The Night Gardener

The Night Gardener

By Jonathan Auxier

Molly and Kip, recently orphaned, travel to England to work as servants in an old manor house.  This Victorian ghost story, is more than just a spooky tale, it's also a moral fable about greed and the power of story telling.

This ghost story is honestly, downright creepy in a good way.  The author says that the inspiration for his story came after reading "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury and the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving.

Fourteen year old Molly and her sickly younger brother Kip are newly orphaned, and fresh off the boat from Ireland.  In desperation to keep her and her brother off the streets, Molly is offered a position for them to be servants at an old manor, hidden deep in the woods.  Local villagers warn Molly to stay away from the manor, claiming that the woods are cursed.  But, with the only other option being starvation, Molly accepts, determined to make the best of the situation.

Molly and Kip arrive at Windsor Manor finding it to be a crumbling house that is nearly overrun by an enormous tree, its branches and roots cracking through every surface.  The Windsor family, a couple and their two children, have abnormally pale skin, their eyes and hair are the darkest of black.  Every night anyone sleeping in the house is haunted by nightmares, and Molly has spotted the shadow of a tall thin man who wanders the grounds at night.  But, whenever Molly or Kip mention that anything might be abnormal, the Windsors brush them off.

It is clear that something horrible is happening at this house and to its inhabitants.  Molly and Kip soon realize that if they are going to survive, they will need to solve the mystery of the night gardener, and break the curse that they have become part of.

This book is a perfect read for intermediate aged readers who are looking for something that will keep them up at night.  It also would make a great family Halloween read, if you're into that.  I would not recommend it to children under ten unless they don't seem to be phased by Goosebump books.

The Night Gardener can be found in the intermediate section of the library.  If you are more of a book listener, you can borrow the audio book on Overdrive from the Utah Online Library.