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Ghosts and Other Hauntings #1
King Death's Garden: A Ghost's Story
Maurice's family has left for the Middle East: Maurice: asthmatic, plagued by allergies, self-centred, impossible semi-invalid, is sent to live with his great aunt in Brighton, and becomes fascinated by the eerie and romantic old cemetery next door. Asthmatic, plagued by allergies, isolated from the real world around him, he discovers he can enjoy a kind of time travel in there. He dreams of scientific glory, once he's worked out how to control this "scientific phenomenon". But the sights that Maurice sees have been stolen from other eyes; his thrilling experiences of the past are not his own. And the real owners are getting restless. It's dangerous to pick the flowers that grow in King Death's Garden, but despite some alarming warnings, Maurice, who doesn't believe in ghosts, just can't stay away.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
28 people want to read
About the author
Ann Halam
38 books35 followersAnn Halam is a pseudonym of Gwyneth Jones.
As well as being a children’s author, Ann Halam writes adult science fiction and fantasy books as the popular and prizewinning author Gwyneth Jones. Her most recent titles for Wendy Lamb Books are Dr. Franklin’s Island, Taylor Five, and Siberia. She lives in Brighton, England.
As well as being a children’s author, Ann Halam writes adult science fiction and fantasy books as the popular and prizewinning author Gwyneth Jones. Her most recent titles for Wendy Lamb Books are Dr. Franklin’s Island, Taylor Five, and Siberia. She lives in Brighton, England.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 13, 2022
The genius of this is that it takes a fairly unlikeable and closed-minded character and generates empathy for him. The POV is very unreliable and it's done well. There's some low-level ableism and some dangerous misconceptions about asthma that are problematic, as an adult I was able to read past them but for kids that's not ideal.
The relationship between Maurice and Moth is great, in many ways they are two of a kind and his choice later in the book highlights this. His non-relationships with others are also done well. I love that the "normal boy" doesn't even have a name and Jasmin is an interesting part of the plot especially when contrasted with Moth.
I would have liked more warmth, more about the aunt and slightly more ending but at the same time brevity really is the soul of wit and this was very readable, I kept wanting to know "what's next" without being able to predict because it's an original plot.
The relationship between Maurice and Moth is great, in many ways they are two of a kind and his choice later in the book highlights this. His non-relationships with others are also done well. I love that the "normal boy" doesn't even have a name and Jasmin is an interesting part of the plot especially when contrasted with Moth.
I would have liked more warmth, more about the aunt and slightly more ending but at the same time brevity really is the soul of wit and this was very readable, I kept wanting to know "what's next" without being able to predict because it's an original plot.
October 2, 2014
Ten Second Synopsis:
Maurice discovers that sitting in certain locations in the graveyard adjacent to his Great Aunt's house causes him to be transported to the past. This turns out to be not the best move, health-wise.
I picked this up at the Lifeline Book Fair, being a fan of 80s flimsy paperbacks with mildly ghostish overtones. This was a bit disappointing overall. The writing style is typical of kids' books of the era and the story was interesting enough to stop me from abandoning the book halfway through, but that's about it really.
Maurice, the main character, is reasonably arrogant and not particularly likeable, given that he wants to do everything by himself. He seems concerned about his love interest (a Pakistani girl) being racially abused, but is quite happy to make racial assumptions and be generally rude and dismissive toward his Great Aunt's West African housekeeper. That's indicative of the time in which the book was written, I suppose, but it didn't endear me to Maurice. He does learn a bit of a lesson toward the end, but by that time I had made my mind up about him.
If you are into nostalgic trips into kids' literature of the 80s, this is worth a look, but don't expect to be blown away.
Maurice discovers that sitting in certain locations in the graveyard adjacent to his Great Aunt's house causes him to be transported to the past. This turns out to be not the best move, health-wise.
I picked this up at the Lifeline Book Fair, being a fan of 80s flimsy paperbacks with mildly ghostish overtones. This was a bit disappointing overall. The writing style is typical of kids' books of the era and the story was interesting enough to stop me from abandoning the book halfway through, but that's about it really.
