An Enchanting English Timeslip Tale [MG Review]

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Format/source: Hardcover/Library
Published: 1958
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Length: 229 pages
Genre: Speculative fiction
Target age: Middle grade (suitable for 8+)
#OwnVoices? N/A
★★★★   

Lying awake at night, Tom hears the old grandfather clock downstairs strike . . . eleven . . . twelve . . . thirteen . . . Thirteen! When Tom gets up to investigate, he discovers a magical garden. A garden that everyone told him doesn’t exist. A garden that only he can enter . . .

Review

Measles mean Tom has been sent to stay with an aunt and uncle who live in a converted flat of an old house without a garden. When a grandfather clock strikes thirteen in the middle of the night, Tom creeps outside to discover a grand and expansive daytime Victorian garden, in place of parked cars and rubbish bins. Tom visits the garden night after night, befriending the only person who can see him there – a young girl named Hatty. But time passes unpredictably in the garden between Tom’s visits. Is Hatty a ghost? Will she always be there for Tom when he visits the garden? This classic British timeslip novel follows the development of a strong friendship while exploring the adventures that nature can provide children.

I wrote the above annotation as a part of an assignment on children’s literature. (If it sounds familiar, I did share it back in March when I was blogging the entire assignment). I want to add a few comments. First, about the historical fiction facets of this novel: Tom’s Midnight Garden was originally published in the 1950s. It was awarded the Carnegie, which was why I originally selected it for the annotation assignment. This means that reading it today is a bit like reading two-tiered historical fiction. Although Tom’s present was the present when it was published, obviously the fifties themselves are now historical.

I also left out my emotional reaction to the story, which was: Oh my goodness. What a lovely story. I nearly cried at the end! There is something to be said for these older books. Tom’s Midnight Garden stands out for me in quite the contrast to the classic children’s/young adult novels I commented on earlier this week (The Owl Service, The Giver, and The Hero and the Crown).

The Bottom Line

A thoughtful, character-driven narrative with vivid atmospheric settings, the mystery of who (and when) Hatty is builds to a moving conclusion.

Further Reading

• Review by Sarah @ Puss Reboots
• Review by Katie @ Read-at-Home Mom
• Review @ The Guardian
• Review @ Tor.com