about the book
Irish orphans Molly and Kip, seeking to escape dangerous, famine-ridden Ireland, agree to travel to Windsor Estate in England to work as servants in what turns out to be a creepy and crumbling English mansion. Molly’s determination to take care of Kip, who is rather ill and somewhat lame of foot, overcomes her fear of the foreboding Windsor Estate and its strange inhabitants, even after a creepy local storyteller warns her about the Windsors and their house.
When Molly and Kip arrive, the first thing they notice is the gnarly, overgrown tree growing right up into the house, breaking through the walls. The Windsors themselves are sickly to look on, each suffering from their own personal torments and demons.
See, the tree is magic. It grants wishes. At the same time, the mysterious Night Gardener roams the mansion at night, giving each inhabitant bad dreams, which force them back to the tree, which grants wishes intended to entrap the mansion’s inhabitants.
In order to keep Kip calm, Molly uses her storytelling skills to explain away the scary stuff, but soon the Night Gardener becomes so powerful that not even Molly can ignore him. She will have to find a way to deal with the tree and the Night Gardener, and at the same time rescue the Windsors and Kip.
about the author
Jonathan Auxier is a strange man who likes to write strange stories for strange children (or strange children at heart). If you need proof of his strangeness, you can go to his website; in the “About Me” section, you can see what he thinks his life would be like if he were, say, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” or “Wolverine,” or “A Total Dork.” Actually, the “A Total Dork” tab and the “Jonathan Auxier” tab are really similar…
Jonathan has been a finalist for the Governor General’s Award, The Silver Birch Award, and the Texas Bluebonnet Award.
Jonathan lives in Pittsburgh with his family and their pet umbrella. Yes, you heard me. Pet umbrella.
Source :
Author website
Also by Jonathan Auxier:
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. Amulet Books. 2011.
read more!
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