In this authentic and heartfelt middle-grade novel, Maple uses her artwork to help sort through sibling relationships, school drama, and her parents’ increasingly fraught marriage.
Ten-year-old Maple can’t wait for summer: No more math! Adventures with her friends! Best of all, she and Dad are finally going to build a real treehouse. Or are they? Lately Dad has been quick to storm off when he argues with Mom, which happens more and more. Maple seeks refuge in her sketchbook, filling it with comics and other drawings and posing the questions she can’t bring herself to ask anywhere else. She imagines “Dadlandia,” a place that Dad whooshes off to when he’s gone. Maple confides in her favorite tree—her namesake—that she wishes Dad would come home for good. But eventually, Maple will need to step outside her imagination and confront what’s happening for real. For that, she will need support from friends and family—and strength and courage from within. Celebrated author Jo Knowles delivers complex characters and emotions with care, while illustrator Glynnis Fawkes’s powerful illustrations perfectly capture Maple’s creative spirit, her struggles, and her capacity for hope
Black-and-white illustrations were done in pen and ink and finished digitally.
Topics Marriage and divorce. Family. Art. Siblings. Comics. Treehouses. Emotions and feelings. Friendship. Math.
Trim Size 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
JLG Span Fall
Language English
Rights type Print
Publication date 2025-05-26
JLG Release Date Sep 2025
Minimum grade 3
Maximum grade 5
Reading level Elementary
Format Print
Intermediate Readers Plus (Grades 3-5)
Intermediate Readers Plus
Intermediate Readers Plus (Grades 3-5)
For Grades 3-5
This collection provides 14 additional exciting titles each year, offering engaging chapter books and nonfiction that help young readers build confidence and develop a lifelong love for reading.