The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Themes: Friendship / Nature / Change / Rejuvenation

Tone: Optimistic / Heartwarming

Suitable age-group: 9-12 (A classic for all ages; I read it when I was much older and enjoyed it enormously)

Possible Red Flags: Slight mention of the Church and the common Doxology. There is also slight mention of “magic” (which is what Colin names the life-awakening force that nature exerts on the garden and the children). “Dated” racism—Mary calls her Indian servants “natives” and says that they are not human.

Awards: None

Gender-targeted: This book has been marketed and packaged as a “girls’ book” but the fact is that there is a very strong cast of male characters that will appeal to boys.

Summary:

After her parents die from a cholera outbreak in India, spoilt, churlish, and utterly disagreeable Mary Lennox is sent to live with her reclusive Uncle on the English moors.

While Mistress Mary (nicknamed so for her contrariness) proclaims that she hates the moor, the truth is—and to this she also admits—that she hates most everything as a general rule.

Mary’s transformation begins when she meets Martha, a headstrong chamber maid with 12 siblings and a very sensible mother. Forced to interact with someone who refuses to bend to her every whim and fancy, Mary slowly begins to realize she cannot quite do as she pleases (all the time, anyway).

The real change comes when Mary begins to explore the grounds outside the gloomy mansion and in doing so begins to run and play like an ordinary child. In the process of trying to amuse herself, she makes a discovery that will change her life: the way into to the secret garden.

As the story unfolds, Mary makes many more discoveries (and friends). With the help of Martha and Martha’s family, Mary blooms from a dull child into a lively and charming 11 year old.

Why I love it and Why Your Children Will Love it:

There is a miraculous quality to The Secret Garden.

Perhaps it is the “magic” that Colin talks about in the book but the change in the children is wholly satisfactory and heartwarming to read about. I get the same satisfaction out of watching my plants flourish and grow. It is probably the same satisfaction you get watching a tree put out new leaves after winter.

This would be a delightful story to read aloud to your child (theYorkshire dialect especially might be fun). The cast of characters are also very strong, and Dickon, Martha’s brother, in particular is wonderful. Boys and girls alike will be entranced by his ability to communicate with animals and with nature.

Book Details:
ISBN: 0-14-036666-0
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 298

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Themes: Twins / Sibling Rivalry / Coming of Age

Tone: Heavy / Bitter

Suitable age-group: 8-12 (but I think that older children might be better equipped to appreciate it)

Possible Red Flags: The Methodist Church plays a large role in the book—the protagonist, Louise, eventually ends up rejecting and losing faith in God.

Awards: Newberry Medal awarded in 1981

Gender-targeted: Although the protagonist is a girl, I think that the appeal of the novel crosses gender lines.

Summary:

Sara Louise Bradshaw—nicknamed Wheeze—lives in the shadow of her twin sister, Caroline. Her sister has always been the center of attention and Sara Louise is torn between warring emotions of resentment, jealousy, pride, and guilt. It doesn’t help that Caroline’s life was in danger when she was born—thereby causing their parents to shower care and concern on the “frailer” child while neglecting their healthy one. To make matters worse, Caroline is a naturally gifted singer and is the darling of the community.

Sara Louise, on the other hand, only has one friend, an overweight boy, Call, with whom she goes crabbing. Unlike her sister, Sara Louise likes to help with “men’s” work—and is not as femininely enchanting as her sister. To her parents, she is simply good ‘ole dependable Wheeze over whom nobody has to worry.

The novel, set around the time of the Second World War on a small island in the Chesapeake Bay, follows Sara Louise’s development from a girl of thirteen to a teenager of seventeen, and then finally to a woman. It details her love-hate relationship with Caroline as well as the rest of her family, and how she finally comes into her own at the end of the novel.

Why I love it and Why Your Children Will Love it:

Paterson is a genius with child psychology and has described Sara Louise’s frustration, anger, and resentment incredibly accurately. This book resonated with me. I knew how Sara Louise felt, and understood completely the reason behind her seemingly irrational anger and actions. Perhaps due to my being a middle-child, I must admit that I experienced the same kind of emotional turmoil and despair that poor Sara Louise did when I was younger. Even today, as I read the novel as an adult, the same emotions are dredged up and I find myself sympathizing with Sara Louise so completely that I cried in public (entirely embarrassing, I assure you).

I write this review with mixed feelings. On one hand, I now firmly believe Katherine Paterson to be an amazing writer and should therefore be read by everyone. On the other hand, I can only speculate what would have happened should I have come across this book in my most turbulent and troubled days. Would this have fanned my emotional fires? Who knows? I suggest, if this is a worry, reading this book together with your child and discussing these issues as they come up. Perhaps, if you child is feeling similarly, this book could act as a catalyst to clear the air. But what do I know? I’m no parent.

In some ways, I feel that parents, more than children, should read this book. This book is a great example of how not to raise your kids.

So should you get this book for your kids? A good question, but whenever I am in doubt I ask myself: do you wish you had read this when you were younger?

The answer, in this case, is yes, so I do recommend that you get this for your children. But do proceed with a little bit of caution.

Book Details:
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-44036-9
ISBN-10: 0-060440368-8
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 263

The 21 Balloons by William Pène du Bois

Themes: Survivor / Stranded on an Island / Utopian Society

Tone: Whimsical / Quirky / Eccentric

Suitable age-group: 8-12 (though older kids will enjoy it as well)

Possible Red Flags: None

Awards: Newberry Medal awarded in 1948

Gender-Targeted: No particular target. The 21 Balloons will probably appeal as much to girls as to boys.

Summary:

Professor William Waterman Sherman, an Arithmetic teacher, sets off from San Francisco on an incredible journey via hot-air balloon. His goal? To be away from humanity for at least a year. Unfortunately for him, his leisurely hot-air balloon journey is cut short when he crash lands on the Pacific Island of Krakatoa on the seventh day of his journey.

Krakatoa has been long assumed to be uninhabitable due to its violent volcanic activity, so Professor Sherman is understandably surprised when he discovers that the island is actually home to 20 families from San Francisco.

He is rescued by Mr. F who is dressed in a pin-striped suit and who reveals that the crash landing was deliberately planned! Soon Professor Sherman finds out that the 20 families are guarding an amazing secret—the location of the greatest diamond mine in the world!

His life on the island begins, but it ends just as quickly as it began! Within days of his arrival, Professor Sherman and the rest of the families on the island must make a quick (and fantastically thought out) escape from the erupting volcano.

No worries though, because all of them manage to escape safely and in a most whimsical manner: a huge platform lifted by hot-air balloons.

Why I love it and Why Your Children Will Love it:

I read an extract of The 21 Balloons when I was ten-years-old and have been searching for it ever since. Its whimsical nature is incredibly endearing and children will love the amazing creations in the book (like: the Balloon Merry-Go-Round, the Giant Balloon Life Raft, and the Morrocan House of Marvels).

William Pène du Bois has a wonderful sense of humor and a great imagination. As an adult, I found myself giggling and chuckling in public. The tone of the story is always upbeat and cheery and there is no need to reach for the tissues. The beautiful illustrations (done by the author) are an essential part of the book and they are both humorous and illuminating when it comes to more of William Pène du Bois’s crazy balloon inventions.

Book Details:
ISBN: 0-670-73441-1
Publisher: The Viking Press
Pages: 180