Now in paperback, a charming chapter book that follows a human boy and young Sasquatch as they explore the mysterious woods It's a big day for Hugo, Boone, and the students at the Academy for Curious Squidges. Today's the day they'll get their Bimbling Badge, which allows them to explore the North Woods on their own. But humans, snakes, and sinkholes aren't the only things they have to look out for! The legend of a lizard-like monster lurking in the swamp is enough to spook any young Sasquatch. When Hugo, Boone, and Gigi find themselves stranded in the middle of Ripple Worm River, they discover that there are more mysterious creatures in the North Woods than they'd bargained for.

Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room--a garden with a tragic secret.
Inspired by "The Secret Garden," this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write.

Read the Q&A with Ellen Potter from "Publisher's Weekly" on writing a novel inspired by "The Secret Garden"
By Sally Lodge
Jan 12, 2011

In 2003, Ellen Potter made a lively splash onto the scene with her middle-grade novel Olivia Kidney. She went on to write three sequels about that enchantingly quirky heroine, as well as two other novels, "Slob" and "The Kneebone Boy." Most recently, the author tapped into memories of her own childhood reading to pen "The Humming Room," a novel inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden." Set in a mansion--a former children's tuberculosis sanitarium--on an island in the St. Lawrence River, the story centers on Roo, a prickly orphan who goes to live with her aloof uncle, and befriends Phillip, his troubled son, and Jack, a local boy. Potter talks about how this novel took shape.
Is it safe to assume that "The Secret Garden" was an important book to you as a child?
Obviously, I loved the novel as a kid. What really struck me was that when I went back to read it as an adult, the story not only held up, but I discovered elements in it I had never noticed before. It felt very fresh, and surprisingly layered in a way I hadn't realized as a child.
Was that an unusual reaction for you to have to a book you revisit from your childhood?
Yes, very unusual for me. A lot of times when I go back to books I loved when I was young I don't quite understand what it was that I loved about them. Rereading "The Secret Garden," I felt a lot like Mary feels when she visits her garden. She's always finding something new popping up--something delightful or surprising. I've reread "The Secret Garden" every year as an adult. I have a battered copy on my bookshelf--it's really quite a mess The experience of reading the novel keeps deepening for me.
How did you tackle the actual writing of "The Humming Room"?
The idea of writing a contemporary version of "The Secret Garden" was very exciting to me, yet at the same time it was very, very intimidating. I knew I needed to follow the original story line--or that I wanted to--but I knew I had to make it different enough that it would be worthwhile for people to read my novel. My editor, Jean Feiwel, was great and kept encouraging me to have at it, to go anywhere that I felt I had to go with it.
Did you set parameters for yourself, in terms of working within Burnett's original storyline?
I actually kept trying to swerve away from the original story, but it wasn't easy. There's something about "The Secret Garden" that kept me rooted in the original storyline, which was difficult for me. I don't plot my novels--I move along with my characters. For the first time I had a story already set out for me, which was very challenging.
Would you say that you heard Burnett's voice in your head as you wrote?
Yes. I feel I know "The Secret Garden" so well that I could kind of riff on it like a jazz musician. I know it in my core, and could take the essence and work with that. Still, I love the original novel so much that it was psychologically a very tough book to write. Though I think whenever I finish a book I always say it's the hardest thing I've ever written
You obviously did branch out from the original, with the setting to begin with. Why choose an island on the St. Lawrence?
I went back and forth on the setting, actually. At first I thought of perhaps setting it in New York City, but that didn't work. At the time I began writing the novel I was living in the Thousand Islands, and was spending a lot of time on the St. Lawrence. The river is so very beautiful, and it struck me as similar in some ways to the moor in "The Secret Garden.""
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Similar in what ways?
The St. Lawrence seems a vast expanse of gray, the way the moor is a vast expanse of purple. But if you stop and look closely at the river, it's incredibly changeable and moody--and sometimes violent. But it's always surprising. And it occurred to me that this would be a perfect setting for "The Humming Room." On top of that, there are quite a few mansions in the Thousand Islands with ghost stories attached to them. It's quite incredible.
So that inspired your mansion setting, with mysterious humming noises and an abandoned garden hidden within it?
Yes, and I decided to make the mansion a defunct sanitarium, because I wanted there to be a ghostly presence, an eerie echo, in the house. One of the things I loved in "The Secret Garden," and tried to put in my novel, was that there was a consciousness to everything--the house, the moor, and the garden. They are really characters themselves. In my novel, I wanted to give this same consciousness and self-awareness to the mansion, the river, and the garden, to give them personalities.
How did you set out to make Roo, Jack, and Phillip distinct from--and have a more modern sensibility than--Burnett's characters?
One thing I remember about Mary and Dickon is that there was a

When a tribe of Sasquatches flee from a mysterious curse, they take refuge in Hugo's home, Widdershins Cavern. These new Sasquatches look a bit . . . odd. For example, they all have unicorn horns on their heads! Always open to meeting new creatures, Hugo befriends one of these strange squidges, Nobb. Nobb offers to escort Hugo though the North Woods so that Hugo can attend Boone's birthday party. Having never been inside a Human house, Hugo finds the experience confusing and somewhat disastrous. Just when it looks like Hugo may have ruined Boone's birthday, they set out on a mission to solve the troubling curse in Nobb's cavern.

