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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3/5 Stars: ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ by Philippa Pearce.
→ Age Range: Middle Grade.
→ Genre: Classic, Historical Fantasy.
→ Trigger Warnings: -
In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★★
→ Character Development: ★★★
→ Setting: ★★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★
→ Writing: ★★★
General Comments: -
Favourite Quote: ‘Nothing stands still, except in our memory.’
Time Read: One Day.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -
→ Age Range: Middle Grade.
→ Genre: Classic, Historical Fantasy.
→ Trigger Warnings: -
In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★★
→ Character Development: ★★★
→ Setting: ★★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★
→ Writing: ★★★
General Comments: -
Favourite Quote: ‘Nothing stands still, except in our memory.’
Time Read: One Day.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -
It took me so long for me to read , it put me in a reading slump but at the end I can say that it's a great book. Also(spoiler) I knew that Hatty was Mrs. Bartholomew from Tom's and Hatty's first met , i don't know why , I just knew
This was a good book. I never read it as a child, although I vaguely remember the TV series. I wasn’t too impressed at first, but by half way it picked up and the story began to develop.
Hm, táto kniha nezostarla dobre. Dej síce môže byť aj pre dnešné deti pútavý, ale tie postavy... Deti sú vykreslené podivne upäto, stroho. Chýbala im iskra, trochu viac života, uveriteľnosť. A to bola kniha napísaná v roku 1958. To vôbec nie je tak dávno. Keď si osobnosti detí porovnám trebárs s When Marnie was there (1967), je to obrovský rozdiel. Zdá sa mi, že J.G Robinson rozumela detskej duši oveľa lepšie ako Philippa Pearce. Obe knihy dokonca spája aj podobná dejová zápletka. Len Tomovi chýba téma, ktorá robí Marnie tak výnimočnou. Tom je len dieťa, ktoré sa snaží prísť na to, čo sa deje. Na záver dostane on aj čitatelia vysvetlenie a tým to celé končí. Nič iné sa nemení.
//Celkom nerozumiem tým emočným výlevom, ktoré ľudia spomínajú tu v recenziách. Nič z toho som pri čítaní neprežívala. Štýl písania autorky, dej, postavy tak ako aj doba, ktorú opisuje, boli pre mňa rovnako chladné.
//Celkom nerozumiem tým emočným výlevom, ktoré ľudia spomínajú tu v recenziách. Nič z toho som pri čítaní neprežívala. Štýl písania autorky, dej, postavy tak ako aj doba, ktorú opisuje, boli pre mňa rovnako chladné.
I wish I had discovered this gem when I was a child. What a progressive time travel novel for its time! It was first published in 1958 and won the Carnegie Medal, which recognises outstanding children's books.
Tom Long is sent to stay with his doting aunt Gwen and her husband Alan Kitson when his brother Peter develops measles. It looks set to be a boring summer without the company of his brother and Best Friend and a nice big yard and garden to play in, because the Kitsons live in an old house that has been divided into small flats. Determined to be miserable, Tom is enthralled by the only interesting object in the hall downstairs, an old grandfather's clock that is totally out of sync with real time. So when it chimes thirteen times after midnight, Tom is determined to creep downstairs to find out why, and that's where he stumbles into an adventure that he won't forget for the rest of his life.
Pearce's depiction of a lonely child who discovers an exciting secret place that the adults don't know about should resonate with children who experience similar bouts of loneliness and boredom, especially when they are sent to bed way before they are sleepy, and imagine all kinds of places they would much rather be, and new friends they would love to meet.
Without giving the plot away, I found Tom's unexpected friendship most endearing, and the time element which featured strongly in this novel gave it that poignant twist that stayed with me well after I read the last sentence.
Definitely recommended reading for those who are young and young at heart.
Tom Long is sent to stay with his doting aunt Gwen and her husband Alan Kitson when his brother Peter develops measles. It looks set to be a boring summer without the company of his brother and Best Friend and a nice big yard and garden to play in, because the Kitsons live in an old house that has been divided into small flats. Determined to be miserable, Tom is enthralled by the only interesting object in the hall downstairs, an old grandfather's clock that is totally out of sync with real time. So when it chimes thirteen times after midnight, Tom is determined to creep downstairs to find out why, and that's where he stumbles into an adventure that he won't forget for the rest of his life.
Pearce's depiction of a lonely child who discovers an exciting secret place that the adults don't know about should resonate with children who experience similar bouts of loneliness and boredom, especially when they are sent to bed way before they are sleepy, and imagine all kinds of places they would much rather be, and new friends they would love to meet.
