{"product_id":"a-bit-of-earth-isbn-9780063098664","title":"A Bit of Earth","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Destined to be a new classic.” —School Library Journal, (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This story will find its way into your heart.”—Tae Keller, Newbery Medalist for When You Trap a Tiger\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat might happen when a young, overlooked orphan feels the sudden urge to put down roots in the most unexpected of places? This tender coming-of-age story about friendship, family, and new beginnings is a reimagining of the classic The Secret Garden. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home and The Bridge Home. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor as long as she can remember, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives. And it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to “give her a better life” in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNothing in Long Island is what Maria expected. The Claybornes seem unprepared and inexplicable things keep happening in their sprawling house. Could it be magic? Or Maria's overactive imagination? And then Maria finds the locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she’s never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she’d find: a place where she feels at home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold in rich prose interspersed with evocative free verse poetry, this tender yet incisive reimagining of The Secret Garden will captivate fans of the classic—and widen the appeal for a modern audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As timeless as it is timely, A Bit of Earth is a rare gift.”—Laurel Snyder, author of National Book Award nominee Orphan Island\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Extraordinary, poetic, and inventive. A Bit of Earth is such a special book.”—Jasmine Warga, author of Newbery Honor book Other Words for Home\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaria has never had a place to call her own. But in the overgrown paths of a forgotten garden, she might just find one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Modern Classic Retelling:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover a heartfelt reimagining of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/i\u003e, where a prickly, overlooked orphan named Maria Latif finds a locked gate and a chance to put down roots.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHeartfelt Story of Healing:\u003c\/b\u003e A powerful story about navigating grief, discovering the family you choose, and finding a place where you truly belong.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSouth Asian Heroine:\u003c\/b\u003e Follow Maria as she's shipped from Pakistan to a new life on Long Island, carrying the memories of her family and culture with her.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLyrical Prose and Poetry:\u003c\/b\u003e Told in a unique mix of rich prose and evocative free verse that brings Maria’s inner world to life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“A sweet and warm-hearted tale with unforgettable characters.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAisha Saeed, bestselling author of Amal Unbound\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An ambitious re-envisioning of a long beloved classic, this book is sure to be a big hit.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePadma Venkatraman, award winning author of The Bridge Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Karuna Riazi has a way with words. In this deft reimagining of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden, \u003c\/em\u003eshe blends lyrical prose and poetry, crafts a heartfelt plot, and develops characters you want to root for. This story will find its way into your heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTae Keller, winner of the Newbery Medal for When You Trap a Tiger\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Riazi has not just reimagined \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/em\u003e. In a delicate blend of poetry and prose, she's also crafted a wide-open window into the heart of every 'unlikable' child who ever lived. I recognized the main character immediately--adrift and hardened, messy and hurt and realer than real--and loved her on every page of this book. As timeless as it is timely, \u003cem\u003eA Bit of Earth\u003c\/em\u003e is a rare gift.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLaurel Snyder, author of National Book Award nominee Orphan Island\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Karuna Riazi has taken the seeds of an old story and produced something moving, exquisite, and thoroughly new. Readers will root for Maria, whose spirit is both fiery and tender; she leapt off the page and into my heart. Quietly magical and powerfully real, \u003cem\u003eA Bit of Earth\u003c\/em\u003e gorgeously captures the uncertainty and delight of coming of age—new friendships, the longing to fit in and find family, and the richness of recognizing all the possibilities for a full and rich life. A soul-filling treasure!” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOlugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Operation Sisterhood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A contemporary re-envisioning of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/em\u003e . . . Found family is a central theme as Maria struggles to find a place she can truly call home. . . . Her Desi identity is represented authentically via foods, scents, clothing\/dupatta, prayers, and mehndi, and the . . . hybrid prose\/verse format provides a narrative that feels genuine, raw, and allows readers into the minds of the characters. . . . Destined to be a new classic, this refreshing of the canon is long overdue.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Beautiful! Simply beautiful! My heart needed this gorgeous and modern re-imagining of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/em\u003e!\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEllen Oh, author of Finding Junie Kim\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Extraordinary, poetic, and inventive. \u003cem\u003eA Bit of Earth\u003c\/em\u003e is such a special book. Prickles and all, Maria Latif captured my whole heart.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJasmine Warga, author of Newbery Honor book Other Words for Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A contemporary, multicultural rendition of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel, \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/em\u003e. . . .Riazi flavors her rendition with heavy doses of cultural references, nostalgic trappings of the people and practices that Maria left behind and then learns anew in the Bangladeshi diaspora on Long Island. . . . A nice difference from \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/em\u003e is the presence of a larger sense of community and adults who are held accountable for their actions. Mary had Colin and Ben (and the robin), but Maria gains quite a gaggle of friends and family.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Roots, both tangible and intangible, come together in this coming-of-age story. . . . This retelling of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden \u003c\/em\u003eoffers an interesting twist on the classic’s colonial, racist tone. It opens with promise as the evocative text highlights Maria’s grief, isolation, and resignation at being cast adrift. Each character has their own story arc that is explored even as Maria finds ways of becoming her own person. . . . This book tackling hefty themes will grow on readers.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A foreboding feeling permeates this mystery-driven novel, a \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Garden\u003c\/em\u003e retelling. . . . Chapters alternate experiential free-verse poetry with a third-person narrative as Maria excavates the garden’s past and her own isolation in this thoughtful, emotionally honest take on the source material.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eA Bit of Earth\u003c\/em\u003e embodies its titles perfectly. Here is a book that offers a place for readers to bury their fears into and see what beauty unfurls from the space. Riazi's prose is concise and lyrical, and Maria Latif is the prickly bud that astounds everyone when she's finally given the opportunity to bloom.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRoshani Chokshi, New York Times–bestselling of Aru Shah and the End of Time\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greenwillow Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890385973477,"sku":"NP9780063098664","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063098664.jpg?v=1730233165","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/a-bit-of-earth-isbn-9780063098664","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}