Tilly's family has just moved to a big, old-fashioned house, and her mother is bedridden due to a difficult pregnancy. While her father, an author, works constantly on his new book, Tilly is left to explore the house and gardens on her own. One evening, she follows a fox through a gate and finds a mysterious and beautiful wild garden. As Tilly returns to the wild garden over the following days and weeks, she meets Helen, a girl of Tilly's age. But there's something mysterious about Helen, too -- where does she live? Why does Tilly only ever see her in the garden?

The gentle tone of this story reminds me of one of my childhood favorites: Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards, which also features a lonely little girl and a hidden garden. Tilly's story also includes the slightest touch of the supernatural in the character of Helen. The writing is lyrical and just a bit British. I'd recommend this to readers of all ages who enjoy well-written juvenile fiction. ( )

Girls who like animals especially foxes will like this book. I really like it when Tilly took her grandmother in the garden; the author described the plants and told the reader what they were. One of the sad parts was the moment when Helen looked like she was going to stop being friends with Tilly. ( )

Tilly adjusts to a living in an older home while her mother is bedridden due to a pregnancy. While Tilly waits for her mother to get better, she explores in their garden and on magical nights meets a girl and a fox who both become friends. But are they really real? ( )

Everything is changing, and Tilly is worried. Mom is having a baby and it's not going well, she sleeps all the time and seems to be getting worse. Dad is worried about Mom and busy with his book. They've just moved to a new house, leaving Tilly's best friends behind. Lonely and unhappy, Tilly discovers that their new garden and the wilderness behind it hold special secrets; foxes and a magical girl named Helen. Slowly, things change and improve and by the time Helen leaves Tilly has found a new friend and all is well in her family again.

This is a slow-paced, magical story. Is Helen a ghost, a dream, or just Tilly's imagination? The story never says, gently hinting that Helen was the friend Tilly needed to help her through her worries. With the arrival of brisk, cheerful Grammy and her new friend Susila she doesn't need Helen any more. The story is full of lyrical descriptions of the garden, winter, Christmas, and the foxes. The black and white art that delicately brings out the magic of the story is perfect, capturing the delicate imagination of Tilly and the beauty of the garden.

It's a very British story, with words like "lorry" and "metre" as well as the gentle unfolding of magic and mystery, reminiscent of Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden. This won't deter reader who love gently mysterious stories and will appreciate the art and beauty of the story and illustrations.

Verdict: A perfect length, 220 pgs, for intermediate readers. Hand this one to kids who enjoy beautiful language and description and will sympathize with Tilly's shyness at school and her private worries.

ISBN: 9781402277306; Published October 2012 by Sourcebooks; ARC provided by the publisher, purchased for the library (ARC added to summer reading prizes)

Book Title: "Tilly’s Moonlight Garden”
Author: Julia Green
Published By: Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky
Age Recommended: All
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5

Review: This story is beautiful, enchanting, and worthy of a place on every bookshelf. Many books of this type seem to be written primarily for children but this one I could see all ages enjoying. Tilly’s Moonlight Garden is about a young girl yearning to find belonging in a new home, a new school, and a new environment. Her mother is sick and pregnant, her father is a writer that has little time to spend with her, and Tilly is a dreamer.
When her precious friend fox, goes missing, Tilly follows a real fox into a mysterious garden behind her home. It’s a place of wonder and beauty and so many things happen there that allow Tilly to see her world in a new light. This is a wonderful story that will delight both the young and old. ( )