nerd teacher [books] reviewed The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
Cute and sweet in its own way.
4 stars
One of the things I like about this story is its structure, which isn't a super common way of writing children's books. It's written in the format of multiple letters from the same little girl (Lydia Grace). First, she writes to her Uncle Jim prior to moving in with him while her father looks for work during 1935; second, she writes mostly to her grandmother (but also her parents) while living with her uncle.
I kind of think this format could be used more and provide interesting narratives for kids to read. None of the letters come across forced; they feel very much like something a child would say.