Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson

Abstract

Reviewed by: Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson Danica Ronquillo Thomson, Pari Greenwild: The World Behind the Door; illus. by Elisa Paganelli and Alan Baker. Farrar, 2023 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374391379 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780374391386 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 5-8 Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown receives the grim news that her renowned traveling journalist mother went missing while uncovering a story at the Amazon rainforests—Daisy, however, believes she is still out there. After running away from her strict London boarding school, she finds a secret door that reveals Greenwild, an enchanted world where Botanists rescue endangered plants with the use of “green magic.” While spending her time in the town of Mallowmarsh, Daisy learns that her mother is a Greenwild Botanist, and that someone from Grayside, the human world, is threatening the livelihood of Botanists by making them disappear one by one and destroying Greenwild. The start of a dazzling series about a girl’s determination to find her mother, Thomson’s debut blooms with gorgeous wildlife descriptions that shape Greenwild’s world-building and its diverse inhabitants. Daisy is bright and resourceful, and she copes with her loneliness and fears by sharing sentimental stories about traveling with her mother to her new friends, like the animal-loving Indigo and the brilliant Prof. The dialogue adds energy and nuance as Daisy builds up courage to protect a world that feels like the only true home she’s ever known, putting herself at great risk to start a rescue mission. Fans of The Secret Garden will find clear nods to that book, while aspiring young explorers will happily spend time in this emotionally gripping adventure. Includes illustrations and a map of Mallowmarsh. [End Page 341] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois