Ellen Potter

Twelve-year-old orphan Roo Fanshaw is sent to live with an uncle she has never met in a largely uninhabited mansion on Cough Rock Island and discovers a wild river boy, an invalid cousin and the mysteries of a hidden garden.

The Humming Room

Melissa Palmer

Book #69 Read in 2012
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (YA)

This book was inspired by the classic book, The Secret Garden. Roo's parents are murdered and she is sent to live with her uncle, whom she has never met before. Roo is exploring her surroundings when she hears humming. She tries to locate the source but cannot. She does, however, find a garden that has been so neglected that it is almost dead. She vows to bring it back to life. Shortly after discovering the garden, she meets Phillip, her cousin, who is the mysterious hummer. He is basically trapped in his room and is trying to grapple with his mother's death. Roo decides that bringing the garden back to life will invigorate Phillip as well.

This was a quick read. Roo is an interesting character--she is tough yet caring. She says she is better with animals than people. She connects though with her cousin Phillip, more than she believes she is capable of doing. There are good secondary characters in this book such as Violet, Jack and Phillip. The plot can be a little slow as not much happens on an action level in this short book; the action is more psychological in nature as you see Roo and Phillip change. The book has an element of mystery and ghost story to it which will interest a certain type of reader. 

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The Humming Room

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