Spending time with her cousin Imogen is the last thing Fran wants to do while her parents are away on business. The last time Fran stayed
with her uncle and aunt, Imogen was bossy, rude and altogether unfriendly. Fran decides to pretend to have a school project to work on while she is staying with them – to avoid Imogen.
But Imogen suddenly isn’t the problem. In fact, according to Fran’s uncle and aunt, they’ve even never heard of her. How can they forget they had a daughter?
Feeling very confused and then having a run-in with the lady next door, Fran just wants to go home. But when she finds someone else who might remember Imogen, Fran becomes curious about the mystery, and digs deeper.
Something very strange is going on in the little town, and the neighbour’s garden seems to be at the centre of it all. Why is no-one allowed in there, and why do the local kids even avoid it?
Does it have something to do with the neighbour herself, or the wild rambling garden?
A tale of mystery, enchantment, missing children and loss, The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good is eerie but fun.
Short chapters with a clear font effortlessly pull readers into a story within a story – first told with chapters swapping between the present with Fran looking for her cousin Imogen, and a story of a loving family hundreds of years before who built and lived in the grand mansion next door.
The further you read, the viewpoint changes between Fran and her cousin, showing readers connections between disappearances, spells and wishes from the past.
Tension rises as a ‘ticking clock’ scenario builds, and children must do anything they can to save other children.
An entertaining and satisfying read.
Author – Kirsty Applebaum
Age – 9+
Find more creepy reads here
(2025, Nosy Crow, Family, Mystery, Courage, Bullies, Fantasy, Secret, Secret Garden, Cousins, Missing Children, Enchantment, Story within a story, Toxic friendships, Determination, Cooperation, Team work, Grand Mansion, Hidden Garden, Folklore)