From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…

The Humming Room: A Novel Inspired by the Secret Garden

Ellen Potter

Start date: June 1, 2012

Finish date: June 30, 2012

Discussion: What We Are Reading This Month

Why we're reading this: Chosen by our poll in May.
[close] Chosen by our poll in May.

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What We Are Reading This Month

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What Members Thought

May 31, 2012 Wendy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012-award-possibilities

Almost four stars. I like Potter's writing and characters. This one didn't feel as risky (or as meaningful) as The Kneebone Boy (and now I can hear Peter Sieruta's voice in my head, saying "well, maybe I'll actually like this one, then; it's an intriguing premise, an updated version of The Secret Garden"). I loved the Secret Garden parallels in the first few chapters--the hiding, the being transported away to her uncle's place by the housekeeper/personal assistant--but rather wished that things ...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Susan Dunn rated it really liked it

Shelves: j-fiction, potential-booktalks, committee, contains-spoilers

When we first meet 12-year-old Rue she is hiding under the trailer she calls home. Something terrible has happened and the police are looking for her. It turns out that she is now an orphan, which is not actually a bad thing in her case b/c up until this point her life has been one of neglect and abuse. The police discover that Roo has a wealthy uncle she never knew about, and she is shipped off to his mansion on Cough Rock Island (so named b/c the house used to be a sanitorium for children with When we first meet 12-year-old Rue she is hiding under the trailer she calls home. Something terrible has happened and the police are looking for her. It turns out that she is now an orphan, which is not actually a bad thing in her case b/c up until this point her life has been one of neglect and abuse. The police discover that Roo has a wealthy uncle she never knew about, and she is shipped off to his mansion on Cough Rock Island (so named b/c the house used to be a sanitorium for children with tuberculosis). Her uncle travels a lot, so Roo is mostly left to herself with some supervision by the hired staff. Her only instructions are to stay away from the east side of the house.

This is where the book really begins to take on inspiration from The Secret Garden. Roo hears a humming in the walls on the east side. She sneaks off to investigate, but can't figure out where it's coming from. The one night she hears crying and goes to investigate, and to her surprise, discovers that there is a boy living in the east wing. It turns out he is her cousin, Phillip, who has been sickly since his mother died. Grief stricken and hostile, he stays indoors and interacts with no one outside of those living on the island. He and Roo slowly become friends, but he is very troubled. Roo wishes there was something she could do for him.

In further exploration of the house and grounds, Roo finds a beautiful garden that has been walled off by her uncle. She is drawn to this place, and little by little does her best to bring it back to life. Eventually Phillip is let in on the secret, and being in the garden - a place his father built for his mother and that he loves - begins to bring him back to health. But when Phillip's doctor sends him away, Roo has to resort to desperate measures in order to rescue him.

Part homage, part ghost story, and an exciting adventure too. I liked this one, but don't think it really fits the criteria for the Schneider award. Phillip isn't that sick - and his illness isn't a real factor in the plot. Would be a fun read to recommend to fans of the Secret Garden! ...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Jeri rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, 2012, children-s

Roo is not your average 12 year old girl. She has a narrow, bony face with a tight, dissatisfied mouth and dull green eyes, and is extremely small for her age. She often finds solace in tight, cramped hiding places. When her father dies, she is sent to live with her uncle who resides in an old children's hospital on a private island. After her initial misgivings about her new residence, she finds herself becoming even more in tune with nature through the island and its enchantment. When she stum ...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: juv

This is a story that could easily be described as sweet, but that doesn't quite get to the heart of it. Being a story inspired by The Secret Garden, the potential sweetness of the story is balanced by the prickliness of the characters. Like Mary, Roo has been stifled by a hard life, but fortunately she lacks Mary's dislikable sense of entitlement. Roo lives a very internal life, preferring small, enclosed spaces and rarely feeling the need to interact with other people.

Instead of an isolated co ...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Claire Caterer rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grade-gems

Here's another time that I wish I could grant three and a half stars. I love the writing in this book--so evocative, so smooth, so confident and professional. I love Roo as a character; she's unique, she's tough, she's independent. The story is wonderful, too.

But.

The cover of the book calls it "inspired by The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)." But I'm afraid that's the problem I have with it. It's not "inspired by" Burnett's story; it's a retelling of her story. I expected to read a stor ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Dest rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-group-worthy, friendship, tween, middle-grade, death

For thoughts on this being "inspired by The Secret Garden" see my review of The Secret Garden.

Things I will remember about this book: the ship flying through the trees, violent waves crashing together to make a calm surface, putting your ear to ground to listen for life, the way Ellen Potter's narrator talks to the reader at the very beginning and end of the story. ...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Shannon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012

Loved this book. It needs to be receiving more attention than it is currently! I was a big fan of The Secret Garden, and this book was spot on in language, tone, and pacing. Roo's character was fantastic. ...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Ann rated it liked it

Shelves: upper-elementary

I was sorry Potter "wasted" her writing skills on a story so much like The Secret Garden.
She has some magical and interesting ideas here, I just wish the base of the story was more
original. ...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Laurel rated it it was amazing

I had to hold off reading this for months, because I've been at work on my own Secret Garden tribute (in a sense--though very different from this) and was afraid to be influenced by Potter. But wow, so glad I finally handed my book in, and so got to read it!

It's a gem of a book-- precise and spare and beautiful, and lonely. But also fun and adventurous. I loved it. It follows the classic pretty closely, but updated, and with some great twists.

It also had echoes of Great Gilly Hopkins in the begi ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Kristin McIlhagga rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade

Lovely tribute to The Secret Garden yet still a beautiful story in it's own right. Lovely writing, particularly of Roo's character. ...more

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Aug 01, 2013 Karen Gibson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013-113-book-project, bluebonnet-13-14

If you are a fan of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, you will love this updated version. ...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Michele rated it liked it

Shelves: juvenile-8-12

Beautifully written, but I was disappointed to find that it was not so much "inspired" by The Secret Garden as a rewrite of the exact same plot! I expected a few homages to the original story, but at times it felt like the dialogue was even the same. I think I would want my daughter to read The Secret Garden before reading this. ...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Kristine rated it liked it

Shelves: childrens-chapter, mock-newbery, kids-lit

Inspired by "the Secret Garden". I very close re-telling, actually. The first third of the book took me a while to figure out where we were located? Britain? US? Britain? The middle part had me wrapped up in the mystery and characterizations - I really liked Roo and Jack. The last third was so fast and ties up quickly and neatly it left me a little disappointed. Some really great moments of setting, though. Some great writing. ...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Lola rated it liked it

I really loved the character of Roo, such great spunk!

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Jan 20, 2012 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: mg-chapter, book-club-possibility, plot

I loved SLOB and sort of liked The Kneebone Boy, so I was really curious to know how The Humming Room would rate. Verdict - really, really liked it! Some great symbolism and good to look at characters changing over time. And a really nice "ladder" to possibly trying The Secret Garden. ...more

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