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Tom's Midnight Garden
Winner of the Carnegie Medal
From beloved author Philippa Pearce, this sixtieth-anniversary edition is the perfect way to share this transcendent story of friendship with a new generation of readers. Philip Pullman, bestselling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, called Tom’s Midnight Garden “A perfect book.”
When Tom’s brother gets sick, he’s shipped off to spend what he’s sure will be a boring summer with his aunt and uncle in the country. But then Tom hears the old grandfather clock in the hall chime thirteen times, and he’s transported back to an old garden where he meets a young, lonely girl named Hatty.
Tom returns to the garden every night to have adventures with Hatty, who mysteriously grows a little older with each visit. As the summer comes to an end, Tom realizes he wants to stay in the garden with Hatty forever.
Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Tom’s Midnight Garden is a classic of children’s literature and a deeply satisfying time-travel mystery. This newly repackaged sixtieth-anniversary paperback is the perfect entrée for readers of all ages to the vivid world that The Guardian called “A modern classic.” Features new interior spot art by Jaime Zollars.
From beloved author Philippa Pearce, this sixtieth-anniversary edition is the perfect way to share this transcendent story of friendship with a new generation of readers. Philip Pullman, bestselling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, called Tom’s Midnight Garden “A perfect book.”
When Tom’s brother gets sick, he’s shipped off to spend what he’s sure will be a boring summer with his aunt and uncle in the country. But then Tom hears the old grandfather clock in the hall chime thirteen times, and he’s transported back to an old garden where he meets a young, lonely girl named Hatty.
Tom returns to the garden every night to have adventures with Hatty, who mysteriously grows a little older with each visit. As the summer comes to an end, Tom realizes he wants to stay in the garden with Hatty forever.
Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Tom’s Midnight Garden is a classic of children’s literature and a deeply satisfying time-travel mystery. This newly repackaged sixtieth-anniversary paperback is the perfect entrée for readers of all ages to the vivid world that The Guardian called “A modern classic.” Features new interior spot art by Jaime Zollars.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1958
About the author
Philippa Pearce
78 books101 followersPhilippa Pearce OBE (1920-2006) was an English author of children's books. Her most famous work is the time slip fantasy novel Tom's Midnight Garden, which won the 1958 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, as the year's outstanding children's book by a British subject. Pearce was four further times a commended runner-up for the Medal.
Pearce wrote over 30 books, including A Dog So Small (1962), Minnow on the Say, (1955), The Squirrel Wife (1971), The Battle of Bubble and Squeak (1978) and The Way To Sattin Shore (1983). The Shadow Cage and other tales of the supernatural (1977), Minnow on the Say, Bubble and Squeak, and Sattin Shore were all Carnegie Medal runners-up. The Battle of Bubble and Squeak inspired a two-part television adaptation in Channel 4's Talk, Write and Read series of educational programming.
The youngest of four children of a flour miller and corn merchant, Ernest Alexander Pearce, and his wife Gertrude Alice née Ramsden, Philippa Pearce was born in the village of Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, and brought up there on the River Cam at the Mill House. Starting school late at the age of eight because of illness, she was educated at the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge, and went on to Girton College, Cambridge on a scholarship to read English and History there.
After gaining her degree, Pearce moved to London, where she found work as a civil servant. Later she wrote and produced schools' radio programmes for the BBC, where she remained for 13 years. She was a children's editor at the Oxford University Press from 1958 to 1960 and at the André Deutsch publishing firm from 1960 to 1967.
In 1951 Pearce spent a long period in hospital recovering from tuberculosis. She passed the time there thinking about a canoe trip she had taken many years before, which became the inspiration for her first book, Minnow on the Say, published in 1955 with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. It was a commended runner-up for the annual Carnegie Medal. It was adapted for television in Canada as a 1960 TV series with the original title, and for British television in 1972 as Treasure over the Water.
Pearce's second book was Tom's Midnight Garden, published in 1958. Its "midnight garden" was based directly on the garden of the Mill House where Pearce was raised. The novel inspired a film, a stage play and three TV versions. It won the annual Carnegie Medal and for the 70th anniversary celebration in 2007, a panel named it one of the top ten Medal-winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite. Tom's Midnight Garden finished second in the vote from that shortlist, between two books that were about 40 years younger.
Every September from 2008, the Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture at Homerton College, Cambridge celebrates "excellence in writing for children and to emphasize its continuing vital importance." The lecturers are children's literature authors, scholars or critics, and most of the lectures are published online.
Pearce wrote over 30 books, including A Dog So Small (1962), Minnow on the Say, (1955), The Squirrel Wife (1971), The Battle of Bubble and Squeak (1978) and The Way To Sattin Shore (1983). The Shadow Cage and other tales of the supernatural (1977), Minnow on the Say, Bubble and Squeak, and Sattin Shore were all Carnegie Medal runners-up. The Battle of Bubble and Squeak inspired a two-part television adaptation in Channel 4's Talk, Write and Read series of educational programming.
The youngest of four children of a flour miller and corn merchant, Ernest Alexander Pearce, and his wife Gertrude Alice née Ramsden, Philippa Pearce was born in the village of Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, and brought up there on the River Cam at the Mill House. Starting school late at the age of eight because of illness, she was educated at the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge, and went on to Girton College, Cambridge on a scholarship to read English and History there.
After gaining her degree, Pearce moved to London, where she found work as a civil servant. Later she wrote and produced schools' radio programmes for the BBC, where she remained for 13 years. She was a children's editor at the Oxford University Press from 1958 to 1960 and at the André Deutsch publishing firm from 1960 to 1967.
In 1951 Pearce spent a long period in hospital recovering from tuberculosis. She passed the time there thinking about a canoe trip she had taken many years before, which became the inspiration for her first book, Minnow on the Say, published in 1955 with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. It was a commended runner-up for the annual Carnegie Medal. It was adapted for television in Canada as a 1960 TV series with the original title, and for British television in 1972 as Treasure over the Water.
Pearce's second book was Tom's Midnight Garden, published in 1958. Its "midnight garden" was based directly on the garden of the Mill House where Pearce was raised. The novel inspired a film, a stage play and three TV versions. It won the annual Carnegie Medal and for the 70th anniversary celebration in 2007, a panel named it one of the top ten Medal-winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite. Tom's Midnight Garden finished second in the vote from that shortlist, between two books that were about 40 years younger.
Every September from 2008, the Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture at Homerton College, Cambridge celebrates "excellence in writing for children and to emphasize its continuing vital importance." The lecturers are children's literature authors, scholars or critics, and most of the lectures are published online.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,278 reviews
May 23, 2012
I was surprised finding myself that I really liked this book. This is my 98th book this year and just my 2nd children's fiction. If this were not one of the children's books in the 501 Must Read Books, I would not have picked this up.
