Elspeth Lorraine

Welcome to my first double feature book review! It was too hard to choose between these two jazzy books so I didn’t. While both books are similar in having girl protagonists that enjoy unconventional gardening, the themes are actually a bit different…

Prunella is unexpectedly born with a purple thumb, unlike her parents who are master gardeners with green thumbs. Her tastes run to macabre plants like bladderwort and cobra lilies, things that are prickly and sharp. And speaking of prickly, Prunella becomes just that when no one seems to understand her garden. Or her. As she grows inward, the reader may remember feelings of being different or having interests no one else cares about. I remember being very interested in washing wash cloths in the blow up pool under our carport and all my friends being very bored by this. Don’t tell me I haven’t experienced adversity! But back to Prunella. All of this changes when a young boy named Oliver shows up and wants to learn more about her and her plants. He brings his sister and eventually a lot of other plant minded people. Prunella finds her tribe and we revel in her joy. 

Millie Fleur and her mother move to a new town where every house is identical. Except her new house. It’s a bit run down, (and maybe even a lil spooky?) but Millie and her mother get her seeds out and she begins to plant. Her plants are deemed weird and poisonous by the town’s garden club, and some community members protest and demand she stop gardening anything but roses and the typical flowers. But Millie and her mother stay strong and continue to cultivate their version of beauty. Soon the youth’s gardening club comes by and end up loving Millie’s garden. They host a seed swap and many of Millie’s flowers get planted in the once identical gardens of the town. The town is transformed and becomes a one of a kind town. 

Bits and Pieces: Both books have their illustrations done digitally, and both are very very different! Millie Fleur’s socks were a highlight. And her backmatter was well researched and very cool to learn about. Oooo also her frog was an excellent sidekick. You don’t often find that in frog based companionship. Prunella’s short bob had a lot of personality and her end papers were a good read. Her parents were truly master gardeners because her home, greenhouse and yard were all stunning. I was a wee bit jealous. 

Not Sure About: It was interesting to see how all the parents let their children deal with their problems rather than solve them for them. Most parents I know are ready to jump in at the first sign of trouble. No comment on how I feel about that. 

Favorite Part: I love the way the parents in both books stand up for their children and allow them to be who they are, rather than conforming to what others think they should be. 

My favorite line in Prunella was “Prunella’s parents were a little concerned, but they had given her strong roots and knew she would blossom as soon as she was ready.” Le sigh. How lovely to be seen and believed in by those who have known you longest. I also loved how Prunella brought her venus fly trap to school and fed it lunch in the cafeteria. 

There’s a lovely spread in Millie Fleur where she is tending to her “Fanged Fairy Moss” and “Tentacled Tansy” and I happened to be listening to Camille Saint-Saëns at the time and it was the most peaceful moment of the week. Millie Fleur is a mindfulness queen! Just a girl, taking care of the earth and being alone with her own thoughts. My favorite line in Millie Fleur was next to a picture of a man looking at her garden with his nose in the air saying, ‘“It’s odd.” said a man in a rather common sport coat.”’ I love that Christy is bringing back hilarious insults like “common”. 

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