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zoeoftheshire's review against another edition
5.0
If I had had this book as a middle grade reader, I think I would’ve lost my mind at how good it is. I’m glad I read it now, because I definitely understood it a lot better than I would’ve at 13. This book is a true treasure. I loved every second.
libt392's review against another edition
4.0
This is a spine chilling page turner that would be suitable for anyone 12 and up.
Molly and Kip are Irish siblings who are desperate for survival after escaping an orphanage in England in the thick of the Irish potato famine. They receive an offer to work as house servants at a large manor in the middle of nowhere. Upon meeting the Windsor family (who are all pale with black eyes) and adjusting to living in a house where a ginormous tree grows in the middle of it, they find themselves being haunted by a monster who feeds on their wishes and nightmares.
I loved the characterization and the subtle plot reveal of this story. It gave me goosebumps and had me looking over my shoulder walking in the dark outside. It would make a great family read aloud in the Halloween season and offers great discussion points surrounding wants vs needs, family relationships, courage, and more.
Molly and Kip are Irish siblings who are desperate for survival after escaping an orphanage in England in the thick of the Irish potato famine. They receive an offer to work as house servants at a large manor in the middle of nowhere. Upon meeting the Windsor family (who are all pale with black eyes) and adjusting to living in a house where a ginormous tree grows in the middle of it, they find themselves being haunted by a monster who feeds on their wishes and nightmares.
I loved the characterization and the subtle plot reveal of this story. It gave me goosebumps and had me looking over my shoulder walking in the dark outside. It would make a great family read aloud in the Halloween season and offers great discussion points surrounding wants vs needs, family relationships, courage, and more.
am_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This is a magical and haunting book that teaches about the power of lies vs. stories. Molly is quite the storyteller herself, but through her experience at the Windsor house with her brother, she soon learns that not all stories end happily. Though the children are both complex and likeable, you can't top wise old storyteller Hester who the kids meet on the road.
victoriawl93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
plumfable's review against another edition
3.0
I adored this gothic victorian middle grade novel when I was 11 years old. I loved it so much that whenever I thought about it in the following years, it would bring a smile to my face. So I decided to re-read it for Halloween this year, and sadly I didn't love it as much as I did back then
What I liked:
- Exceptionally brave and smart physically disabled main character
- Great gothic atmosphere! The book felt cold, windy, and creepy
- Nicely handled themes of orphanhood, the Great Famine and the xenophobia Irish people faced in England, survivors guilt, the power of storytelling, stories vs. lies, wants vs. needs and the greed that comes with a granted wish
- The cover, illustrations, and black sprayed edges of the physical book are just beautifully designed
What disappointed/confused me:
(SPOILERS BELOW)
- The plot armour?? Kip fell off a cliff into a cold rushing river and he somehow came back to life because of the ~power of storytelling~
- How did Alistair retrieve Kip's body? I highly doubt this child found a route all the way down to the bottom of the cliff (in complete darkness mind you, as the gardener shrouded the full moon in fog), and then waded through the rapids, found Kip, and clambered his way through the woods back to the house with kip in arm, all while being previously "lost beyond all hope." Unless it was a really small, few foot cliff and the "river rushing beneath" was really more of a serene stream, and he, with a stroke of luck, got possessed by an English cartographer with night vision (in which case it should've been clarified)
- How did Kip even manage to drag the Gardener off the cliff? He is a 10 year old sickly child with one good leg, but he somehow "charged for the edge of the cliff"?
- The Night Gardener stood right over the main characters on TWO separate occasions in the book while trying to hunt them down. I don't know if it was just really dark out or if that ghastly tree creature just needed some prescription glasses, but either way it was a bit unbelievable
- Molly ran back into the burning house, stayed there for quite a while, and was seemingly unscathed? You'd think she'd suffer burns or smoke inhalation injury
- Kip naming his crutch Courage was way too on the nose and obvious of a metaphor, and when he lost his crutch, the line "He closed his eyes, wishing desperately that he had something to hold. Wishing that he had Courage" actually made me roll my eyes
- Why was the family's night terror sweat coloured silver?? It kept being described as "silver liquid" and there's just no explanation?
