Tom’s Midnight Garden

Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden is a magical, mysterious read for 9 year olds about a boy who finds a garden that isn't there in daylight.

What happens

Tom is furious. His brother Peter has measles, so Tom is packed off to stay with Aunt Gwen and Uncle Alan in a flat with no garden at all. He's in quarantine, so he can't go out or see anyone. And all of Aunt Gwen's rich cooking means he can't sleep.

So he lies awake listening to the old grandfather clock in the hall downstairs. It never strikes the right hour. Then one night it strikes thirteen.

What would you do? Tom creeps down and opens the back door. Where there should be a poky yard full of dustbins, there's a great lawn, flower beds, yew trees and a greenhouse, all bright in the moonlight.

In the morning it's gone.

It's a quiet, shivery kind of magic. Nothing roars or explodes. Instead you get a maid who walks straight past Tom as if he isn't there, and a hall full of stuffed animals that fades away while he watches.

Tom is very easy to like. He's sulky about being sent away (he'd much rather have had measles!). He's a bit rude to his kind aunt, and he's desperate for something to do. His letters to Peter, marked B.A.R. for Burn After Reading, are a lovely touch.

This one suits a reader who likes to take their time. The writing is rich and old-fashioned in places, and the mystery unfolds slowly. If you've got a reader who loves a secret and a puzzle, they'll be hooked by that thirteenth stroke.

What to read next

If they enjoy Philippa Pearce's gentle magic, try The Little Gentleman next. Bet, a quiet girl who comes along while her gran does the cleaning, is asked to sit on a log by the river and read aloud. But who exactly is she reading to?