Noah is finding it hard as he keeps getting in trouble at school and he is trying to process the difficulties in his parents relationship as his dad plans to move out.
He becomes swept up in the story of an old tree, due to be torn down, so decides to save it hoping it will save his parents.
A charming book from Barrington Stoke

Noah is in Y7, and it's not going well. Jim, his best friend from primary school, is no longer his friend. Noah keeps causing trouble at school and Jim's parents want him to stay away.

Noah is in detention again, when Grace Whitlock appears. She's an all round goody-goody and she wants to see the Head. The Head wants to see Noah's parents. He listens as Grace complains about the fact that the council are going to cut down a beautiful old oak tree.
On the way home Noah goes via the oak tree. Grace is there putting up a banner. Noah climbs the tree. He wants to stay there and not go home. Home isn't great. His parents argue a lot.
Noah decides he wants to be a different person to teh one everyone sees and help Grace fight against the council.

And he takes drastic action to help. He hopes that by doing this he'll also help with Mum and Dad as well.

Noah wants to prove that bad boys can help, they can be eco-conscious and they do care about people and places. But most of all we learn to consider just what is happening to children when they act up at school.
Have now read several of Lisa's book and haven't found any I don't like. Owen and the Soldier is still one of my favourite books, and I frequently recommend it to children at school, just as I will this.
Loved it. I've been very lucky to receive an actual finished copy from Barrington Stoke.

"Suddenly things had got very real indeed." Er, no they hadn't – for at this point of the story things lost a lot of the realism we'd been enjoying. But it doesn't really diminish the fun or impact of the story too much. What we have here is the tale of Noah, who's busy acting up at school in reaction to his parents' marriage breaking down, but gets to learn of a local oak that is under threat, and decides to reuse some of the camping gear the three of them once bonded courtesy of, and go to live in the tree until it is safe. Oh and wouldn't you just guess that that act also starts to get the parents back together as well?

This is a very bright read, cleverly showing us someone being a right sh*t, but justified in that to some extent, and able to be determined enough to enter the fight for the tree. It's about the tree, and Noah, and Noah's folks, and the balance of them all make for a very decent drama. It does seem to fall apart in the later stages – the social media and neighbourly interest Noah gains is there much too quickly, and people are quick to moan about school and work hours lost after the campaign hits peak importance – which was a Friday, so quite how much extra school absenteeism it caused is beyond me. Apart from that the piece makes us sympathise very well with Noah and his oak, and even if we don't like him at first, we enjoy both him and the read by the end.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fiction about a troublemaker who tries to save a tree. A good story, but some minor issues stopped it from being great. I liked the ending though, and the illustrations are excellent. This book would be a nice option for classroom discussions. Do note that one of the key themes might be upsetting to some children.

Plot Preview:
Twelve-year-old Noah is going through a tough time at home as his parents are on the verge of splitting up. He rebels at school and resorts to mischief, which gets him in further trouble. So when he suddenly decides to assist Grace, the goodie-goodie girl of the school, in saving an old oak tree that the council is planning to cut down for a road widening project, even Grace doesn’t trust his motives and sudden change of heart. But Noah has his secret reasons for wanting to help, and he decides to sit atop the tree until the council changes its mind. After all, no one will fell a tree with a boy in it. Or will they?
The story comes to us in Noah’s first-person perspective.


As with many Barrington Stoke books, this book covers several impactful themes without sugarcoating them. This story includes a problematic couple who don’t hesitate to fight in front of their son, and the resultant impact on the child’s mental health. At the same time, Noah doesn’t show much remorse in defacing school property, or bunking classes, or indulging in other reckless conduct. Grace should have been the positive counterfoil to Noah, but she too comes with her own flaws, always being quick to judge him based on his earlier actions. All put together, this becomes a difficult book to rate. It is true to life, but it makes me wonder if I want young children to read stories with such grey characters who don’t get much comeuppance for their misbehaviour.
The struggles faced by Noah are quite relatable. Noah has a good heart but it's like he can't stop himself from getting in trouble. Unfortunately, we get the narration in his limited first-person POV, which isn’t always on the right side, so it is tougher to notice the flaws in his attitude. I think the book would work better in classroom discussions as Noah’s (and Grace’s) behaviour might be analysed in the right light under the guidance of varying viewpoints.
There is a lot of sadness in this tale. While I didn’t always like Noah’s behaviour, I did feel sorry for him. This story depicts marital stress and parental bitterness in an overly honest manner. The fights between the parents are quite extreme, and might be distressing to kids going through similar conditions at home. That’s why I like that the book’s ending shows the parents explaining to Noah why they might be a happier family when not living together. This was my favourite part of the story, and hopefully, it makes little readers going through the same issues realise that accepting change and moving forward is sometimes the best way. Not everything can be saved easily.
The parts of the story connected to nature were quite good. The importance of saving trees and not sacrificing greenery for modern amenities is an important topic for today’s generation, and the story brings out the importance of activism well. It is, of course, at a very simplistic level, but it works for an MG-level book. I liked how Noah went prepared for his stay in the tree instead of jumping into the decision blindly. Then again, he left his house in the wee hours of the morning without his parents’ permission and without letting them know of his plans – not acceptable!
The vocabulary is quite easy. Written in Hi-Lo language, the content of the book is accessible to youngsters with the reading age of 8+, though it is targeted at slightly older middle-graders.
The story is peppered with some wonderful B&W illustrations. The sketches added much to the story, even in terms of context. (Grace, for example, is a Black girl, but we see this only in the illustrations as the text doesn’t describe her appearance.)
All in all, this is a good enough middle-grade book, but the idea that the protagonist gets away with a lot of questionable behaviour didn’t make me comfortable. Plus, the parents’ aggressive behaviour towards each other should probably come with a content warning.
This is my first book by this prolific children’s author, and I did like it, but not so much as to blow me away. Fingers crossed that my next attempt of her work goes much better.
Recommended for classroom discussions on importance of urban greenery, activism, acceptance of change, and knowing when to resist. It might also work well in counselling centres.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Barrington Stoke for providing the DRC of “The Boy in the Tree” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The unlikely team of school bad boy Noah and his polar opposite the goody two shoes Grace unexpectedly results from then their mutual desire to save a tree that is about to be cut down for planning purposes.

This is a lovely story that touches on a number of important contemporary subjects, including the effects of divorce on children and the need to care for our environment. Worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. The same high quality I’ve come to expect from Barrington Stoke - accessible language, fast paced storyline, well~written, and very relatable characters. Any child could see themselves in this book and I’m sure it will inspire many to be bameave and stand up for their beliefs.

Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Noah is struggling with his parents fighting and separating and is constantly acting out, then he learns about a beautiful oak tree that is being chopped down, in a moment of quick thinking he packs a bag and heads off to live in the tree in the hope he can actually save it and save his parents marriage in the process.

I loved that the whole community backed him up, each one wanting to help to save the tree from destruction. It meant so much to literally everyone that knew about it and it’s so sad to think they wanted to cut it down. Noah took a stand by staying up in the tree and together with the community they fought it, I really loved that.

The story also covered parental separation and how it affects the child, it was so sad all he wanted was his mum and dad to stay together so they could be a happy family again. His behaviour changed as his parents wouldn’t stop arguing, which meant he was alone, no one wanted to be around him. He thought being a hero having his parents staying by his side he would put them back together again, it was honestly really sad.

A very good story that covered two important topics that are very relevant to what children are going through. I think readers will really enjoy the story, our hero boy saving an important piece of nature and having to learn to accept a parental separation even if it hurts to accept it. The book also comes with really great illustrations that I loved seeing all the different stages of development with the story.

The Boy in the Tree
By Lisa Thompson
Published by HarperCollins Publishers

Noah hates school!
Noah causes trouble wherever he is!
So when he teams up with Grace, a teachers pet to help save a local tree no one believes his intentions.
But Noah is convinced he can protest up within the branches and refuses to get down, even when his actions attract more attention than he can cope with.

However, the secondary story that runs parallel to Noah’s is his wish to keep his parents together. Forever shouting, arguing and falling out, Noah’s parents have fallen out of love.
He is determined to change people’s minds; those of the developers, those of his parents and those of his friends.

Lisa Thompson does it again!
A heartfelt, uplifting story about an unlikely friendship with a nod to the next generation of environmentalists.
Do actions speak louder than words?
Will Noah change his ways and help others along the way?
Or has he gone too far?

A fabulous short story chapter books, particularly suitable for readers aged 8+

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley

This is such a darling story about a sweet boy. My four kids and I have read it twice now. I loved the concept of the story and the conversations that can follow. It was beautiful. Highly recommend,

Noah is having a pretty rough time. His parents argue constantly, his dad is about to move out and he keeps getting into trouble at school. One afternoon in detention, Noah overhears a girl in his year, Grace, asking the headteacher to help her save an old oak tree in the neighbourhood. Noah visits the tree and realises it has special memories for him so he decides to help save it. Noah and Grace quickly gain a lot of support from the community and Noah learns that there are better ways to get himself heard than messing about at school.

This is another lovely story from Lisa Thompson, about standing up for your beliefs and that change can be difficult but that doesn't mean it has to be bad.

I love Lisa Thompson’s writing - it’s gentle and caring. Paired with everything that Barrington Stoke believe in, and you’ve got the perfect match. This story was great. I loved that Noah found something to stand up for, even though many label him the bad kid at school. I loved the illustrations too!

A great book about taking a stand, hope, and family. Noah is a troublemaker in school so when he decides to help Grace save a tree even he is shocked he wants to help. Noah’s parents are fighting and when his mum tells him some things aren’t worth saving he knows he needs to help Grace and prove that that some things can be saved like the tree and his parent’s marriage. Noah decides to sleep in the tree and people come by to show support even his parents. When TV interviews him, they tell him the planning department has made a decision. What is their decision? Do Noah’s parents stay together?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Barrington Stoke stories are a “ go to” when you want a brilliant book with a great plot and a vocabulary that is pitch perfect for the younger enthusiastic 9-11 year old with a slightly younger reading age. Lisa Thompson is one of the best children’s authors so this is a winning combination.

This is the story of Noah Spencer-since entering year 7 he’s become disruptive and isolated from old friends and at home his parents are continually arguing. Forced into a week’s detention, he encounters Grace Whitlock - school prefect and campaigner- and discovers that a childhood oak tree is going to chopped down for a new building development.

Noah feels useless and decides to take a stand about the tree and decides to set up camp in the true as a form of protest attracting media attention.

This is a wonderful story about coming to terms with change but also taking a stand and finding your voice with others rather than being isolated.

A great read for home and classroom. A book that will be highly recommended to colleagues
A winner 🏆