Regarding the Trees: A Splintered Saga Rooted in Secrets

Regarding the... #3

by Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise (Illustrator)

Principal Walter Russ just wants a simple proposal to trim the overgrown trees outside Geyser Creek Middle School. So how does he end up with a wedding (rather than a weeding ) proposal from designer Florence Waters? Meanwhile, a student camps out in a weeping willow tree behind the school; the sixth-grade class explores its roots; and a culinary rivalry develops in the cafeteria. A surprise event saves the day (and the trees, too)!
Includes tips on planting a tree and creating a family tree.

Genres: Middle Grade, Humor, Fiction, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Catherine "Kate" Klise is an American author of children's literature. Many of her books are illustrated by her sister, M. Sarah Klise. Their popular Regarding series is presented in a scrapbook style format, with letters, journal entries, and related ephemera telling the story. She is also known for her picture books as well as the bestselling 43 Old Cemetery Road series. Kate Klise's first adult novel, In the Bag, was released in 2012.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd book in this lovely series was always one of my favorites growing up.Trees at the middle school need to be trimmed and a new Italian chef is in town and his rivalry with the local chef starts an all-out gender war with people swearing off marriage proposing a wall be built to divide men and women (I am not kidding) and even changing the name of the town. This book shows most clearly what I loved about these books as a child and what I love about them now - they don't shy away from topics like gender that some people would say 12-year-olds couldn't understand. These books take their audience seriously and they do it in a way that still makes everything about them very fun and very charming. super excited to continue on my re-read and get to the 4th book!

[Amita · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's ridiculous that this is as good as it is. the whole adoption backstory/finding family thing? why was that actually emotional. can you believe aroace Florence Waters is canon in the most insane way possible???? THE ENTIRE TOWN INVOLVED IN THE MEN VS WOMEN BATTLE. HELLO. you can't get those lines anywhere else. Florence playing 7-dimensional chess as per usual but then even SHE gets blindsided by the second proposal out of nowhere!! i read this in like 30 minutes. i feel like that's already appallingly clear.

[Lauryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute and quick little read!

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a hoot, especially because the plot is a secret from the audience! It's clever, and it's also a nice change from the typical villains keeping secrets from the characters. I liked how Minnie used the Historical Society to do research and how she found meaning in what women were doing in her grandparents' time. I wasn't sure how the girls-vs-boys setup would turn out, but I was satisfied, especially that they didn't just all decide "Sure, I WILL get married one day!" Two of them did, but Minnie also declared that it would be fine if she did but also fine if she didn't. It's a really nice way to end, a "Whatever you wanna do is just fine" ending rather than a moralistic one. And I just love Flo more and more -- she comes off like a flibbertigibbet, but actually she knows exactly what she's up to, and I love her independence and vibrance. Excellent!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The trees at Geyser Creek Middle School need trimming. Who does Principal Walter Russ turn to for help? Florence Waters, of course. Their correspondence regarding the work needed will soon turn to talk of a wedding (or weeding?) under the campus Weeping Willow Tree. Along the way, the Klise sisters provide plenty of puns and funny pics. Here are some of my favorite punny names from this latest installment: Leif Blite (Branch Chief, Evaluators of Midwest or ELM), Jeannie Ologee (Director of the Geyser Creek Historical Society), and Jack Oozy (President, Society of Principals and Administrators or SPA). And just wait until you see the new Hall Tree that Florence designs for the school. Looking forward to Regarding the Bathrooms: A Privy to the Past.

[Amy Langston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say I enjoyed Regarding the Trees more than its predecessors. This book weaves a theme of trees throughout and will teach kids about the importance of trees. But they will also learn about secret societies, preserving history, and Italian! How would all those things tie together? The book manages to do it. The valuable lesson here is how people can make silly little rivalries over nothing, but if we put aside our prejudices we realize we have more in common than we thought, with the rivalries often coming from having a similar passion for the same thing. Regarding the Trees isn't about solving a crime mystery, like the first two books, and I always enjoy those but it was refreshing to get something a bit different here.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just adore this series. The constant play on words is a great exercise in understanding puns and puts the humor in the story. The story unfolds in letter correspondence, newspaper articles and excerpts from the historical minutes of the Maids of May.
How does a simple tree trimming turn into a campaign to cut all the trees down, and a weeding turns into a wedding? A new Italian chef comes to Geyser Creek Middle School and a showdown ensues between him and the owner of the already established Geyser Creek Cafe, which tumbles into an all out war of the sexes. Lots of laughs as chaos breaks out. And, of course, Wally, the school principal, is clueless.

