Absolutely adored Peter Nimble so was very much looking forward to seeing if The Night Gardener was as wonderfully creepy. I'm happy to report it was, and kept me hooked from start to finish. Jonathan Auxier may just be a new favorite author, especially if he keeps the delightful darkness of his novels that make it possible for both children and adults to enjoy.

Read in 2014, apologies for the delay in feedback.

I'm sorry it has taken so long to review this title. I absolutely loved it and appreciate being able to have the opportunity to read it. This book was very thought provoking and I can only imagine what more happened to the characters. Thank you.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO THE NIGHT GARDENER BY JONATHAN AUXIER?
I was so eager to read The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier because I enjoyed his debut Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes so much. Granted, I read Peter Nimble back in 2011 and here we are in 2018 and I am JUST GETTING TO THE NIGHT GARDENER. Life comes at you pretty fast, yes? Anyways, I haven’t been much into middle grade lately, but Auxier’s work makes me reconsider that. The timing for this audiobook was perfect. I wanted something I could borrow from Overdrive, that was going to be an easy, low time commitment listen. This book hit all of those checkboxes.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Auxier’s story follows two plucky abandoned Irish siblings – Molly and Kip. The two go to work at this large English country house, that at first they can’t find until getting directions from some woman. Molly helps with cleaning the house. Kip helps out with the gardening. As it turns out, there’s a secret about the house. In fact, it is kind of dangerous and may just end up killing them, or at least the tree by the house. We also are in suspense with regards to what has happened to Molly and Kip’s parents. There’s a lot going on with this story but it is worth the time it takes to get to all the reveals and the creepiness and such.

WHAT DID I THINK OF THE NIGHT GARDENER?
Honestly, I wish that I had physically read The Night Gardener instead of listened to it. I did not retain as much of it as I had hoped — which I could also chalk up to listening to this while in traffic with bad drivers. That kind of thing took me out of the story. I think I will end up re-reading this book so as to better retain it. I really loved the characters of Molly and Kip. I didn’t like the older boy at the house they worked at – Alistair, he was kind of a jerk if you ask me. Penny, the little girl, was super cute though. Also, this book was well written, which is why I want to go back through and read it again.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook is narrated by Beverley A Crick. I am mostly indifferent to the audiobook. Like, it is an okay listen. However, the narration is not captivating enough to take your mind out of awful traffic. However, I guess we can’t win them all, I suppose.