Already established as a successful author of wildlife books for young children, Theresa Radcliffe's 1998 Garden of Shadows moves her into the young teenage market. This is a beautifully visualised, compellingly told Gothic tale of young love set in Italy. Dr Gambietti's unfeeling research into the therapeutic and toxic effects of poisonous plants has led him to virtually destroy the lives first of his wife, their housekeeper and when the story begins his teenage son, Guiseppe. Taken away from his mother at birth, Guiseppe has been used as his father's guinea pig. The mild and gentle youth's breath and touch is now fatally poisonous to all living creatures. When the lovely young Lucia comes to the gloomy old house in Padua she and Guiseppe fall in love. Little do they know that she too has been drawn into the evil doctor's poisonous web. Combining the clarity of outline and dreamlike simplicity of fairy tale with the realistic portrayal of its leading characters, Garden of Shadows will appeal to imaginative young readers of 9 to 14. -- by Tamsin Palmer

 

There are 160 pages in this book. This book was published 1998 by Penguin Books Ltd .

Theresa Radcliffe is a former primary school teacher. She has written several series of educational books and other successful wildlife picture books. Theresa lives in North Humberside. John Butler is a part-time lecturer in graphic design and illustration as well as a freelance illustrator. He lives in Kent.