This one escaped me as a child so it was lovely to read it now. Such an imaginative story with a really magical ending.

So I have recently discovered a new podcast called Mindful Moments by David Larbi and he's such a gem of a human - anyway, in one of his episodes he talks about how every month he aims to read 1x fiction book, 1x non-fic, and 1x book he would've loved or did love as a child; and this last one is sort of in an attempt to reignite that sense of excitement and childish glee that we used to get from reading, the sensation of hiding under the duvet with a torch and trying to cram in another chapter after lights out - and I absolutely loved this idea. So I looked on my shelves and found this book leftover from my children's literature module at uni and thought it would be a great place to start.

Unfortunately, I didn't love it - the pacing was really slow and I think it does just feel a little bit dated, it's sort of hard to place it in time, due to the time-travelling elements, but it does feel very post-war, and I think it's written in that specific 'keep calm and carry on' way, which does feel a bit superficial, there's not a lot of emotional depth to the characters (and I don't think this is due to it being for children, but more so due to the time period.) The ending was incredibly sweet though!

A bit of a miss for my first nostalgia read, but I will keep going with it as I still am very much intrigued by what I have to learn and enjoy from children's books as an adult.

Very good book. If you like fantasy, I recommend it for you.

I just could not get into this book at all. The language was strange and overly complex which detracted from the novel.
It was too slow to actually get to the mystery of the garden. Maybe it was magical but the language certainly didn't reflect it. It felt like a copy of the secret garden, but worse. And Tom barely had any character- I would like to have understood more about his personality; was he always a curious child? Where was his family? Who were his friends? Etc etc.
Also, there were hardly any other characters apart from him. Where was everyone else? I understand that it's mainly set at night but even so, it needed more to make it more interesting. Just my opinion.

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.

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.

3.5 stars. Enjoyable magical fun! Somewhat on the slower paced side however.

*3,85

Sublime ending.

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.

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 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...

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!