Asterwood

A tween becomes embroiled in an epic struggle to save a magical forest in Stolos’s optimistic, ecologically minded debut. Ten-year-old Madelyn Delios, who lives with her father in the New Hampshire countryside, yearns for acceptance, having never felt like she fits in with her classmates. Then Madelyn meets violet-eyed Calle, also 10, who invites her to a place called Asterwood, which can be found along a forbidden forest route that Madelyn’s father dubbed “the Path of No Return.” Disobeying her father’s rule that she avoid the trail, Madelyn follows the path, at the end of which she discovers a hidden encampment of violet-eyed children like Calle called the New Hopefuls, who are dedicated to healing the magical Violet Aspen trees of Asterwood, which have been severed from their source, the Heart Tree. Much to Madelyn’s bafflement, the New Hopefuls inform her that she is the daughter of Asterwood’s greatest protectors, who went missing along with Madelyn when she was a baby. The youth is quickly swept up in a bid to protect Asterwood from ominous Tree Eaters intent on destroying the forest and claiming its magic for themselves. Lush prose parallels the protagonist’s desire to belong with her new friends’ goal of preserving their environment, while a meandering narrative focused on family, home, and natural harmony proves heartening. Madelyn and Calle read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alexander Slater, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Dec.)