The Peach Thief

Smith's debut novel is an exceptional example in transmuting the dedicated act of gardening to the nurturing of one's soul. This vivid story of struggle and loss spearheaded by hope is appended with an extensive author's note that touches upon aspects of nineteenth-century England, including horticulture, British India, dialect, and more.

Nuanced, richly atmospheric, and exquisitely written.

Smith’s richly detailed debut, set in 1850s England, centers orphaned preteen Scilla Brown, a workhouse runaway. Drawn by the scent of peaches, Scilla, disguised as a boy, sneaks into the Earl of Havermore’s walled garden, where she is caught and unexpectedly employed as a pot scrubber, a job that provides her with decent food and a soft bed for the first time in her life. Fueled by a growing fascination with gardening, Scilla-now going by Seth-begins to dream of becoming a permanent employee and, eventually, a gardener. Scilla’s secret-jeopardized by her growing breasts, the onset of her menstrual cycle, and her unfamiliar feelings for gardener-in-training Phineas Blake, who takes her under his wing-keeps the tension and drama steady throughout. Scilla’s personal integrity, often hard-won, makes her a sympathetic protagonist, but occasional flashbacks and passing references slowly, yet never fully, reveal aspects of her traumatic past, resulting in gaps that may muddle readers’ understanding of her entire story. An author’s note adds helpful context about English workhouses of the period and includes extensive historical grounding for Smith’s immersive depiction of life in a mid-19th-century English estate and its gardens. All characters read as white except for an India-born adult.

Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission. 

Smith's debut serves up a historical fiction tale not to be missed. Orphaned Scilla Brown had been living in a workhouse in Lancashire, England, in 1850. Tired and desperately hungry, she risks everything to scramble over the wall into the Earl of Havermore's garden to steal a peach. However, she is caught by the head gardener Mr. Layton who mistakes her for a boy. Despite her fears of being sent back to the workhouse or worse, Scilla is offered an option to scrub pots in the garden shed to atone for her transgressions. This transitions into a job working in the earl's beautiful gardens where she continues posing as a boy and develops a close friendship with Phin, who also works there. As the story unfolds, Scilla finds herself in some nail-biting situations while striving to please those she admires, and maybe even loves. Details about gardening, cooking, and cleaning in and around the home and acreage bring the story to life. Secondary characters, such as other boy gardeners and Mr. Layton's housekeeper, Mrs. Nandi, add depth to this touching novel. Notes by the author give further details about English gardens and the workers in them, as well as places that existed in mid-19th century England. VERDICT Hand to fans of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War that Saved My Life and Kate Albus's A Place to Hang the Moon. A first purchase for all libraries.

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.