2025 Book Review #2: Shelterwood

 I've read two of this author's other historical fiction novels and really enjoyed them, so when I saw that our town library had this latest one, I grabbed it.  It doesn't disappoint!  I enjoyed the two I read but this one so  far is my favorite. 

STORY SUMMARY

It is 1909 in Oklahoma. Olive Augusta Radley, aka Ollie Auggie aka Ollie, knows that her stepfather doesn't have any good intentions towards two little Choctaw girls (Hazel, Nessa) living in their home. Her stepfather is "boarding" them for money, but when Hazel, the older girl disappears, Ollie takes matters into her own hands. 

She takes 6 yr old Nessa with her and they flee into the woods.  They begin a journey the remote Winding Stair Mountains....a territory known to be rife with outlaws, treasure hunters, and desperate men.  But...it's also where Ollie's "real" home is..the one that her daddy Keyes Radley lived in with her mama who is now so strung out on whiskey and opium  since Keyes died and she remarried Tesco Poole, Ollie's stepfather and a horrible man. Ollie has fond memories of the little cabin in the mountains and she plans on getting there with Nessa so they can live in peace and safety. Along the way, they meet other "orphan" children:  Dewey  Mullins, a teen ruffian and his pal Amos, and  Tula, Koi, and Pinti (all Choctaw).  Together, they dream of creating a town for themselves and Ollie plans on naming it Shelterwood Town after the trees, known as Shelterwoods, that protect the younger trees. 

But..will they manage to stay one step ahead of the lawmen, lawyers, and shady men like Tesco Poole who just want to exploit children...or worse....??

 

It is 1990 in Oklahoma and Forest Ranger Valerie Boren-Odell has just arrived in the brand new national park known as Horsethief Trail. It is located in the Winding Stair Mountains. She is seeking a quiet place to balance her career and raise her 7 yr old son Charlie.  The love of her life, husband and father to Charlie, Joel, was killed in a work accident back in California where they both worked as Forest Rangers. 

Valerie has just started her new job when she is thrown into a controversy over the park's opening. Then, a teenage hiker goes missing from one of the trails, and the long-hidden burial site of three children (their bones) are unearthed in a cave in the park. Val is determined to find the truth and she befriends an allie with a neighboring Choctaw Tribal Police officer.  

But....this leads to a clash of old secrets and the tragic, deadly history of the Winding Stairs Mountains. 

What really happened to the children in 1909 and how do they relate to the current events of 1990? 

MY THOUGHTS

This is one good historical fiction book and I loved that it wasn't set during WWII like SO many on the library shelves. 

I didn't know much about Oklahoma, although I do know that Winding Stair Mountains are real and there really is a national park there.  There's also a real town in Oklahoma named Talihina (I looked that up!).  It's a word that combines two Choctaw words that mean "iron road" for the town that was built up around the railroad. 

The character development in this book is excellent.....each character is one I would love to meet in person if they were real. The author does an excellent job with describing the "elf" children, the country and townfolk and the 1990 characters are vibrant, passionate, and deep. 

There is a lot of symbolism in this book centered around the shelterwood trees protecting younger trees and Ollie protecting the younger orphan children. It's exquisitely written. 

I did not find any editing errors in this novel!  

Every chapter is a different time: either 1909 or 1990.  The author indicates which it is and there are also some really good "news article bits" of what I'm assuming are real facts from the journalists of that time,  or quotes. It's not confusing at all and I appreciated that the author indicated which era we were in for each chapter. 

The main themes in this book, besides the history of this little known part of Oklahoma and the Native American tribes there, are child exploitation, abandonment, child labor, women's rights, children's rights, justice, family, survival, perseverance, alcoholism/drug use, land rights, logging illegally, betrayal, secrets, friendship. 

This is a book to be savored. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.