Time Slip is used brilliantly in the plot that you don't know between the two main characters, Tom or Hatty, is the ghost and who is a real human being. To give you an example, in the movie Sixth Sense, you know right away who are the ghosts because the boy character says "I see dead people." Here, at first, I thought Hatty was clearly the ghost until she described Tom and then I did not know anymore. Then in the end, there is another surprise but I will not tell you what as I do not want to spoil your reading.
The final scene is the most heartwarming and moving scene in a children's book that I've so far encountered. Prior to this, my most moving scene was in the book Charlotte's Web (1952) specifically when the many baby spiders appear in the barn one morning while Charlotte (the lady spider) is explaining to Wilbur (the pig) the passing of time. The difference between the two is that the characters in this book, Tom and the elderly Hatty, are real people so it is easy to identify with them. They don't talk about anything profound like Charlotte and Wilbur but the revelation is so gripping that would not think that this book was published during the time when your parents were probably not born yet (1958).
The grandfather's clock ringing on the 13th hour is for me very imaginative. The ice skater reminded me of the movie Somewhere in Time. There are so many memorable elements in this book that had Pearce only used more complex language, this book could be for adults and maybe classified as either a book under sci-fi or horror genres or maybe a fusion of those. Or throw in a love story between Tom and Hatty and this could be good material for a romantic movie.
Intelligent writing. Innovative plot. Immensely imaginative. Why is it that I am only reading these beautiful children's books now that I am past the mid-point of my life here on earth?
Mind you, don't underestimate the children's books. Sometimes, they are even more complex and engaging than other popular bestsellers written with adult readers in mind.
Time Slip is used brilliantly in the plot that you don't know between the two main characters, Tom or Hatty, is the ghost and who is a real human being. To give you an example, in the movie Sixth Sense, you know right away who are the ghosts because the boy character says "I see dead people." Here, at first, I thought Hatty was clearly the ghost until she described Tom and then I did not know anymore. Then in the end, there is another surprise but I will not tell you what as I do not want to spoil your reading.
The final scene is the most heartwarming and moving scene in a children's book that I've so far encountered. Prior to this, my most moving scene was in the book Charlotte's Web (1952) specifically when the many baby spiders appear in the barn one morning while Charlotte (the lady spider) is explaining to Wilbur (the pig) the passing of time. The difference between the two is that the characters in this book, Tom and the elderly Hatty, are real people so it is easy to identify with them. They don't talk about anything profound like Charlotte and Wilbur but the revelation is so gripping that would not think that this book was published during the time when your parents were probably not born yet (1958).
The grandfather's clock ringing on the 13th hour is for me very imaginative. The ice skater reminded me of the movie Somewhere in Time. There are so many memorable elements in this book that had Pearce only used more complex language, this book could be for adults and maybe classified as either a book under sci-fi or horror genres or maybe a fusion of those. Or throw in a love story between Tom and Hatty and this could be good material for a romantic movie.
Intelligent writing. Innovative plot. Immensely imaginative. Why is it that I am only reading these beautiful children's books now that I am past the mid-point of my life here on earth?
Mind you, don't underestimate the children's books. Sometimes, they are even more complex and engaging than other popular bestsellers written with adult readers in mind.
July 31, 2022
spoilers follow. but what is a spoiler? a component revealed. is that component reflective of the whole? is that component the heart of the book or is it just another part of its body? is it a totem that represents the book's secret meaning?
the boy goes back in time to visit the girl. into the garden he goes, the changing garden. he feels safe and free in this garden. "there is a safe house at every dream level, which gets populated with the innermost thoughts and secrets of the Subject." he meets the girl in the garden. the girl shows him the clock. the girl will wind the clock. the old woman has wound the clock. "Totems are objects used by the characters to test if they were in the real world or a dream, and they all had specially modified qualities which made them very personal." the old woman dreams. the boy dreams. the brother dreams. they all dream together. you dream, I dream, we all dream together. "...a.k.a. unconstructed dream space existing within untouched subconscious..." the clock strikes the hour. the boy hears the clock and goes through the door, into the midnight garden. there he will meet the girl, again and again. the boy moves forward in time to finally meet the girl, at long last, as they have met many times before. "Inception is the act of inserting an idea in a person's mind which will bloom in a way making the Subject think it was their idea." the girl is an old woman; the boy is a boy. they hug, for the first time, their dreams a reality. a happy ending and beginning are achieved.
Life is but a dream
And I dream of you
Strange as it seems
All night I see you
* all quotes are from various articles about the film Inception *
the boy goes back in time to visit the girl. into the garden he goes, the changing garden. he feels safe and free in this garden. "there is a safe house at every dream level, which gets populated with the innermost thoughts and secrets of the Subject." he meets the girl in the garden. the girl shows him the clock. the girl will wind the clock. the old woman has wound the clock. "Totems are objects used by the characters to test if they were in the real world or a dream, and they all had specially modified qualities which made them very personal." the old woman dreams. the boy dreams. the brother dreams. they all dream together. you dream, I dream, we all dream together. "...a.k.a. unconstructed dream space existing within untouched subconscious..." the clock strikes the hour. the boy hears the clock and goes through the door, into the midnight garden. there he will meet the girl, again and again. the boy moves forward in time to finally meet the girl, at long last, as they have met many times before. "Inception is the act of inserting an idea in a person's mind which will bloom in a way making the Subject think it was their idea." the girl is an old woman; the boy is a boy. they hug, for the first time, their dreams a reality. a happy ending and beginning are achieved.
Life is but a dream
And I dream of you
Strange as it seems
All night I see you
* all quotes are from various articles about the film Inception *
November 7, 2022
Well simply, but utterly textually delightfully, Philippa Pearce's 1958 Carnegie Medal winning Tom’s Midnight Garden features a lonely and frustrated boy (the Tom of the book title) who periodically goes back in time. And whilst in the past, Tom meets and also befriends a young girl (Hatty) and participates in her life as she grows up. But since in Tom's Midnight Garden Philippa Pearce has time in the past moving considerably more quickly than it does in the present, Hatty is of course maturing much faster than Tom (who actually does not age at all in fact) and basically right before his eyes so to speak, and with Hatty as she moves way past Tom age wise at the end of Tom's Midnight Garden developing typical teenaged interests, including being courted by Barty, whom Hatty ends up marrying, but that this also causes the garden to fade and to finally cease to exist for Tom (kind of sad to a point perhaps, except that the elderly landlady Mrs. Bartholomew of the present is in fact the Hatty of the past and when she recognises Tom and he recognises her, they not only have a joyful and loving reunion, but Tom's Midnight Garden ends with both Tom and also his brother being invited by Hatty Bartholomew to visit again).
