The Garden of Eve

The prelude begins, "Once there was a beautiful garden . . ." Themes of planting seeds, beginnings and endings, and trees, especially trees, set the framework for the story. Evie, age 10, grieves the death of her mother as she and her father move from Michigan to mysterious Beaumont, New York. The town's past is shrouded in grim stories of disappearances, dying orchards, and the legacy of a family tragedy. Evie discovers magic and mystery, as well as the promise of hope and friendship, as twists on the biblical garden demonstrate the strength of life. Allyson Ryan's reading is generally strong and sure, but some characters' voices are made distracting by forced childishness and an overly nasal twang. The lack of announcements at the end of each CD can present a difficulty for young listeners. L.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

October 1, 2007
Feeling bereft 10 months after her mother's death, 11-year-old Evie Adler is even sadder when her father uproots the two of them from Michigan and buys a dead apple orchard in Beaumont, N.Y. The town is colorless and cold and “there didn't seem to be any life at all. Even the crows had stopped flying overhead.” Evie's only playmate is Alex, the ghost of a 10-year-old boy whose death the town still mourns and who frequents the cemetery next door to the orchard. Her dad, meanwhile, has no luck in the orchard, which people claim is cursed. The former owner, a stranger, has bequeathed Evie a small seed, which his sister says might have been from the Garden of Eden, and might have played a part in the disappearance of another sibling. Evie plants the seed and hopes it will transport her to a magical garden where her mother will be waiting. What works best in Going's (Fat Kid Rules the World
) novel is the skillful depiction of Evie's grief for her mother and the wonderful life they shared. What complicates the story and makes it confusing is the odd combination of magic and religious symbols (for example, the ghost Alex turns out to be a twin brother named Adam; the seed instantaneously sprouts into a fruit-bearing tree). The emotional ending, with a surprising twist, ties the story together, but seems contrived. Ages 8-12.

April 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-Evie is crushed when her father uproots her to move from Michigan to upstate New York. The ten year old is still grieving for her mother and horrified when her father purchases a dilapidated orchard with a cemetery next door. As they arrive, the town is mourning the loss of a young local boy, Alex, but Evie is puzzled because she can still see him. Alex befriends Evie and together they discover that the orchard was cursed decades ago when a young girl named Eve disappeared. Evie seeks out Maggie, the former owner of the property, and learns about three mysterious seeds which supposedly came from the Garden of Eden. One seed remains, and Evie plants it. She and Alex enter a mystical garden which threatens to entrap them forever. Allyson Ryan's narration rings true as Evie, but her voicing of Alex sounds too young. Themes of grief and recovery permeate this tale (Harcourt, 2007) by K. L. Going. The ending is hopeful, but the plot lacks excitement which may keep listeners from staying with the story to the end.Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK

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