[Marah Angeles · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this was her best book yet! I LOVED this one especially the ending because of all the hilarious things that happened. I wanted to read it over and over again! Fans of Kate Klise will hopefully 🤞 really enjoy this, since it’s packed with funny misconceptions, random surprises, and even a few moments when you just had to be like OH MY GOSH WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The names always make me laugh! Every possible version of a tree gets worked into the headlines, articles, letters, and general lingo. It ends in unexpected happy confusion! I look forward to reading the other books in this series-it seems I skipped over a few!

[Kate Picher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punny and entertaining. And a surprise ending! What more could you ask from a book for middle schoolers. I might read the next book, "Regarding the Bathrooms", some day.

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same. Cute and easy to read.

[Ryan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever, pun-filled volume that manages to continue the story of the Geyser City middle schoolers in the same style (letters, notes, newspaper clippings, etc.) without becoming stale.

[Soojung Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Topics: epistolary, humor, 6th grade, enemies to lovers, miscommunication, puns galore

[Elizabeth Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

little grace loved

[Abby Aitken · Rating 2 out of 5]

The layout and concept of this book was cool, but I was very bored. I also think I prefer a traditional looking book with elements of unique formatting sprinkled in.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second sequel to Regarding the Fountain, Geyser Creek Middle School principal Wally Russ needs to have the trees on the school property trimmed in time for his upcoming evaluation, after which many expect that he will be fired. Naturally, he calls Florence Waters, the designer who worked on the water fountain and the cafeteria sink. Unfortunately, there seems to be a miscommunication in his correspondence with Flo, and now she thinks Wally wants to marry her! In the meantime, an Italian chef takes up residence in the sixth grade classroom in order to work as the school cook, and he starts up a rivalry with restaurant owner Angel Fisch, which results in a city-wide battle of the sexes. Sixth grader Minnie O. also embarks on a personal journey to save a tree that might have more significance to her life than she realizes.

This third book in the Regarding series is much stronger than Regarding the Sink, and I found it a much quicker and more enjoyable read. Though some of the newspaper articles can be tedious to get through because of their small type and the need to flip back and forth between pages to read full articles, the story in documents format still works and has by no means grown stale. One of my favorite things the Klises do in this book is create an additional view of Sam N’s sixth grade classroom. The first two books periodically show his classroom blackboard as a means of conveying information about class projects. Now that the chef is staying in the classroom, there is a second panel beside the blackboard each time it appears, which shows Chef Angelo’s bed and his Italian lesson for the day. Though these scenes are not absolutely essential to the overall story, they do a lot to immerse the reader in the world of Geyser Creek Middle School.

In terms of language I enjoyed the way the plot about the trees provided new opportunities for puns related to trees rather than water, as in the first two books. The evaluator who might fire Wally is nicknamed the Velvet Ax. The newspaper features lots of ads about hairstyles and roots. The sixth grade students explore their family trees, and Minnie O. learns about an organization called the Maids of May who originally planted the trees Wally now wants to destroy. Though the books in this series sometimes tend to meander quite a bit into different areas of interest, I appreciated the way this one stayed firmly grounded (pun intended) amongst the trees. There aren’t many children’s books that so thoroughly explore so many topics at once, and this book really does a nice job of incorporating lots of great information in an accessible and fun way.

Not every kid will have the patience to pore over each document in this book, but the ones who do will be rewarded with lots of puns and fun facts to impress their friends and make them laugh. Regarding the Trees is followed by two more sequels: Regarding the Bathrooms and Regarding the Bees.

[Rchelg5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though it was an easy read, though I liked all of the characters' personalities because I thought they fit in with style of the novel. Also, it involved some cheesy yet amusing humor, which made the book highly pleasurable. "Regarding the Trees" is part of a series, which includes "Regarding the Fountain", "Regarding the Sink", and "Regarding the Bathrooms", this book being the third book in the four book sequence. It is basically about a middle school with an interesting principal, a determined sixth grade class, and a proposal to have the trees at the school be trimmed by a special designer. This book projects the message of the importance of love, friendship, forgiveness, and discovering your origin. The audience I would recommend this read to would be elementary to middle school. Furthermore, if you appreciate these kinds of stories, then you would adore this book.

