The Night Gardener: A Scary Story

Grades 5 - 7: In the 1800s, Irish orphan Molly and her little brother Kip work as servants for the once-wealthy Windsor family in their crumbling English manor. The children’s parents died in a shipwreck passage to England, all of which Molly keeps from Kip by spinning fabulous tales about their parents’ adventures and anticipated return. A thick fog enrobes the Windsor house and its pale, gaunt family who appear happier in a family portrait. A true gothic novel with reappearing muddy footprints leaves blown through hallways and secured locks that come unbolted. Only Molly and Kip will be able to save the Windsors and themselves by facing the Night Gardener. This whimsical, macabre story celebrates the beauty and power of storytelling, and the destructive power of lies we tell ourselves.