Module 9: The Humming Room

a.       Roo Fanshaw is a little girl who grew up in the neglect of her father and his girlfriend. She is not very well taken care of from what the reader can tell, and is used to making herself invisible. The story starts off in an awkward way, rambling about the dirt and crystalline figures that are hidden along with her underneath the trailer. It appears that Roo has a very keen sense of hearing that allows her to listen to the earth. It is very strange.  She is quiet as a mouse and waits for the people who trample through her trailer to leave. She successfully hides after hearing her father get murdered. She would not have been found if it weren’t for her nosy, but well-meaning neighbor who tells the police where she is hidden. It turns out that she has a very well off family member that she never knew about who will take care of her. She is shipped off to this tiny island called Cough Rock Island where she is given a room, clothes and strict instructions to not bother her uncle. This island is very mysterious and is rumored to be haunted by the late wife her uncle as well as appearances from a “Faigne”. Roo is very curious and observes everything around her, including its noises and creaks. She begins to wonder about some strange noises she keeps hearing and decides to explore. Everything is very mysterious in her new home because it turns out it was a hospital for very sick children where many of them died. In one of her expeditions, she winds up inside a very dirty sort of garden that has been abandoned. She decided to work on it and make it come alive again. Another mystery is a very distinct crying that she hears. She follows it one night and discovers a little boy in a room with the servant. She is trying to console him but he is a real brat to her. Roo finds out that he is her cousin and is not allowed to be near him. His bratty ways and her disregard for rules make it possible for them to keep each other company. She runs into the Faigne who turns out to be an independent boy who lives along the river. Roo shares her secret garden with him, and later her cousin. Together, they make the garden bloom. Roo is able to understand the earth and listens to its hum. She is connected to it in a way that is similar to her late aunt. Her cousin falls ill, or rather he has a serious tantrum, that his doctor decides to send him away. Since his father doesn’t know what to do with him, he agrees. Roo is so upset that she hides in the garden, where she is discovered by her uncle. He is initially outraged, since he closed it off, but he sees that his son really missed his mother and needs his attention. The garden becomes a tribute rather than a reminder of her death.

b.      Potter, B. (2012). The humming room. Fewel and Friends:New York.

c.        I enjoyed reading this book because it was different. Although it was a tribute to The Secret Garden, it was still a story in its own right. The author adds a mystical element by giving Roo this connection to the earth and nature. Her story is tragic but not similar to the original. Her cousin is still a pain to deal with but she usually gets her own way anyway. I like the overall tone of mystery added to this book. I remember reading The Secret Garden but the level of mystery was not the same. I was more scared and anxious to find out what happened next in this creepy hospital setting. The author’s use of sensory language added to the suspense of finding the garden or discovering her cousin. Overall, I think this tribute was great and interesting to recommend in the future.

d.      In a resonant novel inspired by The Secret Garden, Potter (The Kneebone Boy) pays graceful tribute to the spirit of that classic. The author borrows plot elements effectively, yet her strong characterizations, fluid dialogue, and evocative descriptions give the novel a vibrant life of its own. After Roo's drug dealer father is killed, the 12-year-old girl goes to live with her aloof, widowed uncle in a rambling former tuberculosis sanitarium on the island of Cough Rock in the St. Lawrence River. Roo is a loner who hides to avoid others and often puts her ear to the soil, listening to the sounds of life underground. Other noises--mysterious humming and crying--lead Roo to twin discoveries: Emmett, a cousin she didn't know existed, and a domed, dried-up garden in a remote part of the house. Potter lavishes attention on the gothic island setting and Roo's uncle's estate; it's a thrilling ghost story, but one that, like the story it's drawn from, has love and rebirth at its heart. Ages 9-12. Agent: Alice Tasman, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (Feb.)

e.       I would have the students read the book, then create drawing for their version of Cough Rock Island. Each reader is different and visualizes things in their own way so this would be interesting to see.