We all know the story of the “selfless” tree that gave all she had just to make sure a young boy was “happy.” This is a different tree. This is a different boy. This is a very different book.

The Taking Tree is not pleased when the boy takes her twigs to pick on his sister, or when he cuts off her branches to build a house that he burns for insurance money. And the boy is not sorry at all. Ever. In fact, he’s kind of a jerk. So what happens when the tree finally gets fed up? Let’s just say the story doesn’t end sweetly with an old man sitting on a stump.