Customer Reviews

Lost Flower Children

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I read this book last night, having merely picked it up to see if my daughter would like it. I couldn't put it down. The style is so gentle, and much like the books I read in my own childhood, rather than those stories which feel so forced to demonstrate how cool they are in order to interest today's children. I imagine many very normal girls will be very interested by the excellent style of the writer, by the story of the flower fairies which takes place in a summer garden, and by the genuine love and emotion which is generated by the interaction between the main characters.

The story is about two sisters whose mother has just died. The older one is able to admit to herself how lonely she feels for her mother. Yet she is also able to sacrifice her own need to grieve in order to care for her younger sister whose response to loss has been to obey rigid self-imposed routines and to contol her life in a way her mother's death would bely, by keeping outsiders strictly out of her life. The girls spend a summer with an elderly aunt and pursue an old mystery they read about in one of the books in the aunt's ancient home. Much of the action is spent in a wildly unkempt but magical and charming garden, and the girls' journey from grief to a more peaceful acceptance of their loss is a somewhat magical journey. The story gives a very positive role to the elderly aunt whose home they spend the summer visiting, and also paints a beautiful picture of sisterly support and love.

It's an absolute treasure of a book and I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this fanciful, dreamy, and yet extremely "down to earth" story at least as much or more than Taylor's Newbury Honor book, Afternoon of the Elves, and felt this one deserved a similar honor. As usual, Taylor does a superb job of towing the line between reality and fantasy, lacing ordinary experiences with little hints of magic that seem so natural and believable that it makes you think twice. Satomi Ichikawa's wistful sketches also provide a perfect compliment to the text. This is a charming book for lovers of gardens or of fairy tales, for imaginative young adults, and for people of all ages who still want to believe in a bit of magic.

This is a fine story for middle readers, readers of fantasy, those who like family stories... Janet Taylor Lisle's latest story blends fantasy and reality in this story of coping with death and loss. The characters are wonderfully crafted; Ms. Lisle's use of language is superb, and the story moves along quickly. Readers hardly notice the movement from reality to fantasy and back, as the story progresses from two little girls mourning their mother and missing their father to a story of girls who have a mission...finding the "lost flower children"...to the little girls who accomplish this mission, getting to know their "Great Aunt Minty" along the way. The surprise at the end fits, and the reader says, "I should have guessed" and then..."maybe I'm not really so sure"...

In The Lost Flower Children, A mystery is unravelled when 2 unexpecting children are sent to there Aunt Miny's house. When the kids read the story too many things look familiar in the pictures. Follow through this mysterious mystery and be suprised! I reccomend this to people between the ages of 8-12.

I enjoyed this story very much. I hope to get my own child to read it. The end of the book leaves you thinking which I think is excellent. A nice shorter story that a child can read rather quickly. Great for summer reading.

In The Lost Flower Children nine year old Olivia lives with her five year old sister, Nellie, and her pop.Olivia's mother passed away. Olivia is a very smart girl. She's read many books.Olivia's remembers every thing she's ever read. Her sister say's her brains like a sponge. Olivia's pop is always on the road so this summer he's sending them to Aunt Minty's house. Olivia and Nellie have never heard of their aunt and are not looking forward to the long summer ahead. They will be staying with Aunt Minty until the end of August. Aunt Minty used to be a famous gardener. Now she just gardens around her horse shoe garden. Aunt Minty's house is filled with books. Many of them were from close friends and family who's passed away and left them to her. The books are all over, on book cases in every bedroom, and book shelves on the living room walls. One day Olivia found a book in Aunt Minty's room. She relized the garden in the story sounded alot like the one in Aunt Minty's backyard. Olivia went to go ask her about it and she said the writter used to be popular, but not any more because of his old fashioned language. The guy used to own Aunt Minty'

I think this is a wonderful book and I recommend it to people who like exciting books. My favorite part of the book was when Nelly and Olivia discover the garden book, the teacups and how they find them one by one. I recommend this book to people under the age of 13. Another one of my favorite parts was how the girls made lots of friends.

Beautiful story! I thoroughly enjoyed this work and all the other works of Janet Taylor Lisle. I really hope this book wins the year 2000 Newberry Award or at least be an Honor book!