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Meena Nutbeam, born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been writing for most of her lifetime. Her first book, The Forest Through the Trees, was completed in her seventeenth year. Not even out of high school, she loves to write, and has published her work on TeenInk, including poetry and short stories. Alongside her passion for painting and drawing, her most recent pursuit is to start her own non-profit to provide baby supplies to families in need.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
The Forest Through The Trees by Meena Nutbeam begins with a missing teenage boy. When Winsome was told she was getting a locker buddy, the vice principal explained they were putting a student with her that needed a friend. Her new locker buddy was none other than Sly, the school misfit. Nothing seemed to faze him; it was obvious that he was very intelligent and didn’t care what anyone thought of him. Win was not happy! However, soon Win and Sly formed a sort of almost friendship. He was investigating the missing teen and she ended up tagging along. The investigation led them to an eerie old mansion…
The Forest Through The Trees reads like a contemporary Sherlock Holmes novel. Author Meena Nutbeam successfully developed Sly into a clone of the master of deduction, Sherlock Holmes. I would consider Winsome to be the perfect Watson. It was fascinating to watch Win and Sly’s relationship develop into a friendship. Sly’s character was arrogant and he knew how to handle himself with bullies. He attempted to walk away, but when that was impossible he handled the situation. Win was my favorite character; she showed compassion and loyalty. I like this dynamic duo. I was glad author Meena Nutbeam did not form this couple into boyfriend and girlfriend. Perhaps they will grow into that relationship in the future but the focus is on the investigation. Once again I have to reference Sherlock Holmes: just as he used his powers of deduction when investigating a puzzling crime so did Sly. I really enjoyed this book and would like to see an anthology of short stories all written about Sly and Win or perhaps a full length book. I think author Meena Nutbeam has a winner!
