February 28th, 2012, Feiwel & Friends288 Pages, Advanced Reader Copy
Received from Publisher
Middle Grade Fiction
Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.
As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.
Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room--a garden with a tragic secret.
Inspired by The Secret Garden, this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write.
Memorable Quote:
“Just doodads, little this-and-that’s I find at the dollar store. I leave them out for her. She wouldn’t take them if I gave them to her. Too proud.”
Opinion:
That quote above should give you a good and thorough idea of the character Roo’s personality. She is stubborn and strong willed. I see her as a little fearless survivor. The way she is described both physically and how she seems to come alive over the course of her stay on the island was well done. I love that it takes place in such a wonderful location – it adds more of a sense of isolation and loneliness to certain parts of the story. Now, Jack is mysterious and just as I imagined though I wish we could have gotten to know him more.
While I adored this short sweet story I felt that the line on the front “inspired by Secret Garden” should have read more like “a retelling of the Secret Garden”. Because of that line I had expected there to be more differences between the stories than there were. Yes, it was in a unique location and during a different time period but to me the plot lines were essentially the same.
I enjoyed the book and loved Ellen’s writing style and I have already ordered a copy of her book The Kneebone Boy which I am really looking forward to reading.
Rating: 3.5/5
Pabkins
Countess of Crazy, Insane babbler, Giver of the Evil Eye, Walking Hazard Zone, Maker of Monsters, but above all Lover of a Zombie and those things that are creepy crawly. Step in to my library my pretties…
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