54 pages • 1 hour read
Katherine ApplegateWillodeen
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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The Balance of Nature
The Earth existed long before humans evolved, and throughout its history, many different types of life have survived and thrived. The introduction of an outside influence (human or otherwise) that throws off an ecosystem’s balance is one of the main reasons that nature’s systems fail. Through the relationships between the species around Willodeen’s village—the hummingbirds’ disappearance, Quinby’s appetite, and the blue willow trees that aren’t thriving—Willodeen shows the importance of balance in nature.
In Chapter 18, Willodeen observes that nature is like knitting a sweater: “You pull one string too hard, and the whole thing starts unraveling” (102). The relationship she uncovers between screechers, blue willows, and hummingbears shows this theory at work. The screechers eat peacock snails that live near blue willow roots, keeping the snail population at a level that allows hummingbear bubbles to adhere to the blue willow leaves. The bounty on screechers is the string that’s pulled too tightly here; it reduces the screecher population around the village, which leads to the snail population overrunning the blue willows and changing the makeup of the leaves. Returning screechers to the ecosystem allows nature to balance itself, but while removing the screechers caused the problem, screechers are not the only cause. Disrupting any part of the relationship would lead to a similar result. Willodeen doesn’t make any conclusions about the importance of the hummingbears to the screecher population, but that doesn’t mean there is no relationship. Nature’s balance is not always visible, but the balance is still there.
When Willodeen first brings Quinby home, the screecher refuses to eat. Willodeen tries several different plant and animal food options that she thinks Quinby might eat based on how she’s observed screechers in the wild. Though Willodeen may have seen screechers eat at some point, observing something and being the creature who needs a certain type of food are two different things. Quinby knows what she needs to eat. She doesn’t even try the other foods Willodeen puts in front of her, but she immediately recognizes the peacock snails as the right food despite not having other screechers to show her that the snails are important. The balance of nature nudges screechers toward eating peacock snails because it wants to maintain the screecher/blue willow/hummingbear ecosystem.
In Chapter 26, Connor describes a stand of blue willows that isn’t doing well. His father explains it’s because the trees were planted away from water, something the trees need. By contrast, the trees by the river thrive even when the peacock snail population is high. Even when some hummingbears return to build nests, Willodeen can’t find a visible difference between the blue willows except that some have nests, showing again how nature’s balance is not always visible. The blue willows are likely receiving enough water and other nutrients to appear the same, but the hummingbears know the difference. The blue willows away from the water offer visible evidence of nature being unbalanced as the lack of water makes the trees appear sickly and weak. It may only be the water, but it may also be that the peacock snails also live near water and without the snails, the trees will not grow correctly.
Nature understands what it needs, and it works to achieve balance. Humans may or may not be able to see the result of nature being unbalanced, but even when the difference can’t be seen, that doesn’t mean something isn’t wrong. Humans are also part of nature’s balance, and problems arise when humans treat themselves as something different from nature. Applegate shows this through the hunters, who are as much a part of the ecosystem as the screechers, blue willows, and hummingbears but throw it off balance by overhunting. Only when they start working in tandem with nature does the balance begin to restore itself.
Change Is Inevitable
In Chapter 27, Mae says that “change is coming, certain as sunrise” (161). Whether it’s sudden or slow, change is a constant force, and it comes in all forms from the seasons to attitudes. Willodeen shows the certainty of change through Willodeen’s life changes after the fire, people changing their minds about screechers, and the technological changes happening in the story world.
The fire that took Willodeen’s family is an example of a sudden change. In the moment before the fire, Willodeen had parents and a brother who loved her, and she resided in a house with them. Fires don’t last very long at all, but after those few moments, Willodeen’s life completely changed. Rather than being part of her family, she is an orphan and has to find a new place to live. These rapid and traumatic fluctuations also change Willodeen. She also kept to herself and enjoyed nature before the fire, but the fire brought these characteristics out more; she actively avoids people instead of just preferring not to be around them. In contrast to the short duration of the fire, Willodeen’s process of healing and accepting takes much longer, showing how sudden change can leave fear and uncertainty in its wake.
