Blossom

Laura Dockrill's Blossom is a short, warm story for 9 year olds about a girl who's determined to save her grandparents' flower stall.

What happens

Blossom is ten and her house is FULL of plants. There are plants in the bath, plants on the stairs and a spider plant that pokes its nose into your dinner. They were her grandparents' plants, and Dad couldn't bear to give any away.

The one in her bedroom is special. It's a tough little aloe vera that belonged to her grandma, Tutu, and Blossom talks to it every morning. "Haloe, Vera" is their in-joke (you'll either groan or laugh).

Every day of the summer holidays she goes with Mum and Dad to the flower market before it's even light. There's toast with peanut butter from Gabby's van, a stall of moss monsters and a nosy old lady in a green coat who never buys anything.

But Mum and Dad keep arguing. Mum has gone back to college and can't study and run the stall. Dad won't let go of it. One morning Blossom overhears something she can't unhear, and she runs.

What's it like to read? It's very much Blossom's voice, chatty and a bit dramatic. She's crying and running at the same time, so she calls it "crunning". The market people are brilliant too, from Mossboy to Rain on the cacti stall.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Tutu and Pops have both died before the story begins, and there's a memory later of saying goodbye to Tutu in hospital. Blossom is also convinced her parents are breaking up. If your reader is missing a grandparent, or is worried about a family split, some of this may feel very close to home.

For another child, it could be exactly the right book. It shows how grief and family worries can sit right next to funny, everyday moments. And Blossom's big plan to fix everything is so her. She advertises for a helper for Dad, complete with glitter and an offer of buttery toast. The first trial shifts are a disaster (one man talks to the peonies about his bad back for three hours).

It's gentle enough to read in a sitting or two. It's also a lovely one for any child who likes growing things.

What to read next

If this one goes down well, Laura Dockrill's Sequin and Stitch is another girl's story about a small, crowded home. Sequin's flat is full of silks and beads while her mum sews ball gowns late into the night.