Review: Great read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 25, 2013
The Wisdom Tree by Mary Manners is a heart-felt story of family tragedy and its results.  After the sudden death of his parents, Jake, a single adult and full-time pastor, finds himself taking on the role of parent to Corey, his middle school aged brother.  Both the man and the boy are dealing with their grief and current situation in different ways.  Jake is trying to find the balance between being brother and parent while Corey is acting out in negative ways making the situation difficult.The author weaves Carin, Corey's young, yet tough English teacher, into the mix to bring about many interesting events.  Carin has also suffered recent tragedy in her family.  Because of the guilt she carries regarding her own family, she desires to help Corey.  Shame, secrets, forgiveness, doubt, and faith all crisscross throughout the story.  It's a book that everyone can identify with in some way.  An added bonus is the wonderful set of devotionals that Mrs. Manners placed at the end of the story.