- There's also no explanation as to who the Gardener was, or where the tree came from. It would've been fun to maybe find an old botany notebook from when he was still human to gain more insight on his backstory and the history of the tree (although from what I understand the creature is ancient so perhaps he didn't have access to paper... but was he even ever human? Again, some explanation is needed)
I feel bad for writing all of this, because in the author's notes Auxier says he spent 9 years working on this novel, but I had to get my feelings down anyways. Although I know a lot of my criticism is because I'm not the target audience for this book anymore, and I've become a more critical and logical person with age. I did love this book when I was the target age however, and I guess that's all that matters :)
What I liked:
- Exceptionally brave and smart physically disabled main character
- Great gothic atmosphere! The book felt cold, windy, and creepy
- Nicely handled themes of orphanhood, the Great Famine and the xenophobia Irish people faced in England, survivors guilt, the power of storytelling, stories vs. lies, wants vs. needs and the greed that comes with a granted wish
- The cover, illustrations, and black sprayed edges of the physical book are just beautifully designed
What disappointed/confused me:
(SPOILERS BELOW)
- The plot armour?? Kip fell off a cliff into a cold rushing river and he somehow came back to life because of the ~power of storytelling~
- How did Alistair retrieve Kip's body? I highly doubt this child found a route all the way down to the bottom of the cliff (in complete darkness mind you, as the gardener shrouded the full moon in fog), and then waded through the rapids, found Kip, and clambered his way through the woods back to the house with kip in arm, all while being previously "lost beyond all hope." Unless it was a really small, few foot cliff and the "river rushing beneath" was really more of a serene stream, and he, with a stroke of luck, got possessed by an English cartographer with night vision (in which case it should've been clarified)
- How did Kip even manage to drag the Gardener off the cliff? He is a 10 year old sickly child with one good leg, but he somehow "charged for the edge of the cliff"?
- The Night Gardener stood right over the main characters on TWO separate occasions in the book while trying to hunt them down. I don't know if it was just really dark out or if that ghastly tree creature just needed some prescription glasses, but either way it was a bit unbelievable
- Molly ran back into the burning house, stayed there for quite a while, and was seemingly unscathed? You'd think she'd suffer burns or smoke inhalation injury
- Kip naming his crutch Courage was way too on the nose and obvious of a metaphor, and when he lost his crutch, the line "He closed his eyes, wishing desperately that he had something to hold. Wishing that he had Courage" actually made me roll my eyes
- Why was the family's night terror sweat coloured silver?? It kept being described as "silver liquid" and there's just no explanation?
- There's also no explanation as to who the Gardener was, or where the tree came from. It would've been fun to maybe find an old botany notebook from when he was still human to gain more insight on his backstory and the history of the tree (although from what I understand the creature is ancient so perhaps he didn't have access to paper... but was he even ever human? Again, some explanation is needed)
I feel bad for writing all of this, because in the author's notes Auxier says he spent 9 years working on this novel, but I had to get my feelings down anyways. Although I know a lot of my criticism is because I'm not the target audience for this book anymore, and I've become a more critical and logical person with age. I did love this book when I was the target age however, and I guess that's all that matters :)
johnny_the_ginger's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I liked this book, although I didn’t care for the ending. The story sounded very familiar, and after I read it I discovered that it was inspired by “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury.
jjp723's review against another edition
5.0
Thoughtful and spooky; a book to make you think. Very recommended.
whatkatyread87's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
joykirr's review against another edition
3.0
This one took me half the book to get into. I almost abandoned it. Twice. Once I was hooked, however, I had to find out how Molly and Kip would defeat the Night Gardener (or if they would). He was very scary, and the thought of being trapped there was even more scary.
stargirl077's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75