The Osage Orange Tree: A Story by William Stafford

This is a novel by William Stafford, a renowned poet, about the challenges of young love, misunderstandings, and insecurity during adolescence, set against the backdrop of poverty caused by the Great Depression. The story revolves around a shy narrator and a girl named Evangeline, who meet every evening at the Osage orange tree. They talk, and as the year progresses, a secret friendship develops. It is illustrated by Oregon artist Dennis Cunningham and has an afterword by poet Naomi Shihab Nye.