So I had fun reading this! It's like one of those crazy monster movies you watch on DVD with 2-headed sharks or giant tarantulas or other far out impossible things. You know the type. You watch it for fun thrills. Well this book is just like that but its with plants. And these plants are blood thirsty and nasty! The characters just kept getting into tons of dangerous situations over and over. New things popped up too. And just when you thought they had things under control, nope, something else happens! Totally fun! Das Buch richtet sich an Kinder ab 10 Jahre, das würde ich so absolut unterstreichen und bietet neben den abenteuerlichen, magischen und blumigen Dingen eben auch wichtige Denkanstöße. The characters are very unique and varied, too. Each of the characters' growth throughout the story is interesting. Und das trifft auf alle Fälle zu! Denn im Buch „Agatha Merkwürdens Racheblumen“ von Nicola Skinner ist rund um die junge Melissa jede Menge los! Melissa's Heimatstadt ist betongrau und ordentlich. Für alles gibt es Regeln und Melissa ist sozusagen ein Ass darin all diese Regeln zu befolgen. Doch es kommt wie es kommen muss, das letzte grüne Plätzchen soll ebenfalls einbetoniert werden und dann tauchen plötzlich diese eigenwilligen Blumensamen auf... Melissa hört plötzlich Stimmen und der Drang die seltsamen Blumensamen auszusähen wird immer größer! Doch diese suchen sich ihren ganz eigenen Weg und schon ist man mittendrin in einer abenteuerlichen, magischen und humorvollen Geschichte die zeigt, wie wichtig Pflanzen und das grün um uns herum ist. Sie zeigt, wie lobenswert es ist Regeln zu befolgen und wie wichtig es dennoch ist für sich selbst einzustehen und dafür eben auch mal Regeln zu brechen. I read this at the end of April. With the pandemic, I found myself recognizing similarities between what was happening around me and what was happening in the book. Those moments where disaster slowly unfolds around the world felt acutely stressful. And it’s in the little things as well – a headline that references the economy shrinking as unnatural allergies hit workers, a character buying extra canned goods just in case…

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre, témoignage bouleversant d'une rencontre extraordinaire avec un ange tombé du ciel et qui un jour va retrouver ses ailes ! I also found Seth and Anaya’s so wholesome. I will be displeased if it turns into romance. (And if there is a love triangle – lord help me.) I appreciated the portrayal of Seth as a kid living in foster care. It breaks the mold you often see of foster kids in middle grade. Another beautiful part of the book is the photographs. The author, Sam's husband Cameron, is a professional photographer and his photographs are a testament to the love and relationship the family holds with Penguin. The curse was quite interesting and while it brought chaos (more on that later), it also brought unity and a chance for a better future. The plot is complex, filled with messages about the importance of green spaces, not building on the green belt land we have, the power of corporations, and the damage they can do. On a more individual level, there is an exploration of friendship, and its importance, and how it has to be nurtured to survive. Diversity is also a theme, as is the importance of family, however, it exists.It’s about learning to see and to love what is in front of us, and how that seeing and loving helps us bloom.

Though botany is one of my least favorite and unessential things to know (in my life) I liked the educational content of the novel. Oppel has definitely done his research and brought it to the table unless he is just naturally a plant whizz. I also like how he writes very matter of factly w/o down washing terms of crises. He writes realistically about these issues even though it is a fictional thriller.Our story takes place on a small island, and our main focus is three younger characters who are somewhat isolated from their peers. We have fostered Seth, Anaya who is allergic to everything and Petra who is allergic to water. We are not quite sure what unites these three at first, but when the rain comes we start to get little clues that there might be more going on than we might have ever dreamed of. Edit 25/8/2021) Following requests, I have also added a Powerpoint for each of the 32 lessons that totals over 200 slides for those that do not use SMART Notebook.) So as you can see good and not so goods! Normally with such a balanced good/not so good I would have rated it a bit lower (more like a 3 star), but the writing style (and the translation) was just so nice and it just flowed well. I just couldn't stop reading, had to know what would happen to the seeds, and then had to find out how it all would end. It is definitely a book one cannot put down once they start, and that is why I am rating it higher. I would definitely recommend it to all in need for a fun book about magic, friendship, and tons and tons of nature, oh and a couple of baddies to conquer and show them that they were wrong. One day, a really strong downpour happens and Anaya has a feeling that she can actually get wet by this water and that it might heal her conditions....and it is true. She collects that water and begins to apply it to her face daily and her acne begins to vanish. When reports from surrounding farms come in about weird plants taking over, it does not take long for this invasion to take place globally.

Cool, Mum!' I said, squeezing her hand. 'If she's thinking about it, that's a good thing, isn't it?'

When I first carried her over the threshold, it had been one of the happiest days of our lives. But this time around, carrying Sam from the car to our front door was one of the saddest occasions you could possibly imagine. pg. 60 However, this honestly didn’t deliver. It was disappointingly obvious as to what was happening, and quite basic to be honest. If you’ve ever read a sci-fi or mystery before, you could probably guess where this is going. These details, which I really love – were added by Robyn, but I totally agree with them, and this links with question no 4. There was once a beautiful flower… i read this at what i felt was an appropriate pace, and i could and did put it down, so now i'm worried that i may be a grouch. how can you tell when you've crossed over?