Two books, one a fantasy, selected for sharing

PORT TOWNSEND — Now playing at a public library near you: a double feature, with hardcover “Wishtrees” for children and, for the teens and adults, thick paperback “Cerulean Seas.”

This year’s Community Read, the 17th hosted by the Port Townsend Library, encompasses these two selections, both of which are about hope and community.

“The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune is the first fantasy novel chosen for the Community Read, said Library Director Melody Sky Weaver. This year’s read includes 10 free activities for children, teenagers and adults through the month of March.

“Cerulean Sea” is a love story starring Linus Baker, a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. At an island orphanage, he works with six dangerous, magical children. In the process, this quiet man discovers an unlikely family.

Klune himself, as well as “Wishtree” author Katherine Applegate, will both give free, public talks to readers in Port Townsend next month. Thanks to Zoom, they will appear live from their respective homes in Virginia and California.

Meantime, the public is invited to check out both Community Read books at the Port Townsend Library, 1220 Lawrence St., and spend the next four weeks or so reading them and passing them around to their neighbors.

In addition to its operating hours — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays — the library will restore its pre-pandemic Sunday hours of 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. this week.

It’s unusual for the Community Read to include a book for kids, Weaver said. “Wishtree” is a timely choice — and a book adults will enjoy reading, she believes, even if it is categorized for readers ages 8 to 12.

“How many books do you read where a tree is the main character?” Weaver asked, referring to Red, the elderly red oak of the title.

This wishtree has lived to tell several stories — about the people and other animals who live in and around its trunk and boughs.

“For a tree, communication is just as complicated and miraculous as it is for humans,” Red muses early on.

“In a mysterious dance of sunlight and sugar, water and wind and soil, we build invisible bridges to connect with the world.”

When life gets tough, Red reflects on its native strength. The oak’s policy in various situations is to “stand tall, and reach deep” with those roots.

Every student at Salish Coast Elementary School will receive a copy of “Wishtree,” Weaver noted, while additional copies can be checked out at the library.

“We will have a wishtree,” she promised, so in March anyone can come and make a wish at the library.

Along with Zoom discussions, a story walk at Kah Tai Lagoon and other events next month, the Community Read will have in-person and online screenings of the movie “Boy,” written and directed by Taika Waititi.

The film is a coming-of-age story with elements of magical realism that connects well to Klune’s “Cerulean Sea,” Weaver said. Viewers can see “Boy” at Port Townsend’s Rose Theatre at 1 p.m. March 5 or watch at home via the Port Townsend Film Festival’s online platform, www.ptfilmfest.com, between March 1 and March 8.

A complete list of Community Read activities can be found at www.ptpubliclibrary.org and in brochures at the library. To Weaver’s delight, 40 boxes full of books arrived last Friday.

At this point in history, reading a novel together with one’s neighbors is a way to connect in a real way, Weaver said.

“In our busy lives, reading fiction helps build empathy. It helps us walk a mile in another’s shoes. It helps us visit other worlds,” she said.

“Two years into the pandemic, we really need that.”

The Port Townsend Library Foundation, together with the Friends of the Port Townsend Library, funded the Community Read with all of its free books and activities, Weaver noted.

“We have amazing community support,” she said.

________

Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.