In the Tall Trees

By: Angel Van Atta

Narrated by: Laura Greaves

Mella lives in a tiny house in the middle of a dense forest with her mommy and her baby brother, Pete. Sometimes her daddy comes, and with him often the bad man comes, as well. Mella knows that she, her mommy and little brother are a secret family living where nobody knows they are, but she can't remember why that is or why her mommy is chained to the floor. In The Tall Trees is a story told through the eyes of our little hero as she must brave what's out there, lurking in the shadows, to save all that she knows and loves in the world.

©2023 Angel Van Atta (P)2023 Angel Van Atta

Engrossing story

This story had me engrossed from the very beginning. It never dragged on or felt too wordy. I only took one star off because the ending felt abrupt and I would have liked to see it through more.

Terror through the eyes of a child

The book offers a haunting perspective, narrated through the eyes of a young child. The sense of fear and confusion is palpable as the protagonist, faced with unspeakable violence, sheds some of her innocence and develops a more accurate understanding of her world. The author skillfully captures the child's limited understanding, evoking a sense of dread and hope that accompanies you until the last page. The emotional depth and raw vulnerability depicted in the narrative make it a powerful and heart-wrenching read.

Mella the Superhero!

What an absolutely heart-wrenching book! Mella lives in a small house in the woods with her Momma and baby brother, Petey. As the story unfolds, the reader realizes that something is terribly wrong in this household. Mella loves her Daddy, but when he comes for a visit, he often brings The Bad Man with him. The horrors that occur in this small house are truly disturbing and unfortunately, very believable.

The book is written from the perspective of the young girl, Mella, using her way of speaking and thinking. The author has done a tremendous job in depicting Mella and her fears. As things get worse in the household, Mella is sent from the house by her Mother to get help. The race through the woods around her house are the stuff of nightmares and I found myself reading at a faster and faster pace to see what would happen!

I loved the way that the author used Mella's love of superheroes to keep her going through all of the fears and scary things she encounters. Mella is truly a superhero in this book and I was urging her on at every step!

The narrator added a whole other dimension to this amazing story and her performance really brought it to life. Her voice for Mella was full of emotion and you could feel everything that she was feeling. Be prepared to have tears and cries of joy as you listen to this book!

Thank you, Angel, for opening up about your own experiences as a child to write this wonderful book! I would love to know what happens after the end of this book. I know that Mella will stay with me for a while.

Good storyline, interesting perspective

It took me a little while to get used to having the entire story in the little girl’s perspective- but in the end I liked it. It made it different from other books in this genre. It could have had more interesting detail if we heard from other people too though- like the mom or dad.

The narrator was great! Loved all the “voices” she used for the characters.

oh my heartstrings

Angel did such an amazing job of capturing the innocence of child viewing awful things. The entire perspective was unique and beautiful, yet terrifying. It was beautifully written and narrated. I cannot wait to start the next book!