[Mrs. Bajema · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many ways I could try to describe Regarding the Trees, but after calling it "humor, kid-power, MCBA-book--2009, real-life, school, wit, and written-in-letters", I still somehow haven't captured the nature of this book! It's a hilarious, rollicking story told in letters, newspaper clippings, school projects, video transcripts, notes passed in class, and much more. Sure, the 6th graders in Mr. N's class are on a mission to save the trees at Geyser Creek Middle School. But don't forget all of the intentional misunderstandings, uncovering of a secret society, a boy-vs.-girl feud that extends all the way to the librarian (female) and the mayor (male), and an exploration of every possible word-play or meaning connected to trees! This really is a fabulous way to tell a story.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. Mr. N's 6th grade class goes out on a limb to save the trees surrounding the middle school when Principal Wally Russ decides to cut them down or trim them drastically. In the process they discover some of the history of their town, Geyser Creek, and uncover a historic sorority of unwed women from the town who traveled around the world planting trees. Like the others in this series the story is told through letters, illustrations, and newspaper articles. The plot takes a romantic twist as Principal Wally and Florence Waters (the class benefactress) accidentally get engaged when a proposal for a "weeding" is mistaken for a proposal for a "wedding." The town gets split by gender as spats break out everywhere. It's up to the kids to resolve the problems, save the trees, and get feuding couples back together again.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be my favorite book in the Regarding the...series. As Principal Walter Russ prepares for an evaluation he turns his attention to the trees on the Geyser Creek Middle School grounds. What begins as a mere proposal to Florence Waters, of the designer water fountain fame, to trim the trees ends up as the wedding of the century!

Meanwhile Sam N.'s 6th grade class is studying everything about trees, especially family trees and tracing their own roots. Minnie O. frets about the project (she's adopted) until she gets involved in a research assignment about the historic trees on the Geyser Creek Middle School grounds.

A fun side effect of Minnie O.'s research projects is an epic boys vs. girls war that causes everybody in town to choose sides.

Funny with a lot of heart, I'd recommend this book/series to boys and girls grades 3-5.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Russ is the principal at Geyser Creek Middle School. When walter Russ receives a letter informing him he is to be evaluated by the Society of Principals and Administrators everything goes down hill from there.... Florence Waters, a.k.a the Flo, is the designated "tree trimmer", since Walter will also be graded by the appearence of his school. But when the Flo mis-understands Walter Russ's letter, the day may end in a wedding instead of a weeding....

I loved this book, mainly beacause its not like any other books. Instead of just boring old writting on a page, Kate Klise writes her books in letters (letters like you send to people on their birthday, just to talk, christmas, ect.).

I would recommend this book to kids ages 9 to 13.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This is not as good as the first two books in the series-- rather mediocre, actually. I got fed up very fast with the proposal banter between Florence and Walter, and the boys vs. girls fight felt overdone and tacky. While the basic humor and light-hearted approach to life remain the same, and the illustrations are as always amazing, the main plotline felt forced and irritating, and the wrap-up with what's-his-face was just out of nowhere. I'll still read the next book in this series, but I don't think I'll be rereading this one.

I must say though, I did like Minnie O quietly running around in the background doing geneological and historical research and fighting to save the trees like the adorable little budding activist she is. She's quickly becoming my favorite.

[Readersaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kiddo had a good time with this one, but the short letters and faxes and memos made for stilted reading aloud. Also, it's no longer a novelty, with several books in the series and other authors doing the same thing (with ims, text messaging, and e-mails thrown in). Despite the marriage theme (a bit off the mark for the upper elementary set), this has been a very popular series with 5th & 6th graders, and will probably continue to be so. The side story about the Maids of May was the best part. Nice wordplay.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trip to the library with my daughter for science fair materials resulted not only bringing home encyclopedia volumes (remember those?), but also all of this series. They are all quick, clever, fun reads (speaking of the 'regarding' series, not the encyclopedia volumes). This installment has the biggest surprise twist, I think. One of my favorite parts is how the letters between the principal and Florence are interpreted by each other.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been enjoying the whole Regarding series, but this one was especially appealing. The puns and misunderstandings and feuds just got more and more convoluted, but everything was neatly wrapped. A little piece at the end, involving Minnie O., got me quite misty, which was totally unexpected for this series.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because I like Florence Waters a lot. I also like how the competition is going on, because I am VERY competitive, and in the end, it turned out okay. Last, I like all of the Maids Of May sections, and how that goes along with the book. One thing that I didn't like was all of the romance going on, but I still liked the book, a lot!

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the other books in this series, this story is written in letters and is filled with puns and wordplay that will make you smile Kids will enjoy being able to "get" the jokes. Trees, Italian, boys vs.girsl: it's all here. A fun read.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all books by Kate Klise, and this one was no exception. I love the mystery, with the twisting plot. The other thing I love is that this book is easy for "younger" readers (4th grade?). It's not a difficult thing with hard vocab. It's funny, and cute. I would recomend this book to anyone!

[Karen Arendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story with plenty of word play. I preferred the 43 Old Cemetery Road series more, but this story was fun. There are several books in this collection and this book is not the first. Might have been better to read them in order to be more familiar with the characters.

[Maya K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

iiiiiiiii lllllllllloooooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeee kkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaatttttttttttteeeeeeeee kkkkkkkkkkkkkllllllllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!