Natasha and the Tree
Sherwood Moody
Paperback
(Inkwater Press, Oct. 7, 2009)
Natasha lives in the boring and mannequin-like suburbs of Smile Valley, trying to overcome her mother's death. She doesn't get any understanding from her father or anyone in the neighborhood, but one day, while she is moping under the tree outside her father's house, the tree talks to her, understanding her pain, and tells her all about the druid's path-a path of magic and truth. Feeling a sense of hope, Natasha agrees to the journey, enters the tree's mouth, and walks down a spiraling stairway into a land of her own imagination. She meets many characters along the way: Mr. Pi, Kara the Giant, Gorge the Troll, the man with a thousand faces-all characters who force her to question her identity and help her along on her journey. But Demola, the Queen, and the skinless man do everything in their power to stop Natasha from becoming a druid. They work for an evil company trying to control nature, turn children into adults, and maintain power over the world. In the end, Natasha must conquer these villainous characters, along with her own internal villains, in order to become a druid and find happiness within herself.