Green Fingers

Kate is right on the edge of being a school phobic, a girl who blows easily with frustration at her inability to read and write. She is far from impressed when her well-meaning parents move to East Anglia for a fresh start. She just copes but teacher prejudice brings her close to trouble once more.

Then, in a bid to get her mother to come back to her husband, Kate sees a need to restore the garden of their dilapidated new home. She now has the incentive to crack the codes of print in order to get vital information on gardening. There is a lot that is gently moving and wise in this very readable novel. The cover suggests a middle school readership, probably girls, doubtfully ones like Kate who are still struggling with reading.