MILLIE FLEUR SAVES THE NIGHT, by Christy Mandin, Orchard Books, July 1, 2025, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 4-8)
A girl helps her town embrace the dark and all the joys it brings in Millie Fleur Saves the Night, the follow-up to Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden, by Christy Mandin.
Garden Glen was afraid of the dark.
Each night when the sun went down, all the lights in town turned on. The houses shone like the noon sun. Every house except for Millie Fleur La Fae’s, of course.
Millie Fleur knows there are enchanting things that can only be glimpsed in the dark. But ever since she moved to Garden Glen, her nighttime friends are nowhere to be found.
Determined to welcome the dark back to town, Millie Fleur bakes delicious moon pies and plants a sweet-smelling moon garden. But before the nighttime creatures will return, Millie Fleur must convince the townspeople to be brave and turn out the lights. —Synopsis provided by Orchard Books
In Millie Fleur Saves the Night readers find their favorite gardener struggling to help her moon garden grow. Once she eliminates the light, though, her plants and night creatures begin to flourish. It’s only when her neighbors experience the dark for themselves that they discover the beauty that comes without the light.
Millie is a charming character that not only thinks differently, but isn’t afraid to share her ideas. As anyone who has ever visited a dark sky park can tell you, it’s when you turn off the lights that magic happens.
Author/illustrator Christy Mandin’s text has a conversational, straight-forward feel. And her story is fantastic. But it’s her illustrations that take the book over the top. Here, her use of color and light is exceptional.
Millie Fleur Saves the Night is a book about facing and overcoming fears and finding pleasure in the most unexpected of places. This book is a delight.
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