"Choldenko has a flair for titles: "Notes From a Liar and Her Dog," "Al Capone Does My Shirts," now this. But books don''t fly on titles alone. Choldenko also has a spiky wit, an empathetic eye for kids'' foibles and fears, an ear for their distinctive voices and an impressive range. . . . "If a Tree Falls" unfolds in the less exotic setting of a fancy private school, but it treads more explosive ground as it switches between the viewpoints of two seventh-graders there -- Kirsten, who is white, and Walk, who is black. That catchy title is a metaphor for the uprooting that takes place when Kirsten and Walk learn they have a whole lot more in common than their "brilliance." At the same time, it signals this book''s real appeal for pre-teens: While it treats issues of race, class and marital discord fearlessly, it''s also one of the funniest they''ll read this year."

"The issues raised are spot-on for this age group. . . . (an) under-the-microscope examination of the often cruel, always dramatic dynamics of junior high."--"Publishers Weekly""Choldenko . . . has a spiky wit, an empathetic eye for kids' foibles and fears, an ear for their distinctive voices and an impressive range . . . While [this book] treats issues of race, class and marital discord fearlessly, it's also one of the funniest they'll read this year."--"The Washington Post Book World

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