What are the odds I would pick up this sweet tale that begins with a quarantine while I’m in the middle of a quarantine myself? In any case, it was a delightful, quick read, and to my surprise an adaptation of a children’s classic that I’ll have to check out at some point. ( )

Real Rating: 3.75* of five

I confess I remember the novel this comic book...sorry, graphic adaptation...is based on very poorly. It was something I read from the Leona Doss Elementary School diary in 1970 or so. It was sold to me as a time-travel story, so I was down...then I read it and it was all soppy and sweet. Yuck.

So now that I'm fifty years older, what did I think of the read? It's fine. I'm less averse to soppiness and sentiment. I'm not all that enamoured of Edith's illustrations, to be frank. They're pleasant, that's really the best thing I can find to say about them.

That's pretty typical. I'm not blown away.

So reading a comic book (standard disclaimer) still isn't the go-to amusement for me. It's fine, I'm not sorry I reacquainted myself with the story and honestly it's probably all to the good that I didn't re-attempt the original. The days ahead number ever fewer and spending them pursuing middling memories of moderately unhappy times? No thanks. Y'all go on ahead into this wooded area of fancy-schmancy comics, I'll be back here on the croquet lawn of tree books or up yonder at the entertainment center of ebooks. ( )

This is an excellent adaptation of a middle grade book I used to love to read to our kids. Tom's Midnight Garden is the story of young Tom, who is forced to stay at relatives' when his brother Peter get the measles. Boredom turns to wonder when the grandfather clock strikes 13, and Tom goes out the back door, to find a wonderful garden that doesn't exist during the day. Has he time-traveled? While he comes upon children and adults, they can't see him - until a girl his age named Hatty does. They become fast friends and playmates, although time seems to run differently for the two of them. The original book won the Carnegie, and this adaptation is well-done, with the reader drawn into the enchantment of the garden and Tom's friendship with Hatty. The true story of each happily comes to him at the end. ( )