The Peach Thief

Smith, Linda Joan. The Peach Thief
March 4, 2025 by Candlewick Press

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

In 1850, Scilla Brown is living in the workhouse because her parents have died. She sneaks into the earl's gardens at Bolton Hall because she is starving and hopes to find a peach, but she is caught and thrown into a shed by Mr. McQuaig. He tells her the damage that has been done to the plants by her unsuccessful escape, and she offers to do work to make up for it. Since McQuaig thinks she is a boy, she gives him the name of Seth and gets hired to wash plan pots. She is fed more than she would be at the workhouse, and the bed is softer and warmer, so even though Deacon and Phin, two other boys who work there, are mean to her, she decides to stay. She seems to have won the favor of her coworkers, and when she gets a look into the garden, she is enthralled and determined to stay, even though the rules for workers are fairly harsh, like being fined five pence for being late. Under the watchful eye of Mr. Layton, the gardener, she learns to repot plants and to water them, and is allowed to stay in exchange for just room and board. She learns a lot about plants, although things don't always go well, especially when a winter storm damages a lot of the property. She has a crush on Phin, who of course is more interested in scullery maids, including a friend of hers from the Workhouse, Emily. When Prince Albert is expected to visit the hall, there are many plans to be made, and Scilla has to find a way to live the life she wants while navigating it as a boy... which is an increasingly difficult thing to pull off. 

Strengths: This was reminiscent of reading a long-lost work of France Hodgson Burnett, like a companion to The Secret Garden. The research on the clothing, farming practices, and language of the time is well done. There is one character, Mrs. Nandi, who is from India. Since opportunities for young girls were limited at this period in history, it is not surprising that Scilla took advantage of a rare opportunity to pretend to be a boy. Scilla has an interest in STEM topics long before science topics were thought of in those terms, and the information about plants and horticulture will interest young gardeners. 
Weaknesses:While I applaud the use of language from the 1850s, young readers might struggle with terms like ninnyhammer, hopshackled, Lorjus, gawby, meddling fussock, and tatter-clout. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are extremely fond of historical fiction and enjoyed titles where children are struggling in the past, like Parry's Last of the Name or Hilmo's Cinnamon Moon.