The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier

(Paperback, 384 pages, first published in 2015)

A New York Times bestseller, Jonathan Auxier’s The Night Gardener is a Victorian ghost story with shades of Washington Irving and Henry James. More than just a spooky tale, it’s also a moral fable about human greed and the power of storytelling.

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives.

With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making.

Cautions: According to Redeemed Reader, "The novel is subtitled 'a Scary Story,' and that’s fair. Sensitive readers may want to skip it, but the scariness is manageable for most, and it’s not gratuitous. This particular story gives us a lot to think and talk about between shivers (and the shivers aren’t that creepy, in my opinion). With its clear theological overtones, The Night Gardener raises the best kind of questions in the best way, without preaching—for 'It’s a bad tale that has all the answers.'" See full review here.

Recommended Age: 10+