The Peach Thief - by Linda Joan Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The night that workhouse orphan Scilla Brown dares to climb the Earl of Havermore's garden wall, she wants only to steal a peach--the best thing she's ever tasted in her hard, hungry life. But when she's caught by the earl's head gardener and mistaken for a boy, she grabs on to something more: a temporary job scrubbing flowerpots. If she can just keep up her deception, she'll have a soft bed and food beyond her wildest dreams ... maybe even peaches. She soon falls in with Phin, a garden apprentice who sneaks her into the steamy, fruit-filled greenhouses, calls her 'Brownie, ' and makes her skin prickle. At the same time, the gruff head gardener himself is teaching lowly Scilla to make things grow, and she's cultivating hope with every seed she plants. But as the seasons unfurl, her loyalties become divided, and her secret grows harder to keep. How far will she go to have a home at last?"--

Book Synopsis

This shimmering middle-grade debut set in 1850s Lancashire, England, explores longing, belonging, and the courage it takes to find your place--and bloom.

The night that workhouse orphan Scilla Brown dares to climb the Earl of Havermore's garden wall, she wants only to steal a peach--the best thing she's ever tasted in her hard, hungry life. But when she's caught by the earl's head gardener and mistaken for a boy, she grabs on to something more: a temporary job scrubbing flowerpots. If she can just keep up her deception, she'll have a soft bed and food beyond her wildest dreams . . . maybe even peaches. She soon falls in with Phin, a garden apprentice who sneaks her into the steamy, fruit-filled greenhouses, calls her "Brownie," and makes her skin prickle. At the same time, the gruff head gardener himself is teaching lowly Scilla to make things grow, and she's cultivating hope with every seed she plants. But as the seasons unfurl, her loyalties become divided, and her secret grows harder to keep. How far will she go to have a home at last? Beautifully crafted with classic middle-grade themes of fate and ambition, identity and personal responsibility, this stunning debut features brisk pacing, crackling dialogue, and deep insight into what makes a garden thrive--and a heart and mind flourish.

Review Quotes

An apple got Adam and Eve thrown out of paradise. In Linda Joan Smith's glowing debut novel, a peach shows a 13-year-old girl the way in.
--The New York Times Book Review

From the dramatic beginning to the equally dramatic conclusion, you'll be caught up in all sorts of growing, from melons to apples to, most importantly, the growth we all hope for: growing into our truest selves. Scilla's journey in this complex and surprising world fills her heart, and it will fill ours.
--Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner and author of The Labors of Hercules Beal

Smith's debut novel is an exceptional example in transmuting the dedicated act of gardening to the nurturing of one's soul. This vivid story of struggle and loss spearheaded by hope is appended with an extensive author's note that touches upon aspects of nineteenth-century England, including horticulture, British India, dialect,
and more.
--Booklist (starred review)

Nuanced, richly atmospheric, and exquisitely written.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Smith's debut serves up a historical fiction tale not to be missed. . . Hand to fans of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War that Saved My Life and Kate Albus's A Place to Hang the Moon. A first purchase for all libraries.
--School Library Journal (starred review)

This lovely, well-drawn novel will appeal to historical fiction fans and kids who love plants, and will make a great bedtime read-aloud. And adults, be forewarned: You may cry at the end.
--BookPage (starred review)

Richly detailed debut.
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Linda Joan Smith is a former magazine editor, the author of several gardening books, and a lifelong lover of libraries and children's literature. The Peach Thief is her first novel for young readers. She lives on the central coast of California, where she enjoys lively discussions about stories of all sorts with her husband and daughter.