The night that workhouse orphan Scilla Brown dares to climb the Earl of Havermore’s garden wall, she wants only to steal a peach—the best thing she’s ever tasted in her hard, hungry life. But when she’s caught by the earl’s head gardener and mistaken for a boy, she grabs on to something more: a temporary job scrubbing flowerpots. If she can just keep up her deception, she’ll have a soft bed and food beyond her wildest dreams . . . maybe even peaches. She soon falls in with Phin, a garden apprentice who sneaks her into the steamy, fruit-filled greenhouses, calls her “Brownie,” and makes her skin prickle. At the same time, the gruff head gardener himself is teaching lowly Scilla to make things grow, and she’s cultivating hope with every seed she plants. But as the seasons unfurl, her loyalties become divided, and her secret grows harder to keep. How far will she go to have a home at last? Beautifully crafted with classic middle-grade themes of fate and ambition, identity and personal responsibility, this stunning debut features brisk pacing, crackling dialogue, and deep insight into what makes a garden thrive—and a heart and mind flourish.
This shimmering middle-grade debut set in 1850s Lancashire, England, explores longing, belonging, and the courage it takes to find your place—and bloom.
“An apple got Adam and Eve thrown out of paradise. In Linda Joan Smith’s glowing debut novel, a peach shows a 13-year-old girl the way in.” — The New York Times Book Review
“Nuanced, richly atmospheric, and exquisitely written.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Delicious.” — BookPage, starred review
A “vivid story of struggle and loss spearheaded by hope…” — Booklist, starred review
“Smith’s debut serves up a historical fiction tale not to be missed. A first purchase for all libraries.” — School Library Journal, starred review
“From the dramatic beginning to the equally dramatic conclusion, you’ll be caught up in all sorts of growing, from melons to apples to, most importantly, the growth we all hope for: growing into our truest selves. Scilla’s journey in this complex and surprising world fills her heart, and it will fill ours.” — Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner and the author of The Labors of Hercules Beal