Reviews:

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Quest yields unexpected discoveries (as printed in the Billings Gazette)

"OK, I'll admit that, when I agreed to write this book review, I selfishly thought, 'Hey! A children's book! I need something to read at bedtime!'

Boy was I wrong.

I was in tears after the first two pages, which would have been OK if only I hadn't been at the post office. Not only was this book written for a mature child - a difficult audience to write for - but it was also downright enticing - it kept me awake!

No, it didn't keep me awake like Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park" kept me awake, but I did lie in bed wondering what was going to happen to the characters and worrying about the orphan fugitives Kyleah and Ben, their uninformed dietary choices, what on Earth the creepy character lurking in the train yard wanted and quenching my insatiable thirst for justice over fetal alcohol syndrome victim Josiah.

I tossed and turned, flipped my pillow over to the cold side again and again while making my plot predictions and then finally staggered out of bed at 2 a.m. to finish the last five pages.

Well, my predictions were mistaken. This was not a sigh-worthy narrative, but it was an original, insightful, gut-splitting and romantic pre-coming-of-age story of journey and growth.

So often children's books are thought of as something simple like "Good Night Moon" (though that story could be argued as a prophecy for Armageddon). But, in reality, literature written for adolescents does not have to be all about Sally Eating Disorder or little Jimmy-Falsetto.

Children's literature can be about belonging - solidarity anyone? - compassion and the ultimate growth enabler, questing.

I think that Muirhead Hill really captured the complexity and tumult of late childhood/early adulthood by placing our heroin, Kyleah, in a tree, wishing on the sunrise for herself to become beautiful.

If that really worked, don't you think there would be way more morning people?

The point of wishing is to address one's shortcomings, and how does one conquer weakness? Beat the stuffing out of it, of course! Well, at least beat the stuffing out of it by journey and growth.

Although I don't condone the color of growth our characters doused themselves with - since being a fugitive at age 11 or 13 is not a great way to make friends in middle school - I do think that, if the children had not gone on their identity-fraud-hitchhiking-grand-Canadian-adventure, they would not have grown up or learned to appreciate what they already had.

And, if you think that that's a tired old theme, so what? I liked this book, and I recommend it to those who find themselves taking life for granted or are susceptible to the endearing."
---Reviewer Naomi Myrick, a Minnesota native, is a senior at Rocky Mountain College majoring in creative writing. She is the intern for Skinner-Benoit Public Relations and working on the High Plains Book Awards, The Big Read and the Writer's Voice BookFest. Printed in the Billings Gazette, Aug 2, 2009.

"Kyleah's Tree Book 1 in a planned trilogy
You can feel Kyleah's loneliness and despair from the loss of her family and subsequent life in foster homes. Kyleah's father and twin brother had just disappeared after the divorce, and then her mother died. Now she climbs her favorite tree each morning just at sunrise, because she is sure that if she makes a wish just as the sun starts to appear over the horizon, and she keeps her eyes closed until the sun is in full view, her wishes will come true.

Kyleah doesn't really feel like she fits in with her foster family, and she and her foster brother, Benjamin, plot to run away. Benjamin has a family in Moose Jaw, across the Canadian border, and Kyleah thinks she might find family members in Montana. Their escape is filled with suspense and emotion, and sometimes the adventure turns dangerous as they flee from Kansas to Canada, stowing away on vehicles or catching rides when they can. In the convincing lies they tell to keep from being caught by the authorities and sent back to the Holcomb farm, they sometimes contradict each other.

This story addresses the problems of being abandoned and living in a foster home. It shows how the child might imagine many threats that either don't exist or are misinterpreted.

Herb Leonhard's black and white illustrations add visual depth to the story. We have come to expect great characters from Janet Muirhead Hill, who are impossible to forget. This great storyteller is a master at realistic, but nearly heart-stopping, excitement in a fast moving plot, and the ending is a satisfying surprise."
---Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.com Reviewer: http://www.myshelf.com/teen/fiction/09/kyleahstree.htm
http://www.teensreadtoo.com/KyleahsTree.html (another place for this review done by 'Grandma Bev')

"Author, Janet Muirhead Hill has crafted a YA fiction that tugs at the deepest emotions. Kyleah's Tree captures the good and bad of the "system" as two wards of the state run away from caring foster parents, with very different results.

This heart-stopping, sometimes dangerous adventure is a real page-turner as you follow Kyleah and Benjamin on a quest to find long-lost family."
---Mary Cunningham, Author of Cynthia's Attic Books: www.marycunninghambooks.com

"This young adult story addresses the problems of being an abandoned or orphan child living with foster care givers and the child imagining many threats that either don’t exist or are misinterpreted. Kyleah believes that if she could become prettier, her abandoning father and twin brother might come for her. She also believes that if she climbs a tall oak tree in the front yard right at sun rise, she will get her wishes.

She and foster brother Benjamin decide to run away from the foster home in Kansas to Canada, where they almost freeze while trying to escape border patrol and RCMP policemen. This is an exciting story that teaches much about many critical concepts as well as entertaining the reader. We rated it four hearts."
---Bob Spear, Publisher and Chief Reviewer: Heartland Reviews

"Kyleah's Tree is a touching story about a young girl going through the trials of living in a foster home. Her runaway escape with her foster brother, Benjamin, is filled with emotion and suspense. Characters in the story, are described in such depth that you feel as if you know them. I loved this book!"
---Ashley Grimes, age 14

"This is the first book I have read by Janet Muirhead Hill, and I enjoyed it immeasurably....You see the characters learning life skills such as trust, determination, and working together....I give the book a perfect score of five. This book has even taught me some life skills....It's also a great story that you can read to the family. The author is a superior writer and a great storyteller."
---Brenna Bales, age 10, Reader Views Kids

	Price $12.00