The Listening Tree

Gr 4—6—It's the height of the Great Depression, and Ellen watches as her father and the other men in their small rural town hop a freight train west in search of work. When things get desperate, the nine-year-old and her mother leave their small Saskatchewan farm for Toronto where Ellen's aunt has promised them room and a job at her boarding house. It's a time of change for Ellen, from farm life to the big city, and nothing is quite the same. The big house is filled with a variety of boarders including a lawyer who now drives a cab, students, and others working odd jobs to support their families. Ellen shoulders her new responsibilities around the house but shies away from the large Kennedy family next door. She is content to reread her treasured books and listen from her perch outside her bedroom window where she can sit on the large elm branch, camouflaged by the leaves, and watch as the world unfolds underfoot. It's when Ellen overhears a scam to evict the Kennedys that she learns to take action and stand up for what she believes is right. In an age when children are not meant to be heard, Ellen joins forces with her neighbors, making friends along the way. With its child's-eye view of life in 1935 and the hardships faced by families and business owners, this reassuring story about growing up and learning to speak out should find a place in many collections.—Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH