The Last Apple Tree Awareness Tour is presented in partnership* with Claudia Mills and The Children’s Book Review.
Discover the quiet power of memory and renewal in Claudia Mills’ moving middle-grade story, The Last Apple Tree. Now available in Paperback!
Sonnet may look like any other twelve-year-old girl starting over in a new town, but her world is full of change and hidden stories. Moving across the country to live with her grandfather after her nana’s passing, she discovers that only one apple tree remains from Gramps’s once-thriving orchard. As Sonnet wrestles with grief, friendship, and family secrets, she learns that even a single tree can hold generations of memories—and the courage to grow something new.
A touching homage to the healing of old wounds and family relationships.
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Follow along on our fun book tour and you could win amazing prizes! We’re giving away ten signed paperback copies of The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills. But wait, there’s more! One lucky grand prize winner will get a special one-hour Zoom author visit with Claudia herself, plus signed copies of The Lost Language and a book from her wonderful chapter book series. What a fantastic way to bring beautiful stories and a personal author experience right to you—enter today!
The Last Apple Tree
Virtual Tour Dates
| Monday, September 22, 2025 The Children’s Book Review Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Tuesday, September 23, 2025 @nissa_the.bookworm Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Wednesday, September 24, 2025 The Children’s Book Review Author Interview with Claudia Mills |
| Thursday, September 25, 2025 The Starlit Path Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Friday, September 26, 2025 icefairy’s Treasure Chest Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Monday, September 29, 2025 Deliciously Savvy Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Tuesday, September 30, 2025 Q&As with Deborah Kalb Author Interview with Claudia Mills |
| Wednesday, October 1, 2025 The Children’s Book Review Book List Featuring The Last Apple Tree |
| Friday, October 3, 2025 Crafty Moms Share Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Monday, October 6, 2025 One More Exclamation Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Glass of Wine, Glass of Milk Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Wednesday, October 8, 2025 Writer with Wanderlust Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Thursday, October 9, 2025 The Fairview Review Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Monday, October 13, 2025 Life Is What It’s Called Author Interview with Claudia Mills |
| Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Froggy Read Teach Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Wednesday, October 15, 2025 Spring Falls Chronicle Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Thursday, October 16, 2025 A Blue Box Full of Books Book Review of The Last Apple Tree |
| Monday, October 20, 2025 Literary Rambles Guest Post about The Last Apple Tree |
The Last Apple Tree Book Giveaway
The Last Apple Tree: Book Giveaway
About the Book
The Last Apple Tree
Written by Claudia Mills
Ages: 9-12 | 264 Pages
Publisher: Holiday House (2025) | ISBN: 978-0823461882
Publisher’s Book Summary: Twelve-year-old Sonnet’s family has just moved across the country to live with her grandfather after her nana dies. Gramps’s once-impressive apple orchard has been razed for a housing development, with only one heirloom tree left. Sonnet doesn’t want to think about how Gramps and his tree are both growing old—she just wants everything to be okay.
Sonnet is not okay with her neighbor, Zeke, a boy her age who gets on her bad side and stays there when he tries to choose her grandpa to interview for an oral history assignment. Zeke irks Sonnet with his prying questions, bringing out the sad side of Gramps she’d rather not see. Meanwhile, Sonnet joins the Green Club at school and without talking to Zeke about it, she asks his activist father to speak at the Arbor Day assembly—a collision of worlds that Zeke wanted more than anything to avoid.
But when the interviews uncover a buried tragedy that concerns Sonnet’s mother, and an emergency forces Sonnet and Zeke to cooperate again, Sonnet learns not just to accept Zeke as he is, but also that sometimes forgetting isn’t the solution—even when remembering seems harder.
Buy the Book
About the Author
Claudia Mills is the author of over 60 books for young readers, including most recently the verse novel The Lost Language and the middle-grade novel The Last Apple Tree, as well as two chapter-book series: Franklin School Friends and After-School Superstars. Her books have been named Notable Books of the Year by the American Library Association and Best Books of the Year by the Bank Street College of Education; they have been translated into half a dozen languages. Claudia is also a professor emerita of philosophy at the University of Colorado and a faculty member in the graduate programs in children’s literature at Hollins University. She has written all her books in her faithful hour-a-day system while drinking Swiss Miss hot chocolate.
For more information, check out claudiamillsauthor.com.
Thanks for following along with us on Claudia Mills’ The Last Apple Tree awareness tour!
40 Comments
I would like to win this book for my little one. Sounds like it has nuggets of wisdom.
nice cover
This sounds like a wonderful book, and I love the beautiful cover!
I would save the memory of cutting down a Christmas tree with my Dad.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Have you ever won a giveaway?
I would save the memory of living in the house I grew up in .
This is a special book, thanks!
This book sounds like a good story.
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Love this cover.
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We would be excited to get this book.
This book sounds like a captivating story.
A good story.
I would love to read about what happens in this book. Very intriguing story!
Nice prize!
This book sounds like an intriguing adventure.
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What was your first book report on in school?
Sounds like a good read.
An intriguing story.
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A sweet story that we would enjoy reading.
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A good mystery.
I would read this book with my grandson.
What kind of applesauce do yuo like?
This looks super sad. What age would this be appropriate for?
Thanks for the chance! My 7 year old daughter would love this.
Thank you for the opportunity to win this prize for my grandson.
Did you like English in school?
Thanks for the chance to read this lovely book!
Thanks for choosing me for this book. My grandkids will enjoy it. I went apple picking with my adult kids and grandkids. The last orchard had concord grapes which we picked snipping them off with scissors.