The Garden of Eve by K. L. Going

I found this book adorable and suspenseful and I think children will really love its adventure and mysterious secrets. I enjoyed reading the book very much. It was a very easy read, most likely at a third or fourth grade reading level. However, most grades will be impressed by the breathtaking storyline and adventure of little Evie.

The story’s plot line is about a little girl dealing with the grief of her mother’s death and a young boy dealing with the grief of his brother’s - work together to bring life back to an ancient orchard through mysterious magic. The issues presented in this book are difficult and temperamental but Going’s way of working magic into producing the hope to keep living is performed beautifully. The writing itself is very simplistic. She does not shy away from a broader range of vocabulary but the writing is not too difficult. She also does some foreshadowing with Eve’s mother’s story in the beginning of the book. This gives students a great time to make predictions. She also uses several patterns in her writing with gardens and certain character names that provide layers for the readers.

This book would be great in a classroom. It might be a good book for a book group to do or for independent reading. Students could easily try to make predictions while reading this book. This book also would be a great book for students to practice writing from another person’s perspective. How much the story would change if it was from Adam’s perspective? The images described in this book might provide some very inspiring classroom art work if the teacher would like to add the more artsy side of literature. I recommend this book for grades 3 through 6.

Published: 2007

Michael L. Printz Honor Winner