In the Cherry Tree A Novel [Paperback]

With a wholly original voice, this stunning debut novel captures the overwhelming transformation from childhood to adolescence

An ordinary suburban Connecticut summer in the seventies is the stage for the miraculous world of Timmy. Twelve years old and full of boundless curiosity, Timmy lives an ever-expanding life of record collections (of which Elton John is king), neighborhood bullies (of whom Franky DiLorenzo rules), best friends, and the darker, more lasting secrets of family. Over the course of the summer, Timmy will kill a frog, lose his baseball-card collection, alienate a friend, and witness his parents' separation. An intruder will hide in his treehouse; his mother will threaten divorce; his father will move out and back in. Timmy's childhood will end and his adolescence begin.

One of the most remarkable child narrators to come along in recent years, Timmy is the achievement of a stunning new voice in American fiction.In the Cherry Treeis an addictively clever and appealing novel of our universal coming of age.

Pope's dialogue is heartbreaking and real; his characters sympathetic in their gross imperfections. -Booklist

Discussion Questions
1. At the start ofIn The Cherry Tree, we learn that the street where Timmy lives is part of a
suburban track of land which used to be a terraced apple orchard. Some of the houses still
have apple tries, which drop crab apples onto the lawns. What do you think the apples
trees, and for that matter, the cherry tree symbolizes, if anything? Why is Tiger not
allowed to climb the tree? Why is Timmy upset when the raccoon goes up onto the
highest branch? And why is he upset, later in the summer, when a murder of crows
attacks the tree, rendering its branches bare?
2. Timmy enjoys making lists of his favorite movies, songs, and television shows. What is
the significance of these cultural references, other than as signifiers of the lS"