And just to point out that Tom's Midnight Garden starts out prosaically enough with Philippa Pearce having her main protagonist Tom being sent away from home to live with his aunt and uncle in a large and lonely, rather dismal Victorian house that has been converted into apartments (into flats) because his brother Peter has developed the measles and Tom must be isolated from him. Not being allowed outside of his aunt and uncle's flat just in case Tom might actually be contagious himself, he misses Peter and feels lonely and utterly miserable, that is, Tom feels lonely and miserable until he slips back in time and meets both Hatty and the magic Midnight Garden of the past (and which Tom visits on a regular basis, with both the garden and his friendship with Hatty making life interesting and more tolerable). A lovely and magical time-slip novel that I have absolutely adored reading is Tom's Midnight Garden (and one that I totally regret not having encountered as a young reader, for at the age when I was the intended audience, I would have simply accepted Philippa Pearce's text, her story as magical but also perhaps as potentially true, but that of course as an older adult reader I am considerably more jaded and am even with my utter textual enjoyment and delight asking myself all these internal and philosophical questions regarding the passage of time, ghosts, and that slipping back into time is of course and sadly impossible and just wish-fulfilment).
And just to point out that Tom's Midnight Garden starts out prosaically enough with Philippa Pearce having her main protagonist Tom being sent away from home to live with his aunt and uncle in a large and lonely, rather dismal Victorian house that has been converted into apartments (into flats) because his brother Peter has developed the measles and Tom must be isolated from him. Not being allowed outside of his aunt and uncle's flat just in case Tom might actually be contagious himself, he misses Peter and feels lonely and utterly miserable, that is, Tom feels lonely and miserable until he slips back in time and meets both Hatty and the magic Midnight Garden of the past (and which Tom visits on a regular basis, with both the garden and his friendship with Hatty making life interesting and more tolerable). A lovely and magical time-slip novel that I have absolutely adored reading is Tom's Midnight Garden (and one that I totally regret not having encountered as a young reader, for at the age when I was the intended audience, I would have simply accepted Philippa Pearce's text, her story as magical but also perhaps as potentially true, but that of course as an older adult reader I am considerably more jaded and am even with my utter textual enjoyment and delight asking myself all these internal and philosophical questions regarding the passage of time, ghosts, and that slipping back into time is of course and sadly impossible and just wish-fulfilment).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2008
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)
April 12, 2015
Book 32/100 of 2015
June 6, 2023
All this time I thought I had already added it to the shelf. This is a true children's classic. It is a beautiful, haunting evocative story of childhood, growing up, adulthood and old age. It's also unbearably sad, in a happy kind of way, if that makes sense. It's the story of life.
As a child and a teenager, I used to have dreams about my very own Midnight Garden.
The story is about how two lonely children - a boy named Tom and a girl named Hattie find each other, their worlds and share their lives. The ending never fails to move me to tears. I recommend it highly.
As a child and a teenager, I used to have dreams about my very own Midnight Garden.
The story is about how two lonely children - a boy named Tom and a girl named Hattie find each other, their worlds and share their lives. The ending never fails to move me to tears. I recommend it highly.
May 24, 2007
I read this book 10 years ago, and it still haunts me.
Tom is forced to stay with aunt and uncle for the holidays. He hates the "no-garden"-ness of their city flat, and a cranky old landlady who lives in the attic. One night, the old grandfather clock downstairs struck 13. Tom is led to open the back door, and he finds a blooming and live garden, which he learns later isn't there during the daytime.
In the garden world, time stood still for him. He befriends Hattie, a girl as lonely as he is. But why is time skipping each night he visits there? Sometimes it's summer, sometimes it's winter, sometimes Hattie is very young, sometimes she is nearly a young woman.
After reading the summary above, maybe you think this is a ghost story. At first that's what I thought, but it turns out to be not like that. What I love about this book is how time and reality all seemed just a blur. The author weaves Tom's day-life with his life in the midnight-garden deftly. In his day-life, Tom struggled to find the explanation to the garden. Things are going bad (to his mind) when his stay at his aunt and uncle is nearly over, and he found he didn't want to leave the midnight-garden, nor let it change.
Carnegie Medal Winner 1958
Tom is forced to stay with aunt and uncle for the holidays. He hates the "no-garden"-ness of their city flat, and a cranky old landlady who lives in the attic. One night, the old grandfather clock downstairs struck 13. Tom is led to open the back door, and he finds a blooming and live garden, which he learns later isn't there during the daytime.
In the garden world, time stood still for him. He befriends Hattie, a girl as lonely as he is. But why is time skipping each night he visits there? Sometimes it's summer, sometimes it's winter, sometimes Hattie is very young, sometimes she is nearly a young woman.
After reading the summary above, maybe you think this is a ghost story. At first that's what I thought, but it turns out to be not like that. What I love about this book is how time and reality all seemed just a blur. The author weaves Tom's day-life with his life in the midnight-garden deftly. In his day-life, Tom struggled to find the explanation to the garden. Things are going bad (to his mind) when his stay at his aunt and uncle is nearly over, and he found he didn't want to leave the midnight-garden, nor let it change.
Carnegie Medal Winner 1958
June 2, 2019
4.5 STARS.
A truly magical story, entertaining for kids and adults alike. The beauty of this book is how you can allow your imagination to run away with you, just as Tom does. I will for sure pass this story (probably this exact book because THAT COVER THOUGH and it has cute illustrations) onto my kids as I think it's a great classic kids story.
I know this story well, I had the audio book on tape (yes tape, I am 21, kids) when I was a little girl but it was an abridged radio-play dramatization style so it was such a luxury to be able to actually read the words, as if for the first time again. It was a great nostalgia trip and I found myself feeling the tension I felt when I was tiny, WISHING Tom to go back to the garden and other such spoilery things. A true delight, if you're a grown up like me, pick it up, read it, love it and hang onto it for your kids.
(I knocked of .5 of a star because THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIES. Imagine it, Tom spending entire summers there, growing up and still going back, maybe falling in love in the garden!? I'm thinking a Narnia/Famous Five vibe. This story is SO good that I'm rating it down for only being 227 pages long...Also Aunt Gwen is SO annoying and whiny so yeah .5 off.)
This book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
A truly magical story, entertaining for kids and adults alike. The beauty of this book is how you can allow your imagination to run away with you, just as Tom does. I will for sure pass this story (probably this exact book because THAT COVER THOUGH and it has cute illustrations) onto my kids as I think it's a great classic kids story.
I know this story well, I had the audio book on tape (yes tape, I am 21, kids) when I was a little girl but it was an abridged radio-play dramatization style so it was such a luxury to be able to actually read the words, as if for the first time again. It was a great nostalgia trip and I found myself feeling the tension I felt when I was tiny, WISHING Tom to go back to the garden and other such spoilery things. A true delight, if you're a grown up like me, pick it up, read it, love it and hang onto it for your kids.
