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Premise: Molly and her brother Kip must find a way to support themselves without their parents, so they book posts at an isolated home in an avoided wood in England. When they arrive, they discover something peculiar happens there that causes the house’s inhabitants to become sickly — and there seems to be a man who roams the house each night. Who is he? Why is he there? And what is happening to this family? Find out in this paranormal fantasy thriller.
Rating: 3/5
Target: 4-9
Title: You guessed it. The man in the premise (above) is the night gardener. I won’t tell you why he’s called that, though, but he drives the plot in more ways than one, so it makes sense that he’d have the title of the book.
Main Character(s): Molly, 14 y.o. (she/her) & Kip, 11 y.o.. (he/him) — siblings
Motifs (not exhaustive): home, story, truth, desire, life/death, independence/dependence, strength/weakness, perception/reality, specters, gardening, gifts, sacrifice
Great for…* (readers): who want action, suspense, or a little fright — this one’s plot driven, which tends to be a good match for reluctant readers.
Great for…* (teachers): Oh, goodness, the symbolism is pretty heavy-handed in this book, so that could go over well as a study, but so could character development
Parental Warning(s): None.
Interact: What kind of nightmares did/do you have as a kid?
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*The “Great for” category is not exhaustive and does not intend to neglect the multitude of readers/teachers who could learn from this book in any number of ways.
RATINGS GUIDE
٭ = DNF, would not recommend
٭٭ = would not recommend
٭٭٭ = enjoyable, would recommend
٭٭٭٭ = very good, would recommend
٭٭٭٭٭ = amazing, would definitely recommend
KZ Rochelle 