View source for Toby and the Secrets of the Tree by Timothee de Fombelle

{{infobox1
|title= Toby and the Secrets of the Tree
|author= Timothee de Fombelle 
|reviewer= Sue Magee
|genre=Teens 
|summary= The sequel to (and final part of) [[Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle|Toby Alone]] is action-packed as Toby returns to the tree in search of his parents and Elisha Lee. Highly recommended if you've read the first part.
|rating=4.5 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=400 
|publisher= Walker Books
|date= June 2009
|isbn=978-1406310146  
|cover=140631014X
|aznuk=140631014X
|aznus=140631014X
}}

It's more than a year since I read [[Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle|Toby Alone]] and I remember pouting and stamping my foot when I was told that the sequel (and yes, ''Toby Alone'' did end with something of a cliff hanger) would not be available for some time.  I read a lot and books tend not to stay with me in any detail but I've worried about Toby Lolness, his parents and Elisha Lee.  Everyone else can see that Toby is in love with Elisha, but he seems not to have noticed.  Will matters resolve themselves in the sequel?

If you were thinking of starting here – don't.  You could (just about) read this as a stand-alone but if you did you would miss a lot of the nuances and the background.  When we met Toby, a book ago, he was thirteen years old and one and a half millimetres tall.  He lived with his family in the oak tree and hated the way that Joe Mitch and his company were depleting the tree's reserves with their mining.  Matters came to a head when Toby's father, Professor Sim Lolness, discovered a way to harness the power of the tree's sap to produce power, but realised, too late, that the invention could be used to harm the tree.  When he refused to hand over the invention he and his family were hounded out of their home in the upper branches.

At the end of ''Toby Alone'' we left Toby away from the tree and in hiding with the Grass people.  Think 'terrorist' and you'll know how the Grass people are viewed by the powers in the tree.  If caught they're imprisoned, but Toby has found friendship and help with them and at the beginning of ''Toby and the Secrets of the Tree'' we see him returning to the tree to find his parents and Elisha.  See, I told you that you'd missed a lot, didn't I?

The story lacks the detail of the first book – the world was built there for our edification – and now we're watching the action as Toby searches.  Elisha is imprisoned (but looked after by the wonderful Clot who wears ''slipperties'' on his feet) in the expectation that she will obtain her freedom by marrying Leo Blue, once Toby's close friend but now his sworn enemy.  Her prison is one of the eggs in an abandoned bird's nest.

It's our world but writ small and a pacey story of friendship and betrayal, of greed and how little loyalty matters when there's money to be had. There's political corruption, gangsterism and much, much more. It's a morality tale but delivered with a very light touch.  Romance played little part in the first book but there's a much stronger thread about relationships – and the jealousy that they can cause – running through this book. The story is exciting with a plot which would stand up in an adult novel.  It might appear quite straight-forward but there are a number of sub-plots and strands which all resolve very cleverly and without any feeling of having been forced.

The environmental message of the first book is there, but as background.  The hints and pointers, such as the growth of mosses and lichens on the tree, will mean a lot more if you have read the first book

One of the treats of both books is the illustrations by Francois Place.  They're a delight, supplementing the story rather than just illustrating it.  There's even a bonus 'cast picture' on the inside of the jacket cover, which ties in well with the map inside the cover of the first book. The book is translated from the original French by Sarah Ardizzone.  Perhaps the highest compliment that I can pay her is to say that I would never have guessed.

Four and a half of our Bookbag stars from me, but if you haven't read the first part then you can deduct at least a half star from that.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.  It's not been easy to pout my lip for over a year.

Did I mention that you really ought to read [[Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle|Toby Alone]] first?  You might also like [[Victor and the Sun Orb by Amy Nielsen]].

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