Hugo is a young Sasquatch. Boone is a young boy. After an unlikely encounter, they've become an even unlikelier pair of best friends. After saving up his Monster Card wrappers, Hugo sends away for a special prize in the mail-a Monster Detector! Using the watchlike device, Hugo quickly spots a monster right in his own cavern. Spooked, Hugo heads to school and finds yet another surprise-his friend Boone! Boone announces he wants to go to Sasquatch school, but no human has ever gone before, and not everyone is as happy about it as Hugo. Boone's first day of school gets off to a rocky start, but Hugo doesn't have much time to worry before he makes another monster sighting and takes off after the creature. What follows are even more surprises, ones that have Hugo and Boone rethinking what it really means to be a "monster."

Book 5 in the charming chapter book series about the adventures of a human boy and a young Sasquatch-now in paperback! Hugo and Boone were having a bad case of Nothing-to-do-itis: They have free time but can't think of a single thing to do! Finally, they decide to head to Uncle Figgy's Toy Store, where they discover the legendary Mad Marvin presenting his new invention: the Marvelous Monster Magnet! The only problem is the toy costs twenty-five nubbins--a huge sum! Hugo and Boone set off on an adventure to earn the money, a journey that leads them to a treasure hunt through the woods. As always, the friends will find much more than they expected!

After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice, the authors joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix personal anecdotes with practical guidance on who to find a voice, develop characters and plot, make revisions, and overcome writer's block. Includes writing prompts. Illustrations.

Hugo is a young Sasquatch who longs for adventure. Boone is young boy who longs to see a Sasquatch. When their worlds collide, they become the unlikeliest pair of best friends. At the Academy for Curious Squidges, Hugo learns all manner of Sneaking-after all, the most important part of being a Sasquatch is staying hidden from humans. But Hugo dreams of roaming free in the Big Wide World rather than staying cooped up in caves. When he has an unexpected run-in with a young human boy, Hugo seizes the opportunity for a grand adventure. Soon, the two team up to search high and low for mythical beasts, like Ogopogos and Snoot-Nosed Gints. Through discovering these new creatures, together, Big Foot and Little Foot explore the ins and outs of each other's very different worlds but learn that, deep down, maybe they're not so different after all.

Move over Junie B. Jones! Get to know Piper Green as she discovers the ordinary magic right outside her front door.

Piper Green is in for another adventure when she finds an unusual whistle hidden inside the Fairy Tree in her front yard. But Piper doesn t want a whistle... she wants a pony! On a trip with her dad to check the family s lobster traps, the whistle attracts the attention of an unexpected friend. Could the fairy whistle working its magic after all?

Life in a small town can be pretty boring when everyone avoids you like the plague. But after their father unwittingly sends them to stay with an aunt who's away on holiday, the Hardscrabble children take off on an adventure that begins in the seedy streets of London and ends in a peculiar sea village where, according to legend, a monstrous half-beast boy roams the woods. . . . In this wickedly dark, unusual, and compelling novel, Ellen Potter masterfully tells the tale of one deliciously strange family and a secret that changes everything.

What is it with olivia and ghosts? No matter where olivia Kidney goes, they follow. even when she and her klutzy handyman father start over in a new brownstone in New york Cityaowned by the mad, bad, and dangerous Ansel ploverathere is no escape from the weirdness that is oliviaas life. their new living room is entirely submerged underwater, and olivia needs a boat to navigate past the bobbing furniture and snapping turtles just to get to her bedroom. Complete strangers show up in the middle of the night to practice bumping into walls! And then, there are the ghosts. the house holds secrets, lots of themaolivia can feel it. why, she wonders, was she invited to live there?

Love Ramona or Judy Moody? Then you definitely need to know Piper Green! The girl with the fairy tree in her backyard returns, and this time the fairies have left her a mysterious pirate patch.

Every year, Piper Green looks forward to a visit from the Sea Star, a community boat that docks at Peek-a-Boo Island and hosts a dinner. And best of all? Piper and the other kids get to serve the meal. Most years, Piper has to settle for being “mashed potato girl.” But this year her mom made dessert, and everyone knows that being Pie Girl is the best role to have. But when a doctor makes a surprising diagnosis, Piper’s dream of being Pie Girl may be in jeopardy. Will a gift from the fairy tree help save the day?

Move over, Junie B. Jones! Piper Green is back in her fourth chapter-book adventure, and it could take her all the way to China. Suitcase? Check. Passport? Check. Magic X-ray vision glasses from the Fairy Tree? Check, check, check!

Piper Green s class is taking a school trip to China well, they re taking a pretend trip, on a pretend airplane. And when all the kids in the class announce they ve been on a plane plenty of times, Piper says she has, too. After all, it s just a pretend trip, right? But when Piper gets chosen to be a flight attendant, her little fib suddenly feels like a very big problem. Could the X-ray vision glasses Piper found in the Fairy Tree help her out?

Following in the fine tradition of spunky girls Ramona, Amber Brown, Judy Moody, Clementine Piper Green is set to make some friends in the early chapter book world.