Tree Girl

Tree Girl is an award-winning book which was published by Ben Mikaelsen^[1] in 2004. Ben Mikaelsen is the winner of the International Reading Association Award and the Western Writers of America Spur Award. His novels have been nominated for and won many state reader's choice awards, one being Tree Girl.

Summary

Tree Girl is a novel, based on a true story, that tells the story of a young woman’s journey to womanhood in Guatemala. Gabriela is called "Tree Girl" or Laj Ali Re Jayub in her native language of Quich'e. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outstretched branches of the Guatemalan forests. One day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sites and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She sees rape and murder - the ravages of guerilla warfare. She vows to be a Tree Girl no more. Earth bound, she joins the hordes refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous months of hunger, thirst, and the threats of more violence from soldiers, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search to find herself.

Background

The story of Tree Girl is centered on the Mayan genocide that occurred during the Guatemalan Civil War from 1960 to 1996. The war was fought between the Guatemalan government, and leftist rebel groups. The military had taken total control over Guatemala and ordered the purification of Guatemalan Indios. Soldiers destroyed more than 626 villages and more than 200,000 were killed. Once Mayan people realized this and escaped to safety, many joined the rebels in the fight against the government. The Civil War ended when peace talks were held between the leader of the rebels, Rolando Morán, and president Álvaro Arzú.

Characters

The main character is Gabriela Flores, a 15-year-old girl. When her town is burned and everyone is killed except her sister, she then has to find a way to survive the world around her.

• Mamí - Gabriela's mother takes care of Gabriela and her other siblings.
• Alicia - Gabriela’s younger sister that is reunited with her.
• Jorge - Gabriela’s older brother, who is taken away by the soldiers after defending Gabriela during her quinceañera.
• Antonio - Gabriela’s younger brother, who gets shot when the soldiers take over the town.
• Julia - Another of Gabriela’s siblings, Julia is her younger sister who also killed by the soldiers who take over the town.
• Lidia - Gabriela’s younger sister.
• Lester - Gabriela’s younger brother.
• Papi - Gabriela’s father who prays for them.
• Manuel Quispe - Gabriela’s teacher, who is killed when soldiers beat him until he dies, with his students watching.
• Victoria - Gabriela and Manuel’s student, who is killed when running away from the soldiers who are trying to massacre the children Manuel and Gabriela taught at school.
• Lisa - Gabriela and Manuel’s student, who is killed as well at the same massacre as Victoria and the rest of the children.
• Ruben - Gabriela and Manuel’s student, who is killed at the massacre with the rest of the children that go to the school who also get killed.
• Federico - Gabriela and Manuel’s student, who is killed at the school massacre.
• Pablo - Gabriela and Manuel’s student, who is killed at the school massacre.
• Rosa - An older woman whom Gabriela meets at the refugee camp and befriends. She later dies of natural causes.
• Carmen - An older woman whom Gabriela meets at the refugee camp and befriends, and also is the closest thing to family she has in the camp until her sister shows up.
• Milagro - A baby whom Gabriela helps bring into this world. Her name means ‘Miracle’.
• Maria - A woman who finds Alicia and Milagro, whom she takes care of temporarily.
• Mario - A man Gabi finds at the refugee camp. He tells stories of America's Government.

References

1. Scholastic Books biography|http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/ben-mikaelsen

See also

Books about teens in genocide:

1. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Holocaust)
2. The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sinder (Holocaust)
3. Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasrian (Armenian genocide)
4. Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic (Bosnian genocide)
5. Children of the River by Linda Crew (Cambodian genocide)