While the fire was a sudden change, the process of changing minds about the screechers is gradual and full of fits and starts. Because of their smell and negative effect on tourists, screechers are labeled pests by most people in the village. They decided to regard the creatures as a problem a long time ago, and they are not open to thinking differently because they dislike the screechers so much. When Willodeen reveals the part screechers play in the health of the blue willows, her information is initially met with skepticism and objection. The villagers don’t want to change their minds about the screechers. Once they understand that screechers are necessary to bring back the hummingbears, though, they begin to open their minds, even if a change of opinion will still take a long time.
In Chapter 26, Connor’s dad discusses the train that runs near the village, as well as a recent visit to a larger city where technological advancements changed how life is lived. Changes in everyday lifestyles can happen quickly or slowly, and those changes can bring improvement as well as problems. The railway’s expansion allows people to easily come to Perchance for the fall fair, which allows the village to thrive. However, the train also creates smoke in a dry land, which results in more fires. The change the train brings is both positive and negative. The larger city has tall buildings and gas lamps, things that have not found their way to Perchance yet. Inventions like these can cause life to change very quickly, which can cause both excitement at better technology and frustration at having to do things differently. Such inventions can also have negative environmental impacts, like the train, so changes need to be considered holistically to minimize negative effects.
The only inevitable thing about change is that it will occur. The speed and type of change vary widely, and how individuals respond to change is up to them. While change may be unwelcome, clutching to the past will not stop change or make transitions any easier. It is all right to have mixed feelings about change, but rejecting it outright, rather than learning to make it work, only makes change more difficult. This carries through to Applegate’s concern with climate change, and the book ultimately calls for us to adapt to environmental crises rather than ignore them and pretend they’re not happening. Applegate calls for positive action, no matter how small, both through Willodeen’s character arc and the Greta Thunberg quote she uses as an epigraph: “I have learned you are never too small to make a difference” (iii).
All Identities Are Valid
Willodeen’s characters grapple with parts of themselves that are different from how they feel they should be. In Chapter 14, Mae says that “it’s best for all concerned if you simply go ahead and be what you are meant to be” (79), suggesting that “supposed to be” and “meant to be” are different, and the latter means it’s alright to be who we are. The novel explores how we all have a right to be who we want to be through Duuzuu and Quinby making lives for themselves, Willodeen’s character arc, and Connor’s art.
Duuzuu and Quinby have just as much of a right to find the lives they want as humans do. After his wings were burned in the fire, Duuzuu stayed by Willodeen’s side, never seeming to care that he can’t fly and be with other hummingbears. The one time he tried to be among his kind, they weren’t interested in him because he couldn’t fly. This shows how a group often moves away from those it deems different. Rather than continuing to try to live among other hummingbears, Duuzuu is content to live among humans, eating human food and not blowing bubbles. Even later when Duuzuu starts blowing bubbles again, he seeks out Connor’s company rather than other hummingbears. Quinby also learns to be what she is meant to be—a predator who is wild and free. She lives with Willodeen for a short time, appreciating that her needs are met. When the fire gives her an opportunity to find her place in the wild, though, she takes it because she feels that’s where she belongs.
Even before the fire that took her family, Willodeen felt like she was different. She didn’t want to be around other children or go to school, and she preferred the woods and its animals for company. In the early chapters, she claims she doesn’t care that she was different, but she also shies away from anyone who notices how she differs from the other villagers. As the story progresses, Willodeen grows comfortable with who she is; by the end of the book, she learns she can still be her unique self while sometimes being around other people and learning from school. Her newfound comfort with her preferences lets her enter society in a way she couldn’t when she was uncomfortable with how different she felt.
Though Connor’s father doesn’t condemn Connor’s art, he also initially isn’t sure if it’s something worth pursuing. As a result, Connor also has doubts about art, mostly because he doesn’t want to disappoint his father. As the story progresses, Connor learns from Willodeen’s growing confidence in her differences. He sees Willodeen choosing not to conform and he realizes he can be his own person, which is helped when his father learns to fully support art. At the beginning of the book, Connor is known for making hummingbear creations to sell at the fair. At the end of the book, he expands to making creations of other animals and even made-up creatures. He no longer worries about what others think and makes art that resonates with who he is.
The opinions of others can influence how we feel about ourselves, and the characters in Willodeen learn that their own opinions matter more than what anyone else has to say. Each of them is best equipped to understand who they truly are, and they all learn that their true selves are valid, regardless of what others might say.
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