BLOOM

Eleven-year-old Sorrel unlocks the power of magical seeds to transform her life and the entire town with it.

When Sorrel unearths a packet of Surprising Seeds from under a concrete slab in her patio, she sets off on a mission to plant and nurture them. After they fail to come to life in dirt, she is compelled by an outside force to grow them right on her own head and that of best friend Neena. Grow they do—into a mop of flowers and vegetables—and it doesn’t stop there. Sorrel learns about the history and enchanted magic of Agatha Strangeways and the lush fields and wildflowers she tended that once ruled their now concrete-laden English town of Little Sterilis. The book is told in the first person from Sorrel’s perspective with small cautionary passages directed to readers. Until Agatha’s history comes to light, the story moves slowly, but after that point the pace picks up. Skinner’s tale is imaginative and vibrant even if some of the characters fall flat; Sorrel may be the least interesting person in the story, outshone by outspoken, science-minded Neena and fascinating Strangeways. The book’s lessons sometimes lack subtlety, but the metaphor of paving paradise rings necessarily loud and true. All characters are presumed White, save British Indian Neena and her family.

Part cautionary tale, part folktale, this is a leisurely, imaginative read.