The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills (review)

Reviewed by: The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills Kate Quealy-Gainer Mills, Claudia The Last Apple Tree. Ferguson/Holiday House, 2024 272p Trade ed. ISBN 9780823457106 17. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780823459339 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 Twelve-year-old Sonnet has never been close with her grandparents, but when Nana dies, Sonnet's mom reluctantly returns to her childhood home to look after Gramps, with Sonnet and her sister Villie in tow. Even with a failing memory, Gramps is deep in grief, over both the loss of his wife and destruction of the family's old orchard, which now consists of just one last apple tree after the rest were razed years ago to make a new subdivision. Meanwhile, Zeke, who lives in said subdivision, is dealing End Page 332 with his own family drama, feeling unloved by his environmentalist father, who seems to care more about trees than his own son. The kids are brought together by an oral history school project, which tasks them with interviewing Gramps about his life. Sonnet isn't sure she really wants to know the details of Gramps' sadness, but Zeke keeps visiting, until Sonnet intrudes upon his own family. Sharing narration, Sonnet and Zeke have compellingly distinct voices, and their emotions—set roiling by frustration, embarrassment, and anger—are believably conveyed and palpably felt. Sonnet's chapters are marked by understandable anxiety as she attempts to control new family dynamics in a completely new environment, and Zeke is as furious with his father as he is desperate for the man's affection. The book, however, makes the unfortunate mistake of asking even more from these two kids (as well as the reader) in its sympathy for the adults, who are mostly terrible: Zeke's father's behavior borders on emotionally abusive, Sonnet's poet mother is lost in her writing, and neither are suitably redeemed by the book's close. Fortunately, several chapters from the perspective of the old apple tree remind readers of a larger picture of life and happiness, and of growth and rebirth amidst trauma and tragedy. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois