Module 9: Humming Room -

Book Summary:

Roo Franshaw has to go live with her Uncle after her parents are murdered and she is hiding under their trailer house. Her uncle, who is her father's brother, lives on Cough Rock Island  in a semi-remodeled old tuberculosis children's sanitarium. Roo likes to be by herself and find places to hide away from the world and think.  The house has many old ghost stories and tales that Roo wants to learn more about.  She hears humming but she is unable to locate the source.  She begins to make friends and learns more about the house as she explores the grounds.  She discovers a hidden and abandoned garden and begins the task of restoring the garden.  Roo has a connection to the earth and growing things and she likes to listen for the sounds that the earth makes when you listen carefully.  She discovers that she has a cousin, Phillip, who is suffering from grief and depression after the loss of his mother.  Roo continues to tend the garden and even helps her Uncle overcome his own grief and self-blame of losing his beloved wife in the garden.

APA Reference:

Potter, H. (2012). The humming room. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Imoressions:

This was a fun read and it was fun to compare the plot line to The Secret Garden.  The parents are not murdered, but die of fever, which is the reason Mary had to go and live with her uncle.  The twist of living in an old children's hospital was a fun twist to the story and I like how the author wove in mystery and mythical themes to add new flavor to a classic tale.  I think that Francis Burnett would be flattered that her story was used as a foundation for The Humming Room.  I hope that this book will bring readers back to the classic story of The Secret Garden. There are many students who have not read or even heard this story so it would be great if both books could be read together, maybe sitting in a beautiful garden.

Professional Review:

Roo, 12, witnesses her parents' murder and survives by hiding beneath the family's trailer home. A rather unlikable child, she's a thief and she bites. She is put in foster care, where she is teased mercilessly by the other children, until a relative can be found. Then a previously unknown uncle turns up. He is wealthy and reclusive and lives on an island. He travels a great deal, so he sends his assistant to fetch Roo. On the train ride to Maine, Ms. Valentine lays down the rules about Roo's new house, and the child immediately sets about breaking every one of them. She discovers a secret box underneath some floorboards. She hears a mysterious humming noise. She notices that a good portion of the home, which used to be a sanatorium for children, is boarded up. And, she wonders about a mysterious, homeless boy she notices on a nearby island. Soon, she's noticing other mysteries and inconsistencies and makes a big discovery, which she keeps a secret. Sound vaguely familiar? The cover states that the book was inspired by The Secret Garden. It so parallels its predecessor that it's really a modernized retelling that works on many levels--but not on others. It's shorter and more streamlined and quite suspenseful. Yet, could a child be so easily hidden away nowadays? Fans of the classic will delight in the similarities and differences. Readers who might be intimidated by the original will find Potter's telling more accessible.

Kahn, B. (20112). The humming room. School Library Journal, 58(5), 116.


Library Uses: 

This book could be used to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the Humming Room and the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Students could also design and create their own gardens or green spaces.