(I knocked of .5 of a star because THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIES. Imagine it, Tom spending entire summers there, growing up and still going back, maybe falling in love in the garden!? I'm thinking a Narnia/Famous Five vibe. This story is SO good that I'm rating it down for only being 227 pages long...Also Aunt Gwen is SO annoying and whiny so yeah .5 off.)
This book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
May 3, 2020
Sent to stay with his Uncle Alan and Aunt Gwen when his brother has the measles, Tom Long is bitterly disappointed and unhappy at the prospect of a dismal holiday spent at their flat, which takes up one floor of an old Victorian house. Lying awake late at night, he is puzzled when he hears the grandfather clock in the lobby striking thirteen, and going downstairs to investigate, he slips out of the house and into a mysterious garden that was not there during the daytime. As it transpires, Tom has slipped into the past, into the Victorian age, when the house was still a great mansion. Here, in this midnight garden, he meets and befriends Hatty, an orphaned girl come to stay in the house, and one of the only people in the past who can see him. They have many wonderful times together in the garden, but all things must come to an end, and one night Tom finds that he can no longer enter the midnight garden - he can no longer travel to the past. In despair, he thinks that he has lost Hatty. But has he...?
A haunting and brilliant tale, Tom's Midnight Garden is a book I first encountered as a young girl, reading it, loving it, and then, despite its story staying with me through the years, forgetting its title. I can remember many times, thinking of that odd, enchanted story I used to love about the boy, the grandfather clock that struck thirteen, and the nighttime garden. This was before computers were ubiquitous, and I wasn't sure how to track it down. I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to ask a children's librarian, but in any case, I happened across it by accident one day, in my early twenties, snapped it up, and reread it. It was like coming home. Originally published in 1958, Tom's Midnight Garden won the Carnegie Medal that year, and it is not difficult to see why. It is an almost perfect book, addressing the pain of childhood, the joy and difficulty of friendship, and the nature of time and of dreaming in perceptive, sensitive ways. The conclusion, in which Tom discovers that old Mrs. Bartholomew, who is his aunt and uncle's landlady, is , and that it is , always sends a shiver down my spine. They say the past is always with us, and I think that this is because we carry it with us - in our memories, and in our dreams. Philippa Pearce has chosen a unique way of exploring that idea, and she has done it brilliantly! Beautifully conceived, beautifully told, and beautifully written - this is a true classic, and is one I enjoy rereading from time to time, since rediscovering it.
A haunting and brilliant tale, Tom's Midnight Garden is a book I first encountered as a young girl, reading it, loving it, and then, despite its story staying with me through the years, forgetting its title. I can remember many times, thinking of that odd, enchanted story I used to love about the boy, the grandfather clock that struck thirteen, and the nighttime garden. This was before computers were ubiquitous, and I wasn't sure how to track it down. I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to ask a children's librarian, but in any case, I happened across it by accident one day, in my early twenties, snapped it up, and reread it. It was like coming home. Originally published in 1958, Tom's Midnight Garden won the Carnegie Medal that year, and it is not difficult to see why. It is an almost perfect book, addressing the pain of childhood, the joy and difficulty of friendship, and the nature of time and of dreaming in perceptive, sensitive ways. The conclusion, in which Tom discovers that old Mrs. Bartholomew, who is his aunt and uncle's landlady, is , and that it is , always sends a shiver down my spine. They say the past is always with us, and I think that this is because we carry it with us - in our memories, and in our dreams. Philippa Pearce has chosen a unique way of exploring that idea, and she has done it brilliantly! Beautifully conceived, beautifully told, and beautifully written - this is a true classic, and is one I enjoy rereading from time to time, since rediscovering it.
August 29, 2019
Did I just cry through the entire (admittedly short) last chapter of a children's book? Seriously????
OK, let's get the preliminaries out of the way first. This is very much a period piece - and, for better or worse, and I can't imagine my (now grown) kids having got through this ... or, for that matter, sitting through the first few chapters of the book, even if someone was reading it to them. For kids who grew up with (or, even more so, traveled with) video games (and video game consoles) and DVD players (or VCR's) and, yes, the Internet, well, ... it's a bridge too far. And, sure, my kids are (and were) very much urban/suburbanites ... so the fascination and satisfaction with (or interest in) a garden ... just doesn't resonate .... But, ultimately, that's just the (by today's standards, painfully slow) opening gambit.
Also, this is no Time Traveler's Wife, (a personal favorite), even though that was the book that kept popping into my mind as I read this. Obviously, it's a children's book; as noted above, it's (extremely) dated; I must admit, I didn't love the prose - by modern standards, it's heavy and stilted and ... not just British, but formal/stuffy to the point of distraction....
But ... but ... but ... if you can get through the first third (which, I admit, was more plodding and off-putting than I expected), it slowly starts to grow on you. ... And it's worth it, because ... it's a slender volume (again, it was written for kids), so as you get towards the final portions, the mosaic starts to assemble, and the heart of the piece begins to expose itself. ... And the end, well, ... as predictable as it is (OK, OK, it was written for kids, not adult sleuths raised on a broad range and healthy diet of whodunits) ... is ... sublime? precious? touching? appropriate? ... ultimately, very nicely done.
In any event, this was a book I'd been hearing about ... forever.... Many authors refer back to it (for a host of reasons) ... and many describe it as a formative work (although, frankly, others suggest the hype - even at the time - was overrated), so I finally got my hands on a copy. I have a hard time grasping how it became so popular in the 1950's and 1960's, but kid's books (and literature) were different. (It is what it is.) ... Nor do I have any recollection of my parents reading it to me ... or reading it myself.... Nor have I seen any of the three (3 ?!?!?) BBC adaptations, the movie, or the stage performance. But here's my point: this clearly resonated with an entire generation of Brits (and plenty of others as well) .... regardless of how it stood the test of time....
Random observation: It's kind of funny reading this in 2019, when (sadly, inexplicably, maddeningly) a significant segment of our society seems willing to tolerate (if not facilitate) the return of measles to the public consciousness. I'm guessing that - until the news stories of the recent outbreaks - my kids had never given a moment's thought to measles, didn't know anyone (other than their parents, of course) who had contracted measles, or could envision the concept of family separation or isolation due to measles quarantine. But who knows? Maybe (and I fervently hope this is not the case), the next generation will be more familiar, sympathetic, and empathetic to kids with measles as the disease again gains traction and returns to the mainstream. Alas.
