Climbing Up Kudzu — Marty Donnellan

Protected by a mysterious hawk named Tegera, frendibles are small creatures who live in the woods, meadows and thickets of the southern United States. Henbit is a bossy young pine frendible with two bratty younger sisters. Her world is turned upside down when one of them runs away. Henbit, who has never left the forest either, sets out to find her. She expects Tegera's help, but the hawk, too, has disappeared. With options running out, Henbit is forced to rely on her other sister, prank-loving Sweetflag. Soon Henbit discovers that not only are both sisters' lives at stake, but the existence of all frendibles is jeopardized. As Henbit journeys to new places and faces new enemies, her assumptions about life and love are put to the test. Can she rescue those she loves before it's too late? Will she ever see her beloved pine forest again? Will she and her sisters ever learn to get along?