A Bit of Earth
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Destined to be a new classic.” —School Library Journal, (starred review)
“This story will find its way into your heart.”—Tae Keller, Newbery Medalist for When You Trap a Tiger
What might happen when a young, overlooked orphan feels the sudden urge to put down roots in the most unexpected of places? This tender coming-of-age story about friendship, family, and new beginnings is a reimagining of the classic The Secret Garden. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home and The Bridge Home.
For as long as she can remember, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives. And it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to “give her a better life” in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.
Nothing in Long Island is what Maria expected. The Claybornes seem unprepared and inexplicable things keep happening in their sprawling house. Could it be magic? Or Maria's overactive imagination? And then Maria finds the locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she’s never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she’d find: a place where she feels at home.
Told in rich prose interspersed with evocative free verse poetry, this tender yet incisive reimagining of The Secret Garden will captivate fans of the classic—and widen the appeal for a modern audience.
“As timeless as it is timely, A Bit of Earth is a rare gift.”—Laurel Snyder, author of National Book Award nominee Orphan Island
“Extraordinary, poetic, and inventive. A Bit of Earth is such a special book.”—Jasmine Warga, author of Newbery Honor book Other Words for Home
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A foreboding feeling permeates this mystery-driven novel, a The Secret Garden retelling from Riazi (The Gauntlet). Having grown up staying with relations in Bangladesh and Pakistan, young Maria Latif, though often considered "unpleasant," has experience abiding without her immediate family. But she's thrust into another new situation after her parents die while traveling, and their alumni friends in New York City seek to provide her with opportunities. When the distant cousin with whom she's supposed to stay is unexpectedly called away, she's forced to head to the "cold, unhappy" Long Island estate of the Claybornes, who read as white. There, she's hosted by "the second Mrs. Clayborne" as well as Mr. Clayborne's mother, who forbids Maria from visiting parts of the home, including the yard. Flouting the rules while navigating the residence's tense atmosphere, Maria feels happier upon finding an unlocked, unloved garden to tend—and inside it a beautifully embroidered sari. The outdoors has always been Maria's favorite place, and working in the secret garden feels just right to her. When he's sent home from boarding school for misbehavior, she also befriends young Colin Clayborne, the biracial-cued son of the late first Mrs. Clayborne, Saira. Chapters alternate experiential free-verse poetry with a third-person narrative as Maria excavates the garden's past and her own isolation in this thoughtful, emotionally honest take on the source material. Ages 8–12.
