And the Trees Stare Back

by Gigi Griffis Narrated by Rachel Yong

Overview

Many go into the forest. Only one comes back.

1989, Soviet Estonia. In sixteen-year-old Vik's village-and the cursed forest that looms beyond-danger is everywhere. Soldiers threaten those who so much as dream of dissent. The villagers' words are sharp with accusations of witchcraft. And deep in the heart of the wood, a lantern-eyed spirit lies in wait to disappear those who wander too far past the trees.

Vik knows because five years ago, she led her little sister Anna over that invisible line-and never saw her again.

The only thing Vik has wished for since then is her sister's safe return. So when Anna stumbles back through the tree line on the anniversary of her disappearance, it's a miracle . . . Or is it a lie?

As unsettling inconsistencies between this girl and the one who vanished reveal themselves, Vik starts to doubt whether this Anna is her Anna-or something else entirely. Whoever she is, one thing is clear: she was never meant to escape the trees.

And unless Vik can uncover the secrets of the forest, it's going to take her back.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In this politically astute story filled with skillfully incorporated background information about a fascinating and complex historical period, Vik’s quest authentically and thoroughly incorporates her struggles with OCD and complex PTSD. . . . This gripping, deeply human, and eerie mystery has parallels to current events that will provoke readers to think. Speculative, unsettling, and intensely emotional.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The setting effectively uses both the inherent creepiness of an insular town given to supernatural beliefs and the menacing Soviet presence to maximize tension and scares. . . A bit of sci-fi and political intrigue makes this changeling tale a compelling genre mash-up with a broad audience.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

For teens seeking thrills, this book will keep them up at night; those seeking to learn about an inspiring historical moment of resistance to totalitarianism will also gain something. This tale of creepy disappearances in the last days of a despotic regime combines the elemental terror of a fairy tale with historical fact.
—School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2025-05-30
In 1980s Estonia, the grip of the USSR is beginning to loosen even as one girl’s attempt to save her sister exposes a dark reality.

Five years ago, in 1984, Viktoria made a horrible mistake—during a moment of distraction, she let her 5-year-old sister disappear in the bog behind their house, a place where such events are common. Now Anna has returned, but she hasn’t aged. She can’t explain where she’s been, and the bog seems to call her back. With the oracle cards she carries as a guide, 16-year-old Vik desperately tries to figure out what to do while navigating turmoil with her closest friend, Liis, and facing the hostile villagers, who turn on her family. Although the Estonians’ language and culture have survived decades of Soviet oppression—which is loosening—some people are more interested in assimilating with Russians. The influence of Vik’s maternal uncle Silver, who supports the Soviet way of thinking and runs the government asylum just outside of town, looms large. In this politically astute story filled with skillfully incorporated background information about a fascinating and complex historical period, Vik’s quest authentically and thoroughly incorporates her struggles with OCD and complex PTSD (which Griffis explains in a mental health note but aren’t diagnosed in-world). Liis has a limb difference, and Vik’s mother has PTSD, too. This gripping, deeply human, and eerie mystery has parallels to current events that will provoke readers to think.

Speculative, unsettling, and intensely emotional. (historical note)(Horror. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940195262433
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	11/04/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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