Winifred Malladi-Maraj has had a difficult fifth grade year. Since her parents divorce, Winnie spends half her week with her father and half her week with her mother. Also, just to make sure it is exactly fair, Winnie spends Wednesdays on her own in the treehouse between her parents’ houses. As her parents compete to make their time the most exciting and the best, Winnie lives for Wednesdays when she can do what she wants. When her parents threaten to take her Wednesdays away, Winnie has had enough. She goes into her treehouse and refuses to come down until her parents will talk without fighting and listen to what Winnie has to say. Soon, Winnie is joined by her friends who have their own complaints and demands for their families.
So begins The Great Treehouse War. The Treehouse Ten make their demands and their parents refuse to comply. After two weeks, life in the treehouse is no longer quite as fun and Winnie begins to see that what we want and what we need might be very different. This lighthearted story illustrates the importance of communication and compromise in all types of relationships. The writing is clever and the book includes great graphics and side notes that give the characters voice and personality. This is a good summer read for middle grade readers or would be a good read aloud.
Recommended ages--8-12 years