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Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
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Tom's Midnight Garden (1958)

by Philippa Pearce

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1,212215,986 (4.14)64
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This story is magical and lovely and written in that style of English children's stories that I absolutely love (think The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and probably a few others I can't think of right now. It might come across as a slightly naive view of childhood, but I actually think it's pretty accurate. I kind of wish it was a little more fleshed out (a la Secret Garden, which is one of my favourite books ever and I haven't read it in far to long) but that's a minor quibble. Fantastic. The language is rich and evocative and beautiful. Plus, my edition had some lovely illustrations. Cannot recommend enough. Some children may find it a little difficult, as the language is somewhat old-fashioned (only a little) and in some places quite difficult, but I think most would find this a wonderful reading experience! ( )
  heterocephalusglaber | Apr 26, 2013 |
Ah, nostalgia. Fun with an interesting twist. Or I always thought so, as a child -- I don't know if it'll stand the test of time. I don't think I'll test it! ( )
  shanaqui | Apr 9, 2013 |
When I think about this book, I get the same sort of feeling as Tom at the beginning of the story -- a little stifled, restless, too full of food. It's quite odd! Anyway, that somewhat colours my memories of this book, making it a bit less wondrous than perhaps it should be. It's a sweet story, ultimately, about mutual loneliness and need of companionship reaching right across time and bringing too lonely children together. It never gets too saccharine, though -- perhaps just slightly, at the end, but that's a nice touch for the very end.

Despite the male protagonist, it isn't only a boy's story -- his friend is a young girl, Hatty, who is equally capable of climbing trees and making a bow and arrows... Although, of course, she does have to be taught by Tom.

The thing that I found myself wondering, more than anything, reading it now, is why Abel can see Tom. There doesn't seem to be any answer in the story. ( )
  shanaqui | Apr 9, 2013 |
Not actually a childrens' book at all. A meditation on youth, aging, change and memory.. ( )
  rakerman | Jan 2, 2013 |
I liked this book because it reminded me so much of one of my all-time favorite books I read as a child - Magic Elizabeth. An old house, a crotchety old woman, a child not wanting to be there, and something mystical happening. But I didn't find it half as magical as Magic Elizabeth. Maybe that's because I read it as an adult instead of as a child. This book won the Carnegie Medal, and I did enjoy it, I just felt like it was lacking that extra something special. ( )
  Bduke | Nov 8, 2012 |
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If, standing alone on the back doorstep, Tom allowed himself to weep tears, they were tears of anger.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0064404455, Paperback)

Tom is furious. His brother, Peter, has measles, so now Tom is being shipped off to stay with Aunt Gwen and Uncle Alan in their boring old apartment. There'll be nothing to do there and no one to play with. Tom just counts the days till he can return home to Peter.Then one night the landlady's antique grandfather clock strikes thirteen times leading Tom to a wonderful, magical discovery and marking the beginning of a secret that's almost too amazing to be true. But it is true, and in the new world that Tom discovers is a special friend named Hatty and more than a summer's worth of adventure for both of them. Now Tom wishes he could stay with his relativesand Hatty -- forever...

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:35:15 -0400)

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Tom finds himself in the midst of a strange adventure involving a garden that appears only at night and a girl from another time.

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