The Peach Thief

Gr 4-8–Smith’s debut serves up a historical fiction tale not to be missed. Orphaned Scilla Brown had been living in a workhouse in Lancashire, England, in 1850. Tired and desperately hungry, she risks everything to scramble over the wall into the Earl of Havermore’s garden to steal a peach. However, she is caught by the head gardener Mr. Layton who mistakes her for a boy. Despite her fears of being sent back to the workhouse or worse, Scilla is offered an option to scrub pots in the garden shed to atone for her transgressions. This transitions into a job working in the earl’s beautiful gardens where she continues posing as a boy and develops a close friendship with Phin, who also works there. As the story unfolds, Scilla finds herself in some nail-biting situations while striving to please those she admires, and maybe even loves. Details about gardening, cooking, and cleaning in and around the home and acreage bring the story to life. Secondary characters, such as other boy gardeners and Mr. Layton’s housekeeper, Mrs. Nandi, add depth to this touching novel. Notes by the author give further details about English gardens and the workers in them, as well as places that existed in mid-19th century England.