herials 's review for:

The Green Kingdom by Cornelia Funke

4.0

adventurous funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This was not at all the book I was expecting to read but in a very delightful way! I was expecting Funke’s immersive magical worlds, but I stepped into a a gentle, whimsical story of real life magic.
When Caspia and her family venture to Brooklyn from Maine for their summer holiday so her dad can take a big construction job, Caspia is less than pleased to be leaving her friends and home. But then she finds a bundle of letters in the apartment they’re staying in between two sisters - letters giving one sister green riddles of plants that the other has to guess and embroider her response. Caspia sets about solving all the riddles, and through this journey meets loads of friends and starts to grow roots in Brooklyn.
This is a gentle coming of age story with a touch of mystery about adventure, history, changing friendships, first crushes, and lots of plant facts! 
While the language/structure doesn’t push too much, I do place this at the upper end of middle grade solely on those “first romantic feelings” discussions, which are all very innocent and well handled.
I think this is a lovely story for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Nadine Jassat.