The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illus. by David Small. Farrar, Straus, Giroux. 1997.
Lydia Grace has been sent to Chicago to live with her cranky Uncle Jim. It is the time of the Great Depression, and Lydia Grace's family does not have the resources to feed an extra mouth on the farm. Lydia Grace is unsure if she will be able to do her favorite thing in the world while in the city: garden. Through the letters she writes home we learn about Lydia Grace's time in the city. She finds places to plant seeds, learns to bake and makes friends with everyone she meets. She even gets Uncle Jim to come around by the end of the story when she has a special surprise for him on the roof of their apartment.
I unfortunately always choke up a bit when I read this story for a read aloud. However, it's interesting to see how young tweens respond to the concept of the Great Depression. They are much more familiar with the idea of grown-ups being out of work than they might have been a few years ago, making the story of The Gardener that much more relevant to them.
Recommended for younger tweens. A great book to read if a gardening project is getting started or in the works at school.
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