Cute! Perfect for grades 3 to 5. It's a sweet story about moving, making new friends, adjustments, helping the elderly, compromises, culture, caring for animals, and, of course, gardening. ( )

The Year of The Garden was a very good book and for children in grades 3rd to 6th, it can teach them valuable lessons about friendship. Anna and Laura both enjoyed having each other as friends and were able to combine their interests into one. Laura enjoyed animals and Anna enjoyed gardening and decided why not be able to have both. Anna also shows that it is possible to accomplish something even if you think that it may not work out. ( )

Anna Wang is an 8 year old girl who moved to a new house with her parents and her brother Ken. She is worried about friends and school. When she is given a gift of seeds and the book The Secret Garden, she decides that she will make a garden in the backyard. It is easier said than done. As she sits under a honeysuckle bush reading her book, Laura, another new girl to the neighbourhood, pops in. They become great friends and even end up in the same class. They are not interested in the same things and Anna is worried that their friendship won't last. When they find a baby bunny under the bushes, they are worried it will die overnight in the cold. With the help of Laura's aunt they are able to nurse it and keep it healthy. Read about Anna and Laura and how friendship can survive the odds or other friends and interests. There is some discussion of the cultural differences such as food and difficulty with the language, but it is not a major part of the story. A quick read for young readers. I like the mention of other books in this story as it should peak the interest in those books as well for the reader. A good addition to a late primary, early junior classroom or home library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

Years ago my dad brought me a DVD of The Secret Garden. I had no interest in it. I hadn't even heard of The Secret Garden before. But, like the good daughter I am, I indulged his buy and watched the movie. I became enchanted with the secret garden, Mary, Colin, and Dickon. Their story brought out the nature lover in me. It showed how nature can transform your day, but in Mary's case your life, into a happy one. I jumped at a chance to read The Year of the Garden since I love The Secret Garden and have read and enjoyed a few of the Anna Wang series.

This is a prequel of Anna's other stories where she grows her friendship with Laura. Anna loves digging up dirt and gardening but Laura doesn't feel the same way. She constantly asks to have the seeds they are trying to grow so she can get her family member to grow it on their farm instead of growing them themselves. It's really the strangest and most annoying thing ever. Why doesn't she come out and say she rather not be growing plants? Or why doesn't Laura just garden with her for a little while and then later on or the day after they can do something she likes to do? Where is the communication??? I know they are little kids but Laura just frustrated me so much. I think she just blatantly lied in there to get out of gardening too. It's just gardening. Why are you so weird about being outside? It's healthy for you. I know Laura is just young and has a lot to learn. The story is based around this friendship and what it means to be a friend. How you need to communicate your feelings and your friends might not like everything you like to do which is true to life.

I liked the basis of the story but there wasn't anything that wowed me. I prefer Anna's other stories where there is a bit more of a plot to them. The only thing that I liked or was impressed about was that Anna could read The Secret Garden at eight years old. Overall, The Year of the Garden was an okay read. ( )