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    The Eagle Tree
    The Eagle Tree
    The Eagle Tree
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Eagle Tree

    Written by Ned Hayes

    Narrated by Will Ropp

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fourteen-year-old March Wong knows everything there is to know about trees. They are his passion and his obsession, even after his recent falls—and despite the state’s threat to take him away from his mother if she can’t keep him from getting hurt. But the young autistic boy cannot resist the captivating pull of the Pacific Northwest’s lush forests just outside his back door.

    One day, March is devastated to learn that the Eagle Tree—a monolithic Ponderosa Pine near his home in Olympia—is slated to be cut down by developers. Now, he will do anything in his power to save this beloved tree, including enlisting unlikely support from relatives, classmates, and even his bitter neighbor. In taking a stand, March will come face-to-face with some frightening possibilities: Even if he manages to save the Eagle Tree, is he risking himself and his mother to do it?

    Intertwining themes of humanity and ecology, The Eagle Tree eloquently explores what it means to be part of a family, a society, and the natural world that surrounds and connects us.

    Revised edition: This edition of The Eagle Tree includes editorial revisions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 5, 2016
    ISBN9781522689980
    The Eagle Tree
    Author

    Ned Hayes

    Ned Hayes holds an MFA in creative writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University. His historical novel, Sinful Folk, was nominated for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award. The Eagle Tree is based on his past experience working with children on the autistic spectrum and on family and friends he knows and loves. Hayes lives in Olympia, Washington, with his wife and children.

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    Reviews for The Eagle Tree

