The Doll In The Garden

The Doll In The Garden

Chapter book
Could you resist a book that has the question, "How do you
return a doll when its owner is dead?," on the cover? Well maybe you
could, but I surely couldn't. And I am very glad that I yielded to
temptation.
Ashley, the young protagonist of Mary Downing Hahn's The Doll in
the Garden, is grieving the loss of her beloved father. When she and
her mother move to an apartment they find that the landlady who lives
downstairs is a cat hating bitter woman who lays down many rules.
It's not long before she and Ashley are in nearly constant conflict.
Things get interesting when Ashley and new friend Kristi explore
a neglected rose garden on part of the landlady's property. They dig
up a porcelain doll buried in a box with a yellowed note from a Carrie
to a Louisa begging her for forgiveness. Then there's Snowball, a
ghost cat with the ability to navigate between the past and the
present and bring people along.
The Doll in the Garden, however, is more than a book that will
enchant young lovers of mysteries and ghost stories. There's good
wisdom in those pages about letting go of regrets following the death
of a loved one. I highly recommend this fine read to teachers and
guidance counselors as well as kids and parents.
On a personal note, a heat wave has given way to some glorious perfect
summer weather. Joey cat is much more perky and happy. Even us non
fur coat wearers are much more animated.
A great big shout out goes out to our nation's teachers and guidance
counselors. May those of you on vaca be having a grand time. Those
of you teaching summer school have my respect for helping kids not
slip behind.
Julia Emily Hathaway


Sent from my iPod