In the Lamplight - Reviews & Interviews

Review: Sarah's Blue Tree by @CrystalCherie

Author: CrystalCherie

Title: Sarah's Blue Tree (ONC longlist 2020)

Genre: General Fiction

Review: Sarah's Blue Tree is an emotional tale of a young girl's connection to a blue tree after her mother's death, in which she believes her mother's spirit resides. The story explores the pain of two sisters of losing a close family member and their relationship in the aftermath. Mila - the elder sister - fights to remain her younger sister's legal guardian and is given seven days to prove she is able. However, Sarah's determination to prove that their mother is truly speaking from the magical blue tree takes the pair down a twisting path, which neither of them could have predicted.

Sarah's Blue Tree is an extremely well written story and explores life-altering events not often written in children's fiction. Both Mila and Sarah are well developed and relatable characters. Mila is the caring elder sister, who wants the best for her younger sister and has her feet planted firmly on the ground. However, Sarah is a dreamer. She follows her heart and is determined to help others see what she can see. The contrast between the two characters is effective and their relationship is clear from the onset of the story. The voice of both the characters is also relatable, with Sarah's voice and dialogue clearly emphasising her younger age in comparison to Mila's.

The favourite parts of my story were when Sarah and Mila's true relationship shone through, despite their differences and the challenges they faced. At times the siblings frustrate each other, but forgiveness is always on the cards. Their bond deepens as the story progresses and the social worker deadline looms ever closer. I found myself emphasising with the characters and willing them to stay together.

The story is generally well paced, with a clear plot line running throughout the story. I did feel that the story was a little rushed in places, for example, when Mr. Johnstan does his big reveal at the same time as several other crucial events happen. However, despite this, I could vividly imagine the story playing out, especially when it came to the scenes involving the blue tree. There were twists and turns in the story so it was difficult to predict what was going to come next - this made it all the more exciting to read.

Something I was left wondering about from the story, is Mr. Johnstan's connection to the tree. We know that he had a connection, but not too much about how he first came to discover the tree and why it cursed him in the way it did. I would have loved to see this explored more as a side plot, or possibly even as a separate short story. It's different from Sarah's experience with the tree. Why did the tree do for free for Sarah what it did not do for her Mr. Johnstan? There is so much potential for further development with this and I would be very curious to read more.

Overall, this is a very well written story with relatable characters, real life meanings and a good usage of ancient lore in a modern day setting. I would strongly recommend Sarah's Blue Tree for any young readers who would like to explore a deeper and more raw side of children's fiction.

Reviewer:  Azanthiel

INTERVIEW 

What do you think makes Children's Fiction different from every other genre?

I think Children's Fiction appeals to our initial innocence, and because of that, I think everyone can relate to it. It's broader than other genres and gives us more opportunities to dream outside of the box. That's always fun, right?

How did you get started with writing stories for children?

I never intended to write stories for children—despite loving my job as a teacher. I've always enjoyed writing stories for adults more. But it felt odd to me when one of my students would ask to see my books, and I didn't have anything I could just place in their hands. 

I wanted to enter the Open Novella Contest, and I just happened to like the Children's Fiction topic. I used the contest as an opportunity to write something I could put in my students' hands next time.

Do you think that understanding a child's world and a child's psychology helps you to build a believable story for your young audience?

I think kids dream bigger than we do, so it's easier for them to believe things we might not. The goal of great fiction is to make fantasy reality, so verisimilitude is something I've always tried to work hard on in all of my stories—no matter their genre. I think both tapping into my inner child and understanding kids from years of teaching helped make the story more believable. At least, I hope it did! ☺

What was the inspiration behind 'Sarah's Blue Tree '?

Little kids have big problems. When I lost my mom in 2017 (actually 3 years ago to the very day of writing this), I realized just how big grief could be for anyone—let alone a kid going through it alone. 

I once had a student ask me about death when one of her family members passed away. We were both grieving at the time, because it wasn't long after I'd lost my mom. I wanted something to give her to read that might help, but a lot of the stories for kids make light of bad situations.

I didn't want to invalidate her pain by sugar coating something as hard as death, but I also wanted her to know that healing happens. So, Sarah's Blue Tree was born of that.

What are the hardest things you've experienced when writing your children's fiction story?

Craft wise? Wording. You don't realize how many words you use on the daily that little ones might not be able to work with yet. I tried to keep the writing on an appropriate grade level for Elementary while also keeping repetition in the mix. I had to make sure that larger words had enough context clues in the sentence to help kiddos decode their meaning. This helps students build more confidence with reading, and that was also a big goal for me. I did try, as a teacher, to write something that would promote learning also, and it was hard!

What do you think makes a good story?

A healthy blend of relatable characters, growth, and pain. Good stories suck us in, whisk us away, and change us in the end.

What advice will you give to other writers who want to begin writing for the youngest of our audiences?

Change your language—not your content. Write it like you would any other story, and then go back and adjust some things. Kids are like us. They have feelings. They like excitement and danger. They have big problems and need solutions just like we do. I think a Children's Fiction story that's done well will appeal to adults too.

Once you have your story down, comb through it for language: age-appropriate vocabulary usage, context clue inclusion, and toss in some repetition. 

And feel free to use more of your imagination; kids can keep up!

Which authors on or off Wattpad inspired you to start writing stories for children?

I've always loved Janell Cannon (Stellaluna), Sharon Creech (The Wanderer), & Judy Blundell (Premonitions).

Anything else you'd like to add?

 I'm glad there are still people out there willing to advocate for Children's Fiction, because it's the base where all the wonders of reading and writing begin! Thanks for taking the time to interview me. ♥ 

Thanks for taking part in this interview. Continue writing and continue inspiring.

Interviewer: Shreya_VA