    3.5/5

    32 ratings4 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This novel is given from the perspective of a 14-year-old autistic boy who loves trees. I think that it does a good job of letting the reader see a little of what autism is like but it wasn't as good as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
    • 3/5
      Trees are beautiful. Trees are awe inspiring. Trees are necessary to the continued health of our planet and of the human race. Each part of the country and the world has different trees that tell us different things about our local environment. Sometimes the presence of a tree that shouldn't grow in one particular habitat is invasive and negative and other times it is a wonderful gift. In Ned Hayes' newest novel, The Eagle Tree, a huge Ponderosa Pine that grows in the wrong place is just such a gift to one tree-obsessed 14 year old boy with autism and to the community of Olympia, Washington in which he lives.Tree-obsessed might be too weak a word to explain March Wong. He lives and breathes trees. He climbs at least three trees a day, despite the scratches and dangerous falls that are part and parcel of his climbing. He memorizes everything about the trees around him from their common and Latin names to their habitats, the bugs that plague them, and the animals and birds that inhabit their branches. He is a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge about trees. He's also autistic. He flutters his hands in front of his face to simulate sunlight winking through leaves, he flaps, he moans, he doesn't like to look people in the face, he needs routine, and he struggles to interact appropriately with others. His intense, narrow focus on trees has resulted in his parents separating (his mother can't and won't move him to treeless Arizona where his father lives) and has also caused the state to want to evaluate whether he is safe in his mother's care since he keeps being injured by his climbing or by his reaction to not being able to climb. Neither of these consequences seem to have much impact on March though, as long as he is still moving towards his ultimate goal, climbing the Eagle Tree, a magnificent tree he spotted in the distance when climbing a neighbor's tree.The novel is told in the first person from March's perspective. And his perspective is not one we are used to reading. In fact, it is sometimes painful or hard to read when he shuts down, disengaging from whatever is going on around him and retreating into his extreme fascination with trees. Because we are in March's head, we are told each and every fact that he knows about trees. This feels like it could in fact be an authentic look from the inside but it also overwhelms the action going on around March sometimes, minimizing the information that the reader is given about the selling to developers of the forest in which the Eagle Tree stands, and the vitally important upcoming custodial hearing with the state. Although it feels as if March's incessant digressions and intricate details about trees and climate change are integral to making him a believable autistic character, the abundance of information can be tiring for the reader. Some of the time the reader can intuit what is going on even though March misses the significance, doesn't understand, or doesn't care about it, but not always. March is a tough character to know as his mind is so often completely consumed by trees but occasionally there are glimpses of the people around him, even if March doesn't have insight into how he affects them. The ending was quick and easy, hewing as it had to do, to the outcome of the the real tree in Olympia that inspired this story. The novel is very much an interesting intersection between atypical thought processes and environmental issues all embodied by one boy and Hayes definitely knows how to write. Those who wonder what it might be like to live inside the mind and body of someone with autism, those who want a personal story about the effect that global warming is having on the nature all around us, and those who find an interest in both of those subjects together will certainly appreciate the book.
    • 5/5
      March Wong is a young man who loves trees and especially climbing trees. In a tree he finds meaning to the rest of the crazy world, he can find calmness. March Wong is also autistic and climbing trees is an obsession that has gotten him in trouble more than once. Now, there is a hearing to see if his mother is a fit guardian for him. On the heels of his hearing, March finds a new tree. With help from his Uncle, March goes to the old growth forest, the LBA Woods in Olympia Washington. After climbing several trees, he spots a very tall tree standing out from the rest. It is a Ponderosa Pine; affectionately called the Eagle tree. It is an unusual tree to grow in that habitat and March must climb it. However, the land that the Eagle Tree grows on is bought by a private developer and it is now a rule that March cannot climb the tree; the developers will also cut the tree down. In his obsession to now save and climb the Eagle Tree, March will overcome many of his fears in order to get the support he needs to save the beloved tree. “I am like a tree that looks dead to the world, but when you climb to the very top, you find bright green limbs sucking sap one hundred feet from the ground. And you discover the tree is very much alive, and is keeping its secret life from the world.” In a wonderful combination of forest ecology and a very specific look into an autistic mind, Ned Hayes has created a unique story line. As someone who loves trees and has also worked with people who have autism, this book was perfect for me. I was most impressed with the voice of the narrator; told completely from March’s point of view, I was easily brought into March’s world in a way that was easily understandable. March’s human experience was brought to light through this point of view; his focus, ways of thinking, interactions with others and sensory needs were brought to the forefront so it was easily relayed to all the ways that March needed the trees; from the way that the leaves filter light, to thinking about each step in order to climb to the basic biology of the tree. In addition, as a caretaker, I could also relate to March’s mother’s frustrations with how he interacted with the world beyond trees. March’s ability to grow through his own means with the help of the Eagle Tree and his willingness to campaign for it was well done. Overall this is a touching, emotional and environmentally conscious book, perfect for someone looking for something a little different. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Plot Summary From the Book:Fourteen-year-old March Wong knows everything there is to know about trees. They are his passion and his obsession, even after his recent fall—and despite social services’ threat to take him away from his mother if she doesn’t keep him out of their branches. But the young autistic boy just cannot resist the captivating pull of the Pacific Northwest’s lush forests just outside his backdoor. One day, March is devastated to learn that the Eagle Tree—a monolithic Ponderosa pine near his home in Olympia—is slated to be cut down by developers. Now, he will do anything in his power to save this beloved tree, including enlisting unlikely support from relatives, classmates, and even his bitter neighbor. In taking a stand, March will come face-to-face with some frightening possibilities: Even if he manages to save the Eagle Tree, is he risking himself and his mother to do it? Intertwining themes of humanity and ecology, The Eagle Tree eloquently explores what it means to be a part of a family, a society, and the natural world that surrounds and connects us.“Every human experience is unique, but The Eagle Tree provides insight into one distinctive and uniquely important perspective. The Eagle Tree… seems very authentic to me.””— Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of Emergence: Labeled Autistic.“The Eagle Tree is a gorgeously written novel that features one of the most accurate, finely drawn and memorable autistic protagonists in literature. Credible, authentic, powerful. A must-read.”–– Steve Silberman, New York Times bestselling author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity.I don' think I need to say anything more.