Both of these are LibraryThing Early Reviewer books.
The Ghost in the Garden: In Search of Darwin's Lost Garden by Jude Piesse
I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed learning a little about Charles Darwin's family of origin and early life at the Darwin family home, The Mount in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The author, a Victorian scholar, grew up in Shropshire and moves back to teach at a local university, and rents a house next to the remains of the original gardens of The Mount. She writes about the gardens and the influence they had on Darwin's career, as well as the influence of the gardens' caretakers: Darwin's mother, sisters, and the hired gardeners.
This partial biography part of the book is good. I particularly liked the author sharing her research frustrations, such as being unable to view the original garden diary (probably because its owner was working on a book about it, recently published in England), or to determine the exact origins of an early portrait of Darwin and his sister. Unfortunately, the other part of the book is more the author's memoir, and is unnecessary and distracting. This book might be a good addition to a library (personal or otherwise) focusing on Darwin, but I'm not sure who otherwise might be its audience.
The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson - ARC
This historical fiction chapter book, aimed at ages 8-12, is set in rural Mississippi in 1967. Ellis Earl Brown, age 11, is one of the nine children of a single African-American mother. They live in a three-room house with no electricity or plumbing.
Only Ellis and one sister go to school - the older children all work (either outside the home or caring for their younger siblings), or are too ill or too young to attend. Ellis' African-American teacher, Mr. Foster, helps him (and his family) by providing rides to and from school, and leftover meals from lunches. Unlike his older siblings, Ellis *wants* to stay in school, and Mr. Foster encourages him.
Only Ellis and one sister go to school - the older children all work (either outside the home or caring for their younger siblings), or are too ill or too young to attend. Ellis' African-American teacher, Mr. Foster, helps him (and his family) by providing rides to and from school, and leftover meals from lunches. Unlike his older siblings, Ellis *wants* to stay in school, and Mr. Foster encourages him.
Ellis is one of the students selected by Mr. Foster to go to the Jackson airport to see Bobby Kennedy, who has come to the Mississippi Delta to see the poverty stricken area firsthand. Some of the experiences the children have on this trip will be eye-opening for some readers.
Although everything works out a little too neatly in the end, overall, I think this is a good book for grades 4-8. A classroom discussion guide is available on the publisher's website. Author Linda Williams Jackson incorporated rich details from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta in this time period.
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