Tree Girl

Tree Girl is about the genocide of native Mayan's in Guatemala during the 1980's, told from the perspective of a teenage Mayan girl. Grabriela lives a secluded life in a small village, and though she is the only member of her family to attend school, she is pretty innocent of the world at large. Innocence, however, doesn't protect a person from the inexorable nature of human cruelty, and shortly after she celebrates her transcendence to womanhood she witnesses the atrocities of a war-torn country.

This is a pretty dark book, and Mikaelson doesn't pull his punches. It's made all the worse considering it's supposedly based on a true story. Even if it isn't, the war and the genocide were real, and we know many innocent people died decade show more after decade in that part of the world. Despite how depressing it is, I think it's important to subject yourself to things like this. Yes, it's horrible, but it's real, and turning a blind eye to it doesn't make it go away. show less

Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen (2005) Guatemalan villager Gabi has always been drawn to climb tall trees, and is the only member of her indigenous family to attend school. But she finds herself alone when her village is destroyed by the military, and her harrowing journey becomes more sobering in light of the fact that Gabi is based on a real Tree Girl, and that the ethnic cleansing depicted in the novel is based on historical fact.

This story is told in the first person, which both increases the reader’s identification with the protagonist and heightens the tension and uncertainty of her situation: the reader is as in the dark about what might happen next as she is. Another character, Mario, asks, “when does a cup become full?” and show more this question leads one to reflect on how Gabi has changed and been changed through the course of her experiences to the point at which the book ends. show less

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Guatemala

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 Indians 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 show more 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. show less

This book starts out very detailed and not necessarily jumping into the action. It could take a few chapters to get into for some kids. While it is a YA book, it hits on some very serious scenes the protagonist witnesses and could be a strong trigger for kids who have had trauma. That concern aside, it is amazing that this author took a story he heard of a real girl's experience and turn it into this beautifully passionate version of overcoming the toughest of times. The action doesn't stop and the scenes are vivid. The main character is so completely lovable and rooting for her comes easy. The pace is perfect; this author has an amazing gift of taking a situation and making it a story that hits hard. This book could be used when doing show more world history focus (6th grade) and discussing civil war in foreign countries, rights of people in America vs. Abroad. This would make a good read aloud with the right group as conversation could enrich the experience. In a theme of overcoming hard times to become stronger (and other SEL themes) this novel would be great. It's accessible to lower level readers while having enough depth to reach higher level readers. The figurative language is affluent, beautiful, and works well for its purpose. This book could easily also fit into the 6th grade focus on figurative language. It is important for young people to see life from different parts of the world in order to reflect on their own life and since this story is loosely based on a true story the author was told, it has a lot of reality to it. I would also use this to discuss the conversation of genocide, civil war, conflict, hope, identity, and current events. It has the potential to be powerful and changing. show less

The violence in this book makes me question my decision to stop prereading books for my kids. It also has me wondering (again) about how to inform my children about the world without leaving them feeling like everything is awful and hopeless because humans suck. I've read that one way to help kids make sense of current events is by teaching the context, but the context itself is pretty awful and often just reinforces the "humans suck" message.

As explained in the author’s note, this book is based on a true story, although the protagonist’s name has been changed. Tree Girl tells the story of Gabriela Flores, a young girl who loves her family, going to school, and climbing trees to their highest branches. It is this last activity that christens her with the nickname “tree girl,” and it is also the one that saves her, repeatedly, when war breaks out shortly after her fifteenth birthday. Gabriela’s people, the Maya of Guatemala, are routinely massacred by the military without mercy. Climbing high into trees and hiding allows Gabriela to escape being murdered, but it also means she must remain idly by while watching horrific scenes take place below her. As such, this show more book is rather traumatic to read, and I find that the writing style does not help. There is nothing literary to the telling of this story, just the straightforward telling of tragic events without respite. There is also little character development or historical context, the latter of which I think is sorely missed as most readers will not even know when the events of this book are taking place without that information. Overall, I think this is an important story that needed to be told, but I wish that the telling had been better executed. show less

I especially love books that embrace outdoor adventure and glimpses into other cultures, not to mention teens overcoming odds by being brave. This ticks all those boxes, and I think is quite inspirational.