Maurice, the main character, is reasonably arrogant and not particularly likeable, given that he wants to do everything by himself. He seems concerned about his love interest (a Pakistani girl) being racially abused, but is quite happy to make racial assumptions and be generally rude and dismissive toward his Great Aunt's West African housekeeper. That's indicative of the time in which the book was written, I suppose, but it didn't endear me to Maurice. He does learn a bit of a lesson toward the end, but by that time I had made my mind up about him.
If you are into nostalgic trips into kids' literature of the 80s, this is worth a look, but don't expect to be blown away.
June 14, 2019
What a strange thing this is - it toys with a sort of ghost story, but really feels like an Algernon Blackwood or Arthur Machen story filtered through the ghost stories of Walter de la Mere.
It starts as a story of an acutely familiar (to me) asthmatic, possibly aspergillosis, antisocial and introverted boy staying with a distant relative but slowly, strangely unfurls into a time travel/ supernatural story with more than a few hints of The White People. It has a few stabs at social realism but those are, thankfully, only to ground the hero in a familiar world.
By the time it all comes together it’s a little opaque and vague in a way that an adult might enjoy more than children, but it genuinely has a weird tang to it unlike any other book I can remember of this kind. I also appreciated it name checking Doctor Who whilst also - weirdly - featuring some weeping angel statues that suddenly, inexplicably move when the hero isn’t looking
Huh
It starts as a story of an acutely familiar (to me) asthmatic, possibly aspergillosis, antisocial and introverted boy staying with a distant relative but slowly, strangely unfurls into a time travel/ supernatural story with more than a few hints of The White People. It has a few stabs at social realism but those are, thankfully, only to ground the hero in a familiar world.
By the time it all comes together it’s a little opaque and vague in a way that an adult might enjoy more than children, but it genuinely has a weird tang to it unlike any other book I can remember of this kind. I also appreciated it name checking Doctor Who whilst also - weirdly - featuring some weeping angel statues that suddenly, inexplicably move when the hero isn’t looking
Huh
July 16, 2024
I think the other reviewers have summarized this sufficiently, so I'll just add that it feels quite dated in terms of a white male child's relationship to other ethnicities (sneering at the black housekeeper with her broken English and demeaning career; wanting to hurl racist insults at the object of his affections when rejected, etc.). BUT IF YOU CAN OVERLOOK THAT (and you probably should, if you want to enjoy vintage literature today), this is a nicely weird one with ghoulish undertones (both living and dead - Maurice is flawed and unlikeable) and is nicely set in Brighton, with historical underpinnings.
There's a solid theme of a victim-mentality in Maurice that is in turn bullying and dismissive, but also much empathy for all the characters and their unique challenges. I liked this paragraph about Maurice's severe allergies:
I found my copy for a pittance on WOB - this one is fairly easy to find on the secondhand market, still (multiple editions exist). :)
There's a solid theme of a victim-mentality in Maurice that is in turn bullying and dismissive, but also much empathy for all the characters and their unique challenges. I liked this paragraph about Maurice's severe allergies:
Maurice never looked forward to the summer. It was a bad time of year for allergies. Not only was he allergic to strong sunlight itself, but a single insect bite could swell up violently and send him to bed. He went about with his sleeves buttoned down and his collar buttoned up to his chin, and his face plastered with sunscreen. He hated going to the sea because he was always so white and usually covered in some ghastly leprosy - should he dare to undress. He couldn't eat any of the famous summer things. Strawberries and cream produced weals in half an hour. And when he refused the adults said "Poor Maurice", but he knew they were secretly annoyed. Even his own parents, who should know better.I've voted this onto the "Goth Babies and Kids" list (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...) as well as "Freaks and Geeks, Beautiful Weirdos, Outsiders and Oddballs" (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...) because I think Maurice might just be relatable to the right reader.
I found my copy for a pittance on WOB - this one is fairly easy to find on the secondhand market, still (multiple editions exist). :)
February 18, 2020
Kids book about Brighton & Preston Cemetery. Was ok, quite creepy (read at night lol), but only 126 pages.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews