SOLVED. YA fantasy society in trees? [s]

[Ka]

I think I read this book in the early 90s. It's a YA novel where two girls from two different social classes become friends and have to reveal the truth of their screwed-up utopia to everyone else. Essentially the utopian world is up in the air; I think it's in a giant tree city or something like that. The residents never touch the ground and are in fact totally ignorant about it. They all have golden hair and wear leaf robes or some crap like that.

One day a curious girl from this upper society somehow falls or slides down a chute or something and winds up on the ground, where she finds out that people (dark-haired, of course) DO live there and work to support the people up above who aren't even aware they exist. Blah blah social injustice. Don't recall if the ground dwellers initially know the air-dweller society exists either. either way, they're resentful. Luckily Goldie is discovered by a dark-haired girl her own age who befriends her and tries to help her return to the upper society. Goldie, meanwhile, being pure of heart, is stricken by all the inequality.

I think this book was the first in a trilogy and the two girls had to escape evil agents bent on preserving the status quo. The book definitely had a social message and I think possibly an environmental one as well. The book covers were colorful in a dark way; the girls (one with long golden hair, one with dark hair) were pictured together in the center, in a clear spot amongst a bunch of branches and leaves, looking vaguely lesbitastic. Beautiful slightly gothic fairy-type cover art; if the girls didn't have pointy ears then they should have.

[Diana]

Sounds like the Green Sky trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, but I don't recall anything about hair color.

[Cheryl]

Yes, totally sounds like those books. I know it's easy to get different aspects of different stories conflated in one's memory, so, Ka, I do recommend you try Snyder's books. They're quite good, even if they turn out to be the wrong ones, if you're into any of that kind of stuff.

[Ka]

I think this may be what I was thinking of! At least in part. Cheryl, I think you're right and I somehow conflated two different YA series (but in my defense, it's been a long time). Actually I'm a big fan of some of Ms Snyder's other books and description-wise I'm pretty sure these are what I thought I was looking for! Requested from my local library. Thanks! <3 ... I'll probably have more book mysteries later. Mwahaha.

[Lisa]

Ka When you confirm please return and let us know. We can shelve it then, if it is the book. Thanks.

[Ka]

okay, I finally got round to reading the trilogy and while I got some details wrong, this was definitely the series I wanted. Thank you so much, guys! I forgot how awesome is Zilpha Keatly Snyder. (Her YA book "Black and Blue Magic" is a cherished bit of my own collection, though I'd really like to get this series as well, eventually.)

For anyone wondering what it's ACTUALLY about, this is a sci-fi/fantasy type trilogy (well, it's one of those novels which starts off fantasy-like in this place with giant trees, but then you find out that everyone came to this giant-tree-planet on a spaceship long ago, etc etc). It follows the adventures of a purehearted young man named Raamo who is unique in his ability to continue using psychic powers (which all their people are gifted with) past the age of 5 or 6. He finds himself caught up by the strange priesthood that rules this super-peaceful, ultra-pacifist society. (The long-ago spaceship was fleeing because--you guessed it--weapons and war had devastated the Earth, and this might be a spoiler if it weren't a super-common trope.)

Of course it turns out things aren't so nicey-nice (duh), although not like you might think. It seems the author is going in the direction of "check out how orderly and peaceful society could be if we were all super nice!" and such, and she is, but as the books go on it's clear that she thinks that the super-peaceful society that comes about through the ignorance of the general populace is actually harmful, eventually, to the society; the people in her "nice" society have basically trained themselves to never show strong emotion (so as to avoid anger, violence, etc, ideas which they don't even have words for) and to be fair and equal in all things (it's a communist society, essentially). And yet, many of the people have a wasting sickness (sounds sort of like depression XD), their psychic powers are leaving them earlier and earlier, and so forth.

In the course of the books the author examines the needs of humanity, and theorizes that violence, anger, and other negative emotions generally arise because people are in some way unsatisfied.

EDIT: Oh and I wanted to add that the little girls I mentioned in my description were important secondary characters: Raamo's sister (a pale girl) and her brown-colored friend (it occurs to me that the books could be commentary on racism too, although the two groups of people are not described as really looking extremely different, just getting different amounts of sun?).

I also wanted to add that I really loved this dreamy tree world. The charm of the setting of these books can't be overstated, in my opinion! I grew up in the mountain woods, so perhaps it's just the type of place I am nostalgic for, but giant flora and light gravity and warm rain every day?? It's an idealist's fairy tale. <3

[Andy]

This is a great series. I also recommend the same author's book "Enchantress from the Stars"

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

Enchantress from the Stars? Pretty sure Sylvia Engdahl and Zilpha Keatley Snyder are two different people.

OP, thanks for the indirect rec of another good ZKS book.

[Andy]

You're right of course. Sorry about that.

[Kate]

Of course Enchantress from the Stars is a great book, too! I loved Engdahl's books as a youngster.

[Rainbowheart]

Below the Root for the link.