OK, let's get the preliminaries out of the way first. This is very much a period piece - and, for better or worse, and I can't imagine my (now grown) kids having got through this ... or, for that matter, sitting through the first few chapters of the book, even if someone was reading it to them. For kids who grew up with (or, even more so, traveled with) video games (and video game consoles) and DVD players (or VCR's) and, yes, the Internet, well, ... it's a bridge too far. And, sure, my kids are (and were) very much urban/suburbanites ... so the fascination and satisfaction with (or interest in) a garden ... just doesn't resonate .... But, ultimately, that's just the (by today's standards, painfully slow) opening gambit.
Also, this is no Time Traveler's Wife, (a personal favorite), even though that was the book that kept popping into my mind as I read this. Obviously, it's a children's book; as noted above, it's (extremely) dated; I must admit, I didn't love the prose - by modern standards, it's heavy and stilted and ... not just British, but formal/stuffy to the point of distraction....
But ... but ... but ... if you can get through the first third (which, I admit, was more plodding and off-putting than I expected), it slowly starts to grow on you. ... And it's worth it, because ... it's a slender volume (again, it was written for kids), so as you get towards the final portions, the mosaic starts to assemble, and the heart of the piece begins to expose itself. ... And the end, well, ... as predictable as it is (OK, OK, it was written for kids, not adult sleuths raised on a broad range and healthy diet of whodunits) ... is ... sublime? precious? touching? appropriate? ... ultimately, very nicely done.
In any event, this was a book I'd been hearing about ... forever.... Many authors refer back to it (for a host of reasons) ... and many describe it as a formative work (although, frankly, others suggest the hype - even at the time - was overrated), so I finally got my hands on a copy. I have a hard time grasping how it became so popular in the 1950's and 1960's, but kid's books (and literature) were different. (It is what it is.) ... Nor do I have any recollection of my parents reading it to me ... or reading it myself.... Nor have I seen any of the three (3 ?!?!?) BBC adaptations, the movie, or the stage performance. But here's my point: this clearly resonated with an entire generation of Brits (and plenty of others as well) .... regardless of how it stood the test of time....
Random observation: It's kind of funny reading this in 2019, when (sadly, inexplicably, maddeningly) a significant segment of our society seems willing to tolerate (if not facilitate) the return of measles to the public consciousness. I'm guessing that - until the news stories of the recent outbreaks - my kids had never given a moment's thought to measles, didn't know anyone (other than their parents, of course) who had contracted measles, or could envision the concept of family separation or isolation due to measles quarantine. But who knows? Maybe (and I fervently hope this is not the case), the next generation will be more familiar, sympathetic, and empathetic to kids with measles as the disease again gains traction and returns to the mainstream. Alas.
May 6, 2019
I have been trying to read children's fiction books like this because I think that it is not the time for me to read "heavy" books that are harder to read. I just think that I need to refrain from reading those kinds of books for a while because their darker themes are not really something I want to read about when I am stressed out from school.
So I decided to read this book. I think that it is a very delightful book. It is a good book to read when the days are getting wearisome. It is what people would call a light and easy read. But it is also a fun book because there are twists and turns that just make you want to read on. I definitely recommend this to anyone whether they are stressed out like me or not. The story of Tom and his midnight garden is a wonderful story that anyone will enjoy!
So I decided to read this book. I think that it is a very delightful book. It is a good book to read when the days are getting wearisome. It is what people would call a light and easy read. But it is also a fun book because there are twists and turns that just make you want to read on. I definitely recommend this to anyone whether they are stressed out like me or not. The story of Tom and his midnight garden is a wonderful story that anyone will enjoy!
July 19, 2015
Oh! How do I express my gladness to have experienced this book? I can’t believe it’s from 1958. It could be a 1970s child, who feels his summer was forfeited by spending it with his apartment-dwelling Aunt. He loves his family’s yard and his Aunt only has trashcans on cement. With his brother ill, away he goes. His Aunt is keen to take him out but his Uncle is my least favourite type; debating whatever you utter. I love that Tom issues metaphysical challenges to him!
I hadn’t heard of Philippa Pearce, who was surely a dear person to create this. I found “Tom’s Midnight Garden” at bargain shops where I make lasting discoveries like this. It looked like a ghost story but I quickly shook off my dismay that this isn’t what it is. It’s a poignantly-layered, enriching rendezvous across time. The apartments are inside a manor house, that once had vast grounds. When Tom descends for a look at a family clock that its elderly owner winds: he sees the original acreage out the door! It isn’t a one-time privilege. He walks about night after night, visible to no one except a girl his age. The reasons worked out are remarkably imaginative and plausible.
He is clearly visiting a bygone time but most extraordinary of all, it dawns on the pair eventually that his appearances encounter her at different stages. For Hatty, they become friends straight through to her adult life. It is far briefer on his part but he carries those summer weeks into his heart too. This was meant as a startling moment but it’s beautiful, that neither noticed a gap widening in their ages because of their bond. The peaceful conclusion stays with me. I fervently wish there were a sequel, to visit them again!
I hadn’t heard of Philippa Pearce, who was surely a dear person to create this. I found “Tom’s Midnight Garden” at bargain shops where I make lasting discoveries like this. It looked like a ghost story but I quickly shook off my dismay that this isn’t what it is. It’s a poignantly-layered, enriching rendezvous across time. The apartments are inside a manor house, that once had vast grounds. When Tom descends for a look at a family clock that its elderly owner winds: he sees the original acreage out the door! It isn’t a one-time privilege. He walks about night after night, visible to no one except a girl his age. The reasons worked out are remarkably imaginative and plausible.
He is clearly visiting a bygone time but most extraordinary of all, it dawns on the pair eventually that his appearances encounter her at different stages. For Hatty, they become friends straight through to her adult life. It is far briefer on his part but he carries those summer weeks into his heart too. This was meant as a startling moment but it’s beautiful, that neither noticed a gap widening in their ages because of their bond. The peaceful conclusion stays with me. I fervently wish there were a sequel, to visit them again!
December 30, 2017
This children's classic - one of the most beloved Carnegie Medal winners of all time - will probably be my last read of 2017. I read it, finally, because Penelope Lively praised it so highly in her recent gardening memoir Life in the Garden. Lively considers it to be far superior to The Secret Garden, that other wonderful children's classic set in a garden. I don't know that I agree with her, but I will acknowledge that I fell in love with Burnett's novel as a child - and I think that can really make a difference. But part of what she objected to is the fact that the idea of a garden as a place for healing is too 'obviously loaded with meaning' in The Secret Garden. Although I don't agree with Lively on this point, I do like what she has to say about this book:
"But, above all, it is a narrative of great elegance, simply told, and leaving you with insights into the nature of time, and memory." (Penelope Lively)
There is a time-travel aspect to the storyline, but the 1950s setting of Tom will feel nearly as 'historical' to contemporary readers as the 1890s setting of Hatty. It does capture something very universal, though, about children's play, about imagination, about growing up, and about the mysteries of time.
Philip Pullman claims that 'the ending is the best in all children's fiction' and I have to agree that it is wholly satisfying - both because it ties up all of the thematic threads in an emotionally satisfying way and because it is a delightful surprise.
"But, above all, it is a narrative of great elegance, simply told, and leaving you with insights into the nature of time, and memory." (Penelope Lively)
There is a time-travel aspect to the storyline, but the 1950s setting of Tom will feel nearly as 'historical' to contemporary readers as the 1890s setting of Hatty. It does capture something very universal, though, about children's play, about imagination, about growing up, and about the mysteries of time.
Philip Pullman claims that 'the ending is the best in all children's fiction' and I have to agree that it is wholly satisfying - both because it ties up all of the thematic threads in an emotionally satisfying way and because it is a delightful surprise.
January 15, 2022
*This book was read as part of Middle Grade Madness’ 2022 TBR Challenge*
Whilst this was intricately and beautifully written, it also managed to be quite a bore with its slow pacing and often excessive descriptions. Ironically, for a book focused entirely on a garden, it was sad that I found the garden rather boring because it was just a regular garden. The mystery surrounding the appearance and disappearance of the garden was much more interesting, but that mystery was often shoved aside in favour of childlike playtimes.
It wasn’t as though this book was without merit because there was something so touching about certain scenes and the childlike innocence and power of time played greatly throughout it, I just felt as though it could’ve been condensed so much more so that the impact of poignant moments weren’t lost by being sandwiched inbetween dull ones.
Whilst this was intricately and beautifully written, it also managed to be quite a bore with its slow pacing and often excessive descriptions. Ironically, for a book focused entirely on a garden, it was sad that I found the garden rather boring because it was just a regular garden. The mystery surrounding the appearance and disappearance of the garden was much more interesting, but that mystery was often shoved aside in favour of childlike playtimes.
It wasn’t as though this book was without merit because there was something so touching about certain scenes and the childlike innocence and power of time played greatly throughout it, I just felt as though it could’ve been condensed so much more so that the impact of poignant moments weren’t lost by being sandwiched inbetween dull ones.
May 18, 2009
If I ever need to cry, I pick up this book (one of my favourites) and skim right to the end, to the line: "he put his arms right round her and hugged her good-bye as if she were a little girl." What a beautiful book this is - I was not a child when I read this but I want to read this to my children one day.
July 12, 2015
It has been several years since I last read this beautifully enchanting and somewhat haunting time-slip tale about childhood, friendship, adolescence and the ocean swept passages of time.
This being not only my favourite time travel book but perhaps my favourite stand alone novel of all time, I thought its about time I wrote a little something about it. To be honest, I'm triggered to writing this in a hope of promoting its position in a poll for our next time travel book of the month group read. See, just as our protagonist, 12 year old Tom, longs to share his discoveries of the Midnight Garden with his sick bed ridden friend, I long to share this book with others around me.
One of the many reasons for its ultimate impact is that it has the most profoundly moving revelation last act that brings the whole journey to an emotional crescendo.
When I was a young early teen reading this, I would relate to the protagonist Tom and his mission to play, having been dispatched to "boring" uncle and aunt for the summer, to avoid catching measles from his bed ridden little brother at home. Knowing how important it was to make the most of the summer holiday to play, I would feel for his plight and hope he finds this midnight garden quickly that the book title promises and so I would be enchanted at his magical discovery and the intriguing new found friendship in a girl called Hattie. Then I would be bewildered at where the main story was going exactly, yet still be enraptured in the journey and then be stunned by its powerful conclusion. At the time, the book became one of my instant favourites despite my love for more fast pace action adventures and fantasies.
However, as an adult, the book resonates in a much different way, more deeper layers emerge about childhood innocence, growing up, and reflections on the passing phases of time, both good and bad. Most of all, I marvel at how so well written this is, how the narrative effortlessly sweeps along with haunting effect and how wonderfully clever the time travel plot device had been woven in. What is masterful about the narrative is how you know what is going on with some of the characters and their thoughts without the book spelling it out. Its all in the expressions and that's where the narrative's power lies. Though this book is written for YA, I feel adults would most likely pick up on these deeper unspoken layers.
There isnt much to criticise about this book at all. Just know this is a gentle paced novel with a quintessentially English setting.
It is a masterpiece of young adult literature but as the cliché goes, this is a timeless book for readers of all ages. Its not long, only 240 pages. So friends, take a tiny break from your modern fiction, your fast paced thrillers, schools for wizards, vampires, spaceships or shades of grey. For the next 2-3 days, let this book sweep you back in time, a time of simplicity, innocence, enchantment and poignant reflection then prepare to dab at your eyes for the knock out revelation ending.
5/5
This being not only my favourite time travel book but perhaps my favourite stand alone novel of all time, I thought its about time I wrote a little something about it. To be honest, I'm triggered to writing this in a hope of promoting its position in a poll for our next time travel book of the month group read. See, just as our protagonist, 12 year old Tom, longs to share his discoveries of the Midnight Garden with his sick bed ridden friend, I long to share this book with others around me.
One of the many reasons for its ultimate impact is that it has the most profoundly moving revelation last act that brings the whole journey to an emotional crescendo.
When I was a young early teen reading this, I would relate to the protagonist Tom and his mission to play, having been dispatched to "boring" uncle and aunt for the summer, to avoid catching measles from his bed ridden little brother at home. Knowing how important it was to make the most of the summer holiday to play, I would feel for his plight and hope he finds this midnight garden quickly that the book title promises and so I would be enchanted at his magical discovery and the intriguing new found friendship in a girl called Hattie. Then I would be bewildered at where the main story was going exactly, yet still be enraptured in the journey and then be stunned by its powerful conclusion. At the time, the book became one of my instant favourites despite my love for more fast pace action adventures and fantasies.
However, as an adult, the book resonates in a much different way, more deeper layers emerge about childhood innocence, growing up, and reflections on the passing phases of time, both good and bad. Most of all, I marvel at how so well written this is, how the narrative effortlessly sweeps along with haunting effect and how wonderfully clever the time travel plot device had been woven in. What is masterful about the narrative is how you know what is going on with some of the characters and their thoughts without the book spelling it out. Its all in the expressions and that's where the narrative's power lies. Though this book is written for YA, I feel adults would most likely pick up on these deeper unspoken layers.
There isnt much to criticise about this book at all. Just know this is a gentle paced novel with a quintessentially English setting.
It is a masterpiece of young adult literature but as the cliché goes, this is a timeless book for readers of all ages. Its not long, only 240 pages. So friends, take a tiny break from your modern fiction, your fast paced thrillers, schools for wizards, vampires, spaceships or shades of grey. For the next 2-3 days, let this book sweep you back in time, a time of simplicity, innocence, enchantment and poignant reflection then prepare to dab at your eyes for the knock out revelation ending.
5/5
February 10, 2011
When I think about this book, I get the same sort of feeling as Tom at the beginning of the story -- a little stifled, restless, too full of food. It's quite odd! Anyway, that somewhat colours my memories of this book, making it a bit less wondrous than perhaps it should be. It's a sweet story, ultimately, about mutual loneliness and need of companionship reaching right across time and bringing too lonely children together. It never gets too saccharine, though -- perhaps just slightly, at the end, but that's a nice touch for the very end.
Despite the male protagonist, it isn't only a boy's story -- his friend is a young girl, Hatty, who is equally capable of climbing trees and making a bow and arrows... Although, of course, she does have to be taught by Tom.
The thing that I found myself wondering, more than anything, reading it now, is why Abel can see Tom. There doesn't seem to be any answer in the story.
Despite the male protagonist, it isn't only a boy's story -- his friend is a young girl, Hatty, who is equally capable of climbing trees and making a bow and arrows... Although, of course, she does have to be taught by Tom.
The thing that I found myself wondering, more than anything, reading it now, is why Abel can see Tom. There doesn't seem to be any answer in the story.
July 16, 2014
Poor Tom, forced to go away during the summer holiday while his brother suffers the measles, and kept indoors under quarantine. How old-fashioned is that? Between Tom's unattractive sulking and insomnia, my general lack of interest in gardening, and a personal fear that this was going to turn into one of those stories about a guy finding the perfect mate by traveling back to a time before feminism, well, I didn't have high hopes. But it turned out to be a story about falling in love with a place, instead of a person. That I enjoyed very much.
June 28, 2016
Oh my God! I have no words for this book! This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read, I swear! The final scene is the most heartwarming scene in a book I've ever read. Yes, it is a book for children, but you should all read it. It is amazing!
February 24, 2015
My favorite book as a child. This book is responsible for my book addiction.
May 24, 2022
3.5 stars. Enjoyable magical fun! Somewhat on the slower paced side however.
February 12, 2023
Read for uni assignment.
I think if I had read this when I was a child I would have really enjoyed it, but having to read it critically for an assignment as an adult, all I kept thinking was Tom was such a brat! It was also hard to enjoy a story when I was reading it for a specific purpose (responsibilities of a child in this time period).
I do like the mix of fantasy and reality, but I could have done with less of the Bible and demon references that seem to plague every kids book I've read in this course so far!
I think if I had read this when I was a child I would have really enjoyed it, but having to read it critically for an assignment as an adult, all I kept thinking was Tom was such a brat! It was also hard to enjoy a story when I was reading it for a specific purpose (responsibilities of a child in this time period).
I do like the mix of fantasy and reality, but I could have done with less of the Bible and demon references that seem to plague every kids book I've read in this course so far!
June 2, 2009
I remember avidly watching the Children's BBC adaptation of TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN when I was around Tom's age myself - this would have been in 1990 or so. I absolutely loved the series, but to my chagrin I never read the book on which it was based - until now.
I'd always assumed that this was a modern book but on checking the details I found it was written in 1958 - this explains how Pearce has a natural way with words and how she recaptures the same magic of childhood as Enid Blyton did. In fact, as time goes on, I think readers will realise more and more that this is a true classic of the period.
TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN is one of those spooky, magical stories that creeped me out as a kid but now have me spellbound to the page. The idea of the grandfather clock that strikes 13 is fine in itself, but the moonlit garden is a real work of art, a thing of beauty not unlike in the classic story, THE SECRET GARDEN. Certainly the best book about a garden that I've ever read.
I enjoyed the way that Pearce keeps interpretations open, not getting too held up in the technicalities of time travel. Is this sci fi? Is it a ghost story? It's open enough for the reader to make his or her own judgement, which I thought was a very neat aspect of the story.
The writing is superbly evocative and the characters quite wonderful. In the end, this is a love story - not only between Tom and Hatty, but between the author and childhood. The way the book deals with the lost innocence of childhood and the inevitably of adulthood absolutely broke my heart and I ended up sobbing my heart out as I read through the final pages.
This is a truly heartwarming tale that's now my favourite children's book. It blows the soulless HARRY POTTER completely out of the water.
I'd always assumed that this was a modern book but on checking the details I found it was written in 1958 - this explains how Pearce has a natural way with words and how she recaptures the same magic of childhood as Enid Blyton did. In fact, as time goes on, I think readers will realise more and more that this is a true classic of the period.
TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN is one of those spooky, magical stories that creeped me out as a kid but now have me spellbound to the page. The idea of the grandfather clock that strikes 13 is fine in itself, but the moonlit garden is a real work of art, a thing of beauty not unlike in the classic story, THE SECRET GARDEN. Certainly the best book about a garden that I've ever read.
I enjoyed the way that Pearce keeps interpretations open, not getting too held up in the technicalities of time travel. Is this sci fi? Is it a ghost story? It's open enough for the reader to make his or her own judgement, which I thought was a very neat aspect of the story.
The writing is superbly evocative and the characters quite wonderful. In the end, this is a love story - not only between Tom and Hatty, but between the author and childhood. The way the book deals with the lost innocence of childhood and the inevitably of adulthood absolutely broke my heart and I ended up sobbing my heart out as I read through the final pages.
This is a truly heartwarming tale that's now my favourite children's book. It blows the soulless HARRY POTTER completely out of the water.
September 23, 2018
This is another one of those titles that remember from school days but cannot remember reading - Along with the rats of NIMH and the secret garden there were a list of books we had to read at school which I think at the time I dreaded or hated in equal measures but now look back with fondness and curiosity.
Well I had the chance to get a copy (okay this copy) for free and leapt at the chance to read it (again I think).
And I must admit the memories all came flooding back - yet the book reads both at times quaintly and a little out of date - rather like the times I re-read Porterhouse Major - but then again this book was first written in the 50s so I cannot really hold it accountable for all my adult reservations.
Anyway the book is a great tale of loneliness and discovery put in a fashion only a rather frustrated and at times angry boy can put it. The tale is delightful and one of hope which I think sometimes is missing in the world.
I also know this has been dramatised many times and I remember it even being on TV - which ironically many of my friends know the story from rather than the book (oh how my heart sank). But if you get the chance I will always say to read the original - its always the best way.
Well I had the chance to get a copy (okay this copy) for free and leapt at the chance to read it (again I think).
And I must admit the memories all came flooding back - yet the book reads both at times quaintly and a little out of date - rather like the times I re-read Porterhouse Major - but then again this book was first written in the 50s so I cannot really hold it accountable for all my adult reservations.
Anyway the book is a great tale of loneliness and discovery put in a fashion only a rather frustrated and at times angry boy can put it. The tale is delightful and one of hope which I think sometimes is missing in the world.
