Yes, an Arbor Day review.  This novel takes place in a tree!

Timothée de Fombelle.  Toby Alone.  Illustrated by François Place.  Translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone.  Candlewick, 2009.  400 pages.  Age 9 to 12.

Summary – Toby, all of 1.5mm, is on the run from the law (were “law” and “mob mentality” to be used interchangeably).  His scientist father has fallen from favor for withholding information that would damage the tree where they live, which puts Toby on the lam for reasons that are revealed via flashbacks.

Kudos – Great care is taken with characterization in the story; even the minor characters are given sufficient (and not excessive) backstories or contexts and behaviors or dialogue.  There is a wide range of good and evil, too:  there’s your key evil figure (he’s called Joe Mitch), then there are some fairly malicious characters, then comes wrong-place-wrong-time, caught-in-the-middle, and neutral, and finally your stand-up good guys, who are few.

At times it’s challenging to envision the world (i.e., the tree) from an under-2mm perspective.  Place’s pen and ink illustrations are not only entertaining (playing right into the characterizations), but they are also useful in keying the reader’s imaginiation into that difference in perspective.

Kudon’ts – Nothing comes to mind.

Points –

• +5 for invoking the word “Lilliputian”
• +15 for being printed on “eco-friendly materials”
• +50 for use of [environmental] allegory without oversimplification…
• +150 …or heavyhandedness

Freestyle – This has nothing to do with anything, but about a week after I finished reading the book, I had this out of the blue epiphany where I realized who the father of Elisha Lee (Toby’s almost-love interest) is.  It doesn’t say it outright, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be a secret.  I mean, it’s in her name.  I was just surprised it took me that long to figure it out.  So!  If you haven’t read it yet, there’s your head start.

Quotable –

A filthy habit, made filthier:

“A cigarette but dangled from Joe Mitch’s lips.  He started chewing it like a piece of gum.

“He always did that, Joe Mitch.  He would light his cigarette, chew it, swallow it, burp, spit it back up again, relight it, chew it again, swallow it again.  Charming.  Delightful, in fact.

“This time, he burped it back up between his lips, took it in his fat sausage fingers, and used it to scratch his ear.  He popped it back into his mouth, and the butt disappeared for some time.” (p. 99-100)

Other reviews – 100 Scope Notes

More info –

• Candlewick has a sample chapter available on their website.
• Walker will have the sequel, Toby and the Secrets of the Tree, out in the UK in June, which means Candlewick will have it, oh, eventually.
• And if trees are your thing, visit the Arbor Day Foundation.