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Recommendations based on Tom's Midnight Gardenby Philippa Pearce
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
Good Night, Mr. Tom
by Michelle Magorian
An orphaned boy is taken in by a reclusive old man, discovering the power of friendship and family.
London is poised on the brink of World War II. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech – the abused child of a single mother -- is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, ... (Goodreads)
Swallows and Amazons
by Arthur Ransome
A group of children set sail on a daring adventure, exploring the waters of a beautiful lake.
The book relates the outdoor adventures and play of two families of children. These involve sailing, camping, fishing, exploration and piracy . The Walker children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) are ... (Wikipedia)
I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith
An unconventional family living in a crumbling castle navigate life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.
The novel takes place between April and October in a single year in the 1930s. The Mortmain family is genteel, poor, and eccentric. Cassandra's father is a writer suffering from writer's block who ... (Wikipedia)
Skellig
by David Almond
A young boy discovers a mysterious creature in a dilapidated shed, forming a unique bond with it.
10-year-old Michael and his family have recently moved into a house. He and his parents are nervous, as his new baby sister was born earlier than expected and may not live because of a heart ... (Wikipedia)
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
Animal characters embark on a series of adventures, learning important lessons along the way.
With the arrival of spring and fine weather outside, the good-natured Mole loses patience with spring cleaning. He has fled his underground home, emerging to take in the air and ends up at the river, ... (Wikipedia)
The Borrowers Afield
by Mary Norton
The Borrowers, tiny people who live in the homes of humans, embark on a dangerous journey to find a new home.
Kate, looking at a cottage with her friend Mrs May, learns that the present tenant, Tom Goodenough, knows Arrietty Clock, a tiny "Borrower" also known to Mrs May's brother. Tom relates the troubles ... (Wikipedia)
La Belle Sauvage
by Philip Pullman
A daring adventure of a young girl and her allies, in a future world threatened by forces of oppression.
Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon Asta live three miles from Oxford. Malcolm works alongside fifteen-year-old Alice in his parents' inn, The Trout, close to the Priory of St. Rosamund ... (Wikipedia)
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
by Joan Aiken
Two cousins fight against their evil governess and her accomplices in a Victorian England filled with wolves and danger.
The story is set at Willoughby Chase, the grand but remote home of Sir Willoughby and Lady Green and their daughter Bonnie. Due to Lady Green's ill health, Bonnie's parents are taking a holiday in ... (Wikipedia)
Stig of the Dump
by Clive King
A young boy discovers a prehistoric caveman living in a dump and befriends him, embarking on adventures together.
Barney is a bored young boy staying with his grandparents on the chalk Downs of southern England. One day, he falls over the edge of an old chalk pit close to his grandparents' house, tumbling ... (Wikipedia)
Small Island
by Andrea Levy
A story of post-WWII immigration, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and racism.
Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 with her life in her suitcase, her heart broken, her resolve intact. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from the war expecting to be received ... (Goodreads)
The Grey King
by Susan Cooper
A quest to save the land from a magical darkness, with a boy using his mysterious powers to lead the way.
"Fire on the Mountain Shall Find the Harp of Gold Played to Wake the Sleepers, Oldest of the Old..." With the final battle between the Light and the Dark soon approaching, Will sets out on a quest to ... (Goodreads)
Little Dorrit
by Charles Dickens
A tale of injustice, exploring the social and economic inequalities of Victorian England.
The novel begins in Marseilles "thirty years ago" (c. 1826), with the notorious murderer Rigaud telling his prison cellmate John Baptist Cavalletto how he killed his wife, just prior to being ... (Wikipedia)
Charmed Life
by Diana Wynne Jones
A young orphaned boy encounters a magical world full of witches, wizards, and dragons.
When the Chant children, Gwendolen and Eric (known as “Cat") are orphaned after their parents die in a boating accident, Gwendolen petitions Chrestomanci to let them live at Chrestomanci Castle where ... (Wikipedia)
Stormbreaker
by Anthony Horowitz
An ordinary teen is thrust into an extraordinary mission to save the world.
The book begins with Alex Rider learning that his uncle and legal guardian, Ian Rider, has been killed in a car crash. Unbeknownst to Alex and his housekeeper Jack Starbright, Ian's job as a banker ... (Wikipedia)
Over Sea, Under Stone
by Susan Cooper
A brother and sister uncover the secrets of an ancient magical kingdom.
Over Sea, Under Stone features the Drew children, Simon, Jane and Barney, on holiday with their parents and Merriman Lyon, an old family friend, usually referred to by the children as their ... (Wikipedia)
Winnie-the-Pooh
by A.A. Milne
A whimsical tale of a bear and his friends, exploring the Hundred Acre Wood.
The adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends in which Pooh Bear uses a balloon to get honey, Piglet meets a Heffalump, and Eeyore has a birthday. ... (Goodreads)
Adam Bede
by George Eliot
A carpenter, Adam Bede, falls in love with a beautiful woman, Hetty Sorrel, who is in love with another man. Tragedy ensues.
According to, The Oxford Companion to English Literature, (1967), The novel follows four characters' rural lives in the fictional community of Hayslope—a rural, pastoral, and close-knit community in ... (Wikipedia)
Cold Comfort Farm
by Stella Gibbons
A young woman moves to the countryside to bring order to the chaotic lives of her relatives.
Following the death of her parents, the book's heroine, Flora Poste, finds she is possessed "of every art and grace save that of earning her own living". She decides to take advantage of the fact ... (Wikipedia)
Life After Life
by Kate Atkinson
A woman lives multiple lives, reflecting on choices and consequences and the power of love.
The novel has an unusual structure, repeatedly looping back in time to describe alternative possible lives for its central character, Ursula Todd, who is born on 11 February 1910 to an ... (Wikipedia)
Second Form at Malory Towers
by Enid Blyton
Darrell and her friends return to Malory Towers for their second year, facing new challenges and making new friends.
It is Darrell’s fifth term at Malory Towers. Along with most of her classmates, she moves up to the Second Form under Form Mistress Miss Parker. Former Head Girl Katherine has moved up to the Third ... (Wikipedia)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
A mischievous rabbit disobeys his mother and ventures into a farmer's garden, facing the consequences of his actions.
The story focuses on a family of anthropomorphic rabbits. The widowed mother rabbit warns her four rabbit children, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter (the youngest rabbit child) not to enter the ... (Wikipedia)
A Room with a View
by E.M. Forster
A young woman's exploration of love, morality, and societal norms in Edwardian England.
The novel is set in the early 1900s as upper-middle-class English women are beginning to lead more independent, adventurous lives. In the first part, Miss Lucy Honeychurch is touring Italy with her ... (Wikipedia)
The Folk of the Faraway Tree
by Enid Blyton
Three children discover a magical tree inhabited by fantastical creatures and embark on adventures to enchanted lands.
Joe, Beth and Fannie have Connie over to stay because her mother is ill. Connie is stuck up, bossy and does not believe in magic. She says that Dick (now updated to Rick) told her all about his stay ... (Wikipedia)
Finn Family Moomintroll
by Tove Jansson
A magical adventure in Moominvalley, full of whimsical characters and fantastical creatures.
Moomintroll , Sniff and Snufkin discover the Hobgoblin's top hat on a mountain-top, unaware of its strange powers. An egg shell discarded into the hat becomes five clouds the children ride and play ... (Wikipedia)
Murder Most Unladylike
by Robin Stevens
Two schoolgirl detectives investigate a murder at their boarding school, uncovering secrets and lies along the way.
Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells are students in Deepdean School for Girls. They are the founding members of their school's Detective Society, although the only ones in it. One day, Hazel stumbles upon the ... (Wikipedia)
Third Year at Malory Towers
by Enid Blyton
Darrell and her friends return to Malory Towers for their third year, facing new challenges and making new friends.
Darrell is on the way to Malory Towers once again. She finds out that Sally Hope, her best friend is in quarantine for mumps and will not be able to come to school for a short time. On the way, they ... (Wikipedia)
The Black Stallion
by Walter Farley
A young boy's friendship with a wild horse, overcoming challenges and finding courage.
Published originally in 1941, this book is about a young boy, Alec Ramsay who finds a wild black stallion at a small Arabian port on the Red Sea. Between the black stallion and young boy, a strange ... (Goodreads)
Howl’s Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
A young woman embarks on an adventure to break a curse and reclaim her identity in a magical world.
18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the ... (Wikipedia)
The Wee Free Men
by Terry Pratchett
A young girl's fantastical journey to save her brother, with the help of a mischievous gang of tiny blue-clad warriors.
Tiffany Aching is a 9-year-old girl who literally sees things differently from others. While playing by the river near her home, she sees two tiny blue, kilted men who warn her of a "green heid" in ... (Wikipedia)
A Passage to India
by E.M. Forster
Exploring imperial tensions between colonial India and Britain in the early 20th century.
A young British schoolmistress, Adela Quested, and her elderly friend, Mrs. Moore, visit the fictional city of Chandrapore, British India . Adela is to decide if she wants to marry Mrs. Moore's son, ... (Wikipedia)
