The Girl and the Witch’s Garden

The Girl and the Witch's Garden cover
Release DateJune 23, 2020
Seriesstandalone

The Secret Garden meets Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in this rich, charming middle grade adventure about a girl determined to infiltrate her grandmother’s enchanted garden with the help of some magically gifted friends.

Mallory Estate is the last place twelve-year-old Piper Peavey wants to spend her summer vacation. The grounds are always cold, the garden out back is dead, a mysterious group of children call the property home, and there’s a rumor that Melena M. Mallory—the owner of the estate and Piper’s wealthy grandmother—is a witch.

But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself.

The grand house and its garden hold many secrets—some of which may even save her father—and Piper will need to believe in herself, her new friends, andmagic if she wants to unlock them before it’s too late.

Praise for The Girl and the Witch’s Garden

Bowman creates an adventure story featuring a plucky heroine who shoulders heavy emotional burdens while facing an ethical dilemma…The book’s strength is its grounding in reality, both in its modern-day setting and in its limitation of magic as a problem-solver.

Booklist

The writing is smooth, and Piper’s dialogue with the children and her mother purposefully advances the plot. [T]ension … electrifies the story.

School Library Journal

A big, spooky house, a likable bunch of capable kids, and a refreshing (if bittersweet) acceptance of the fact that there are some things not even magic can fix.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
As enchanting as it is wise, the true magic of this secret garden story is in its unflinching, heart-wrenching exploration of grief, belonging, and inner strength. Once I stepped into the witch’s garden with Piper, I did not want to leave.
Jessica Khoury, author of The Mystwick School of Musicraft

Piper Peavey is a protagonist all her own in a spellbinding story that has a touch of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and a dab of Circus Mirandus.

Quinn Sosna-Spear, author of The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson

Magical and mysterious, a captivating read from start to beautiful end.

Megan Frazer Blakemore, author of The Water Castle and The Story Web

This book has strong Secret Garden vibes with a magical twist and a plot that races. Erin Bowman has penned a must read for middle graders!

Nicole Cousins, Still North Books & Bar

A creepy house, a daring rescue, a magic portal, a secret garden—this book has everything that the best books of my childhood had.

Megan Szmyd, Old Firehouse Books

Erin Bowman has woven a wonderful tale full to the brim with characters you’ll want to follow far beyond the last page.

Alicia Michielli, Talking Leaves Books

I loved getting lost in this story and can’t wait to share it with fans of other kids’ classics old and modern, from The Secret Garden to Harriet the Spy to Three Times Lucky and Nevermoor.

Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction
Awards + Recognition
  • A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
  • A Summer 2020 Kids’ Indies Next List Pick
Publishers

U.S. and Canada: Simon & Schuster
UK Audio: Audible UK

Audio: Dreamscape

Romania: Editura Art