| "TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN"
Author: Philippa Pearce
Interest Level: Middle Grades (4-8)
ATOS Reading Level: 6.1
AR Points: 9.0
Publisher Recommended Age: 10+
Publisher: HarperCollins/HarperTrophy
Book Type: Paperback
Pages: 229
Series Overview
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 relatives - and Hatty - forever...
Book Awards:
- UK: Carnegie Medal 1958
- USA: American Library Association (ALA), Notable Children's Book
- USA: Horn Book, Fanfare
About the Author:
Philippa Pearce was born in 1920 and grew up in a millhouse in the village of Great Shelford. The millhouse, the river, the garden - all of these settings played an important part in Ms. Pearce's books.
Although the author never skated on a frozen river from Cambridge to Ely herself, her father did, and his experience became par of TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN.
Among various jobs she held following her graduation from Cambridge University, Ms. Pearce worked for thirteen years as a scriptwriter and producer in the School Broadcasting Department of the BBC. She credits her work in radio with developing her feeling for the sound of words. Her writing is especially wonderful when read aloud.
Philippa Pearce's books have reaped numerous honors. In addition to winning the 1958 Carnegie Medal for TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN, she has received Carnegie Commendations for three of her books: "Minnow on the Say" (1956), "The Shadow Cage and Other Tales of the Supernatural" (1978), and "The Battle of Bubble and Squeak" (1979), which also received the Whitbread Medal that year. her picture book, "Mrs. Cockle's Cat" was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1962.
Ms. Pearce still lives in the village of Great Shelford. |
