The Night Gardener

Written by Jonathan Auxier in 2014, The Night Gardener is a middle-grade ghost story about two siblings who flee from Ireland only to find themselves trapped in a house where a demonic tree drains the life force of the inhabitants. The book won several awards, including the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children, and it was also shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature (2014). Canadian-born author Jonathan Auxier writes books for young readers, and in addition to The Night Gardener, he is best known for the award-winning Sweep (2018) and the Peter Nimble series. He has a bachelor’s degree from Trinity Western University and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. He now lives in Pittsburg with his wife.

This guide follows the 2014 Amulet Books edition of The Night Gardener.

Plot Summary

The Night Gardener opens with siblings Molly and Kip arriving at the Windsor manor, which is located on a spooky island and nearly overgrown by an enormous tree. Desperate for work, Molly convinces the Windsors to let her and Kip stay on, even though Mrs. Constance Windsor is initially against the idea.