After her mother's death from cancer, Evie and her father move to Beaumont, New York to start a new life. Evie misses her mother and the stories she used to tell. Her father doesn't believe in magic or stories and focuses on the hard work that it will take to bring back the local orchard, but everyone says that it is cursed and nothing will grow there. Soon Evie meets a boy in the cemetery next to their house who says that he is dead, and the name that he gives her backs up his story, but there are no such things as ghosts - at least that is what her father says. On Evie's birthday, a local woman gives her a seed that is supposed to be special, but will it revive the orchard or is the source of the curse?

The Garden of Eve is full of magic, but very little of it is explained. Parts of the story contradict each other as reality and illusion seem to be in direct conflict. The characters are not very well developed and the plot lacks information to make it believable. Many of the hooks from early in the book never get the payoff at the end that would make this story more interesting. However, the power of love and believing in each other are dynamic messages at the center of this story. Overall, The Garden of Eve is a unique book with strong themes. ( )

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I was really looking forward to this book because I enjoyed Gabriel King so much. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed by it as much as I don’t think it’s really finished. It has that have-to-fulfill-the-contract feel to it. Some of the imagery of the trees is fantastic, but the magic didn’t really work for me. It’s not enough to have a simple, yet cryptic, prophecy to make me accept strange coincidences. ( )

This was a young adult book dealing with grief. The magical elements were interesting and I loved the ties to the Garden of Eden. The under-rated character in the book, in my opinion, was Maggie. I would have loved to see more done with her character. Eve was a likeable character who found strength in herself that she didn't know she had. Overall, a good book, but a slow start. Not sure my kiddos would stick with it to the end. ( )

This book is a journey through grief, hope, and healing. 11 year-old Evie desperately misses her mom, who passed away 10 months before. She moves with her father to home in an old apple orchard in upstate New York that is said to be cursed. Evie receives a mysterious present of an old seed, and when she plants it, she is whisked to an Edenic parallel world where the dead may be brought back. This was an interesting story with twists and surprises. Probably not my favorite of my recent children's/YA book (this one is appropriate for ages 11-14), but a moving story with lots of Biblical symbolism.

Curriculum: this book offers an opportunity to talk about and teach the literary device of foreshadowing. It is also a creation story, which students could compare to other creation stories in international folklore and myth.

Going, K. (2009) The garden of Eve. Boston: Sandpiper.