I also know this has been dramatised many times and I remember it even being on TV - which ironically many of my friends know the story from rather than the book (oh how my heart sank). But if you get the chance I will always say to read the original - its always the best way.
December 3, 2017
Pearce left me with mixed feelings throughout my reading of her book. It is without a doubt that her rich language has created a magical, vivid world- one that all children would want to be a part of. It is this language that makes it all the more heartbreaking when Tom has to leave this world, live in the present and move on with his life.
Another positive to the text is the philosophical questions that Pearce evokes. The audience is left questioning the concept of time, looking more deeply into the nature of aging- and wondering what is even real. I did actually really enjoy the ongoing debate over which characters were ghosts- and I am sure that this would promote some excellent discussions.
All this being said, I often found it quite difficult to engage with the text, particularly towards the middle of the book. I sometimes felt that Hatty and Tom's encounters were anticlimactic, with a lack of purpose and meaning behind them, and I found myself wondering what it was all amounting to. However, I felt that her writing did become more focused towards the end of the story, and amounted to an excellent final plot twist.
Another positive to the text is the philosophical questions that Pearce evokes. The audience is left questioning the concept of time, looking more deeply into the nature of aging- and wondering what is even real. I did actually really enjoy the ongoing debate over which characters were ghosts- and I am sure that this would promote some excellent discussions.
All this being said, I often found it quite difficult to engage with the text, particularly towards the middle of the book. I sometimes felt that Hatty and Tom's encounters were anticlimactic, with a lack of purpose and meaning behind them, and I found myself wondering what it was all amounting to. However, I felt that her writing did become more focused towards the end of the story, and amounted to an excellent final plot twist.
September 16, 2017
I first came across this book, not in the library, but on an old PBS radio show called The Spider's Web. We did not get very good reception - the narrator's voice (Frances Shrand was her name) sometimes disappeared mid chapter but once we caught the title I hurried to the library to find it. My book had this very cover: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
Technically, this should be categorized as time slip rather than time travel...
Technically, this should be categorized as time slip rather than time travel...
December 31, 2019
“Nothing stands still, except in our memory.”
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I expected an easy, children novel (which it was), but it was also so much more than that. The wonderful characters and haunting story will stay with me long after I finished reading this book.
It was a perfect novel to end 2019's reading.
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I expected an easy, children novel (which it was), but it was also so much more than that. The wonderful characters and haunting story will stay with me long after I finished reading this book.
It was a perfect novel to end 2019's reading.
July 8, 2023
Kokia nuostabi ši Alma Littera knygų serija vaikams. Kadaise leistos, danbar naujai perleidžiamos klaiskos knygos džiugina su kiekviena nauja. Vienos istorijos kažkada skaitytos, kitas atrandu tik dabar, vienos patinka labiau, kitos mažiau, bet iš kaupiu ir saugau visas, su viltimi, kad mano vaikiukai jas skaitys ir mėgausis taip pat kaipn aš.
Istorija apie Tomo parką man girdėta nebuvo, tad su smalsumu kibau į knygą ir vienu ypu perskaičiau. Tomas, dvylikametis berniukas, keliauja pagyventi pas savo dėdę ir tetą, mat mažasis broliukas serga tymais. Ne su dideliu džiaugsmu jis ten keliauja, mat pas gimines tiesiog nėra kas veikti. Nei parko, kiemo, nei kitų vaikų - nieko. Tačiau smalsaus berniuko akį patraukia hole stovintis didžiulis laikrodis su švytuokle. Tomas netrunka išsiaiškinti, jog šis laikrodis yra lyg vartai į kitą pasaulį. Naktimis, laikrodžiui suskambus trylika kartų, Tomas atsiranda didžiuliame, žydinčiame parke, kuriame susipažįsta su Hete. Mergaitė mielai žaidžia su Tomu, dalinasi įdomiausiomis istorijomis, tačiau Tomui maga išsiaiškinti ir tiesą: kaip ir kur jis atsidūrė, ir kas išties yra Hetė?
Knyga įvertinta visame pasaulyje, gavusi ne vieną svarbų apdovanojimą, bet man „Tomo vidurnakčio parkas" netapo mėgstamiausia serijos knyga. Galbūt tikėjausi jautresnio pasakojimo ar bent kažkokio moralo, svaresnės pabaigos. Knyga patiks vaikams, mėgstantiems knygas apie keliones laiku, nuotykinius pasakojimus, nesudėtingas istorijas, kurias tikrai perskaitys kelis kartus prisėdę. Graži knygos kalba, puikus vertimas tikrai praturtins žodyną. Man asmeniškai šios knygų serijos favoritai yra „Smarkuolė Gilė Hopkins", „Gimęs bėgti", „Karo žirgas".
Istorija apie Tomo parką man girdėta nebuvo, tad su smalsumu kibau į knygą ir vienu ypu perskaičiau. Tomas, dvylikametis berniukas, keliauja pagyventi pas savo dėdę ir tetą, mat mažasis broliukas serga tymais. Ne su dideliu džiaugsmu jis ten keliauja, mat pas gimines tiesiog nėra kas veikti. Nei parko, kiemo, nei kitų vaikų - nieko. Tačiau smalsaus berniuko akį patraukia hole stovintis didžiulis laikrodis su švytuokle. Tomas netrunka išsiaiškinti, jog šis laikrodis yra lyg vartai į kitą pasaulį. Naktimis, laikrodžiui suskambus trylika kartų, Tomas atsiranda didžiuliame, žydinčiame parke, kuriame susipažįsta su Hete. Mergaitė mielai žaidžia su Tomu, dalinasi įdomiausiomis istorijomis, tačiau Tomui maga išsiaiškinti ir tiesą: kaip ir kur jis atsidūrė, ir kas išties yra Hetė?
Knyga įvertinta visame pasaulyje, gavusi ne vieną svarbų apdovanojimą, bet man „Tomo vidurnakčio parkas" netapo mėgstamiausia serijos knyga. Galbūt tikėjausi jautresnio pasakojimo ar bent kažkokio moralo, svaresnės pabaigos. Knyga patiks vaikams, mėgstantiems knygas apie keliones laiku, nuotykinius pasakojimus, nesudėtingas istorijas, kurias tikrai perskaitys kelis kartus prisėdę. Graži knygos kalba, puikus vertimas tikrai praturtins žodyną. Man asmeniškai šios knygų serijos favoritai yra „Smarkuolė Gilė Hopkins", „Gimęs bėgti", „Karo žirgas".
June 20, 2022
no i am so sad that this lovely book finished 😭😭😭 the story was really sweet i loved everything i really did not expected to love it this much. tom and his garden gave me such an amazing read in past days
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March 4, 2022
There was a discussion in one of the online book groups about this book. I loved it as a youngster and had a hankering to read it again, so here I am.
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