Without giving the plot away, I found Tom's unexpected friendship most endearing, and the time element which featured strongly in this novel gave it that poignant twist that stayed with me well after I read the last sentence.
Definitely recommended reading for those who are young and young at heart.
3.5 stars
Tom's friendship with Hatty was cute, and I appreciated that it didn't remain always the same as Tom expected, but changed as friendships do, especially as Hatty grew older while Tom stayed the same age. I thought his naivete about her was realistic, and the changing relationship added some melancholy to it and suspense about what would happen to them. It could have been improved by a climactic event that strengthened their relationship by surviving it (think Let the Right One In and TV show Stranger Things) instead of only bonding based on having fun together. Still, it's sweet and has a maturity for a children's book that makes it worth checking out.
Spoiler-ish below
I guessed the ending about halfway through, but that was as much because there was reason for it to happen the way it did and there were clues about the outcome, as much as because it's a children's book. At least it didn't randomly spring the ending for the sake of having a twist.
Tom's friendship with Hatty was cute, and I appreciated that it didn't remain always the same as Tom expected, but changed as friendships do, especially as Hatty grew older while Tom stayed the same age. I thought his naivete about her was realistic, and the changing relationship added some melancholy to it and suspense about what would happen to them. It could have been improved by a climactic event that strengthened their relationship by surviving it (think Let the Right One In and TV show Stranger Things) instead of only bonding based on having fun together. Still, it's sweet and has a maturity for a children's book that makes it worth checking out.
Spoiler-ish below
I guessed the ending about halfway through, but that was as much because there was reason for it to happen the way it did and there were clues about the outcome, as much as because it's a children's book. At least it didn't randomly spring the ending for the sake of having a twist.
DNF. I started reading as research for our Y5 secret garden topic but I just couldn’t invest myself into the story. I read halfway but have DNF-ed because I just know it will sit on my bookshelf for months and months. However, we have used a few passages for model texts and guided reading because the garden description is very detailed.
English manor homes seem to inspire a certain kind of time travel story. They are usually dream like and include a friendship across the ages. The only caveat, the protagonist from the present is usually unable to alter past events. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce fits perfectly in this category and it's one of my favorite examples.
Tom Long, the present day (that being probably the 1950s) protagonist is sent away to his aunt and uncle's flat while his brother recovers at home from the measles. The flat, of course, was once a manor house and has sometime in the last fifty years been dived up into apartments. The only clue to the house's history is an old grandfather clock that keeps perfect time but chimes at random.
The clock is also the key for Tom to travel back in time to the Victorian era where he meets a girl about his age named Hatty (Harriet) Melbourne. As the summer progresses, Hatty grows up. Tom's goal during his short stay with his aunt and uncle is to learn the secret of the clock and to find out what happened to his friend Hatty.
Tom's Midnight Garden is a short but extremely satisfying novel. It is tightly plotted and populated with interesting and believable characters. When the book ended I was both happy to have enjoyed the book and sad to say goodbye to Tom and Hatty. Of course, I was partial to Hatty, having a Harriet of my own. But even without that personal connection, I would have loved the novel.
If you like this sort of time travel story, you might also enjoy:
* A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
* The House on the Strand Daphne du Maurier
* Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein Molly Dwyer (review coming November 26th)
Tom Long, the present day (that being probably the 1950s) protagonist is sent away to his aunt and uncle's flat while his brother recovers at home from the measles. The flat, of course, was once a manor house and has sometime in the last fifty years been dived up into apartments. The only clue to the house's history is an old grandfather clock that keeps perfect time but chimes at random.
The clock is also the key for Tom to travel back in time to the Victorian era where he meets a girl about his age named Hatty (Harriet) Melbourne. As the summer progresses, Hatty grows up. Tom's goal during his short stay with his aunt and uncle is to learn the secret of the clock and to find out what happened to his friend Hatty.
Tom's Midnight Garden is a short but extremely satisfying novel. It is tightly plotted and populated with interesting and believable characters. When the book ended I was both happy to have enjoyed the book and sad to say goodbye to Tom and Hatty. Of course, I was partial to Hatty, having a Harriet of my own. But even without that personal connection, I would have loved the novel.
If you like this sort of time travel story, you might also enjoy:
* A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
* The House on the Strand Daphne du Maurier
* Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein Molly Dwyer (review coming November 26th)