SOLVED. Juvenile book about two friends and an outcast man who lives in the forest. [s]

[Scotland]

I read this book around 2010/2011, after it was recommended to me by a children’s librarian. Because she picked it out for me, I do not know if it came from the middle grade or YA section, but the characters were in middle school, so I assume the former. The author was male and I believe the cover was gray and had trees on it. It was not a very big book, as I read it in a single sitting of about five hours, if I remember correctly.

The book had an eerie/sad tone, and although it had indications of the supernatural, I don’t recall anything unexplainable actually happening, which is why I didn’t include a fantasy or supernatural genre in the title of this post. The book was about two friends, a boy and a girl, who go to the same school in a small town. The description of the area and the trees make me think it was set somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

These are the three details of the plot that I remember most vividly:

1. There is a boy who ran away into the forest because he started making a strange noise and wouldn’t stop. I believe the noise was described as a “whoop.” The people of the town were afraid of him.

2. Our two main characters observed that there was a tree that only appeared after dark (maybe it only appeared on a certain night of the week/month). This disappearing tree was an important aspect of the book. I think they tried to tell their parents about it but no one believed them. It was possibly the eleventh tree?

3. There is a frightening man who lives in the forest because he was outcast by the people of the town many years ago (he is about the same age as our main characters’ parents). The main characters journey into the forest and meet him. He is strange but not harmful, if I remember correctly.

[Scotland]

I think that shadows were important imagery throughout the book. It’s possible that “Shadow” or “Shadows” was in the title, too. Also, the forest man talks about the importance of being “one with nature” or something like that.

[Rainbowheart]

Suddenly In the Depths of the Forest

[Scotland]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Suddenly In the Depths of the Forest"

That's the one! Thank you!

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, glad to help out!