The village of Perchance is a special place because every year hummingbears arrive to nest in unique trees found near the town - blue willow trees. Their nests are made using the leaves from these trees. The hummingbears chew the willow leaves and blow bubbles which they then stack into nests. Doesn't this sound magical. People come from far and wide to visit Perchance each year to see these small winged creatures and their nests and during this time the villages hold markets and fairs. This is their main source of income.
BUT (you knew there would be a but) there is another creature that lives in this area - screechers. Yes they do make a dreadful screeching noise, but worse than that, they spray a dreadful smell:
"The smell is hard to describe. Put a hundred rotten eggs in your mind. Then add some scoops of dead fish and a splash of skunk spray. You'll have a general sense of things."
Unfortunately a tourist has fallen victim to this dreadful stench and so the town council have offered a bounty for every screecher that is killed. Now go back and think about the balance of nature. The sceechers are nearly all gone, very few hummingbears have arrived, wildfires are more prevalent, and this year the village won't make any money from the visiting tourists.
Willodeen cares for a small hummingbear with damaged wings which she names Duuzuu. She also acquires, in a slightly magical way, a baby screecher which she names Quinby. Willodeen is a scientist. She observes the behaviour of screechers and of course she knows, because of the bounty the screechers are nearly all gone. This year no hummingbears have arrived. She also notices Quinby loves one special food - peacock snails and peacock snails live under the roots of those blue willow trees. With all the hunting of the screechers, nature is out of balance but can Willodeen convince the council that she has solved this problem and that they need to stop killing the screechers. screechers, humingbears, willow trees and peacock snails are all connected.
Willodeen has a wonderful friend in a boy named Connor. He is clever with crafts. He actually made a model screecher as a birthday gift for Willodeen not knowing Willodeen's tears would have a magical effect.
I have had this book on my to buy/to read list since I first saw it in 2021. The publishing industry is a mystery to me. The US hardcover edition of this book costs AUS$36 which was way beyond my personal book budget. Now the UK have published copy in paperback and it has arrived here in Australia for only AUS$15. The US publisher is Macmillan but luckily for readers in Australia this book has been found by Welbeck Flame from London. AND also luckily the cover was not changed because, apart from the wonderful author Katherine Applegate, it was the cover that first attracted me to this book. When you buy or borrow this book make sure you take time to read the quote from Greta Thuberg - you could use this as a way to introduce this book to your students.
When I was a child my family used to rent a tiny garage sized holiday house. The house, as is often the way, had an odd and old collection of books on their shelves. One I read around age 12 was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. All through Willodeen I kept thinking about the way nature is in a fine balance and the way Rachel Carson alerted the world to the ramifications of our human actions on animals, plants and habitats. These are the huge themes explored in this book but they are explored in a way that is very accessible for younger readers aged 8+.
Here is a delightful video where Katherine Applegate talks about Willodeeen.
Katherine Applegate is the author of The One and Only Ivan and many other wonderful books including Odder and the book I recommend highly to everyone - Wishtree. You should also add her Endling series to your reading pile.
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