acclaimed novels include such beloved ghost stories as Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, and Took. A former librarian, she has received more than fifty child-voted state awards for her work. She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with a cat named Nixi.
