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Original poster

Anyone have a copy of 'Toms Midnight Garden' handy?

19 replies

Mirage · 14/09/2004 18:44

I am taking part in a literary quiz which gives the 1st line of a book & I have to name the book & author.

I have got 8 out of 10 so far but can't find a copy of this book to check.

Does anyone have a copy about that they could check for me?

Thanks
Mirage

OP posts:
auntyquated · 14/09/2004 18:48

If, standing alone on the back doorstep, Tom allowed himself to weep tears, they were tears of anger.

Cadbury · 14/09/2004 18:48

Hangh on. I'll just fish it out ....

BadHair · 14/09/2004 18:50

I think its something about standing on the back door step crying as he had to leave his friend behind and couldn't build a tree house. Does that help?

auntyquated · 14/09/2004 18:50

have you got 9 now or was it wrong???

iy was actually just by my PC as we are going to see it in Manchester in a couple of weeks time. have abandones the idea of reading it to DD and DS as it is too difficult, so hope the production is easy to follow

Cadbury · 14/09/2004 18:50

Just as well you beat me to it Aunty, I just remembered we boxed up all my childrens books from my teaching days and hid them behind the fridge under the stairs!!!

BadHair · 14/09/2004 18:50

Oh yes auntyquated, that's the one!

auntyquated · 14/09/2004 18:51

well remembered BH

could you briefly outline the story for me? i have no recollection at all and could do with knowing the basic story (see below)

bakedpotato · 14/09/2004 19:16

it's about a boy called tom who goes to stay with his uncle and aunt for the summer because his little brother is ill. they live in a flat in a house with no garden and he's deeply bored. one night he wakes up and finds that at night the house goes back in time, to edwardian times, when a little girl called hattie lived there and the garden was massive. he's invisible to everyone but her.
turns out hattie is the old lady who lives in another flat in the house, and he has stepped into her dreams...
there's a great bit about skating to ely
it's brilliant, in case you hadn't guessed
author is phillipa pearce
i'm going to read it again tonight,for first time in 15 years or so, thanks for the reminder

SoupDragon · 14/09/2004 19:19

Doesn't the garden appear when the clock strikes 13 or something?

Turquoise · 14/09/2004 19:21

It's a wonderful story, one of the all time greats.

bakedpotato · 14/09/2004 19:24

oh yes, that's right about the clock striking 13. i remembered that but then wasn't sure if i was confusing it with '1984'

yoyo · 14/09/2004 19:55

This is one of my daughter's favourites. There is an excellent audiotape available (the BBC radio collection) and it has served us well on many a car journey. We've also seen a fairly amateur production but both my daughters, then aged 4 and 6, were completely spellbound. For a long time their toys were named Hattie, Barty and Tom.

A wonderful story..."Time no longer"

auntyquated · 14/09/2004 19:55

sorry i disappeared for bedtime.
thanks for the story. i do hope the show is good. october 2nd we go

Original poster
Mirage · 14/09/2004 21:21

auntyquated you are an absolute star.That's it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can remember the book as I loved it,but don't know what happened to my copy.I am itching to reread it now.

Only one more to get now.The 1st line is'The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village'.I have no idea which book this is from at all.

OP posts:
Turquoise · 14/09/2004 21:35

Are they all children's books Mirage? Any other clues?

Original poster
Mirage · 14/09/2004 21:47

Turquoise,they are 'popular books' could be childrens or adults.The last one could be anything couldn't it?

I was convinced that it was 'Lark Rise to Candleford',but that was a village standing on a slight rise,not a house.Its infuriating.

Oh poo! Just looked at the quiz sheet & there is another one I haven't got. 'This is a story from a long time ago'

Perhaps inspiration will visit me whilst I am watching The Sopranos?

OP posts:
Turquoise · 14/09/2004 22:06

Damn, Lark Rise is what I was thinking too. They both sound familiar...

tamum · 14/09/2004 22:11

If you cheat and put the line in quotation marks into google you can often find the answer quite easily . Think Arthur Dent.....

Original poster
Mirage · 21/09/2004 14:05

Tamum,thanks for your help with that one! Sorry I forgot to say thankyou sooner-I was just SO excited at getting another answer!

I tjink I need to get out more

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