Ring of Tall Trees

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

A young family moves into a community amid a controversy over logging.
Eleven-year-old Dylan finds that the new friends he is making are
aligned on both sides of the issue. Each group is concerned about making
a living in a depleted world; neither side recognizes this common
interest in the other. Dylan and his young Native friends take drums to
a sacred clearing in the forest, where they manage to summon ancestral
spirits who help to prevent the logging.

John Dowd has presented a classic modern problem for his characters.
Dylan’s family and friends, Native and non-Native, are portrayed
sympathetically. The actions taken by all of the players ring true. Only
the outsiders attached to the logging corporation are “enemies.” The
passages describing Dylan’s involvement in calling on the spirits are
an excellent introduction for young people.

Yet I found the climax of the book basically unsatisfying. Too much of
the resolution takes place off stage. It is never clear just what part
was played by the spirits. We do not hear very much about the reaction
of the local loggers to the resolution. It is hard to believe that
everyone lives happily ever after. Children under 11 may find the book
very interesting; older children may be puzzled, as I was, by the
ending.