The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff
There are a lot of things you should probably know to understand why a bunch of kids decided to climb up a treehouse and not come down.
- First Line
Imagine a never-ending sleepover in a treehouse with 9 of your best friends. Just so you know, the treehouse has a bathroom (but no stove), two floors, a craft station, a platform for deliveries, a skylight, and a zipline. The thing is, the kids are staying in the treehouse and refusing to come down until their parents give in to their demands. While a treehouse sleepover sounds amazing (and who wants sleepovers to end), 10 kids in close quarters can become stressful for even the best of friends.
Winnie originally stays in the treehouse every Wednesday - so her divorcing parents can have equal numbers of days with her. When Winnie realizes she is failing 5th grade and the only time she gets any homework done is Wednesdays in the treehouse, she decides to stay there permanently. But, will her parents ever see reason and stop fighting over everything being exactly equal??
The plot touches on issues like divorce, screen time, tv privileges, and other difficulties between parents and children. It's an engaging story with realistic characters who love and support each other through everything. The format is a group memoir (written by Winnie) and there are cute illustrations and post-its from the other characters throughout the book.
Kids will love the idea of living in a treehouse with their friends and not having to answer to parents. (There is a plot point that prevents the parents or police from entering the treehouse which verges on ridiculous, but the kids won't mind.)
Recommended to: Grades 3 - 8, fans of realistic fiction, and reluctant readers. Fans of James Patterson's Middle School series will enjoy this one. :)
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