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Home > Categories > Books > Kids - Middle > The Green Kingdom review
Twelve-year-old Caspia hates big cities, especially New York. So, she isn't thrilled by the news that her parents are taking her to Brooklyn for the whole summer.
But everything changes when Caspia discovers a bundle of letters, written by a blind girl many years ago, and hidden in an old chest of drawers. Each letter contains a 'green' riddle, with clues leading to a different plant.
Caspia sets out to solve the riddles and, as she does, she meets friends she could never have imagined and finds, to her surprise, that sometimes you can put down roots where you least expect it.
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Review by: mizim (Miriam)
Dated: 23rd of March, 2025
I've read a lot of middle fiction, and whilst most of it is fantasy and sci-fi, every now and then I delve into something more life based, as The Green Kingdom is. I was expecting a pre-teen full of angst and drama at having to be in a different city during their holidays and the drama that comes with that and instead read what must be one of the most chill books I have ever read!
Caspia finds a bunch of old letters and starts reading them. Each one contains a riddle, where the answer is a different plant, sent years ago by a young blind woman to her sister, who would then stitch the answer and send it off. There's no time constraints, no rushing too and fro, just a leisurely adventure where she makes new friends, tries new things and finds the answer to each plant (some nice and easy, some a little more challenging). In fact, the biggest 'drama' comes from Caspia's concern that if she tells her parents she found the letters, they will make her return the letters before she can finish reading and solving them all.
As Caspia seeks out the answers, she discovers that a summer holiday away from her friends and home isn't as bad as she thought it would be and that it is OK to put down roots, even if just for a short time. This book was a refreshing change of pace from all the books where friends fight, parents hamper or grownups treat the kids like they're stupid. Seriously, if you want a nice, relaxing read, grab a copy, cozy up in a comfy chair and enjoy figuring out what plants are in each riddle (and learn a new fact or two too).
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
