I really appreciated the overall tone of the story. It was an enjoyable read that was whimsical, fun, and engaging. I found myself wondering what the plants were through the riddles before I would read on to get the answer. Great book for readers who enjoy riddles, plants, and epistolary novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, DK Children, and Cornelia Funke for the opportunity to read The Green Kingdom in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun and charming middle grade read—I finished it in just a couple of hours and thoroughly enjoyed it. I grew up reading Inkheart, so I requested this out of pure nostalgia, and I’m so glad I did. Cornelia Funke’s storytelling still has that special magic.

Caspia was an absolutely adorable protagonist. I loved following her journey as she solved riddles, made new friends, and found a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar place. The story had just the right mix of whimsy, adventure, and heart—perfect for younger readers.

A delightful, quick read that reminds me why I fell in love with Funke’s books in the first place.

Cornelia Funke has written such an eclectic list of books-Dragon Rider, Ghosthunters series, The Thief Lord, Igraine the Brave, to name a few-and now a realistic fiction novel for those who love plants, riddles, friendship stories, and/or books with moving as a theme. THE GREEN KINGDOM begins with 12 year old Caspia finding out that her dad’s work is sending him to Brooklyn, NY from their home in Maine for 3 months and she and her mom are going with him. Leaving her two best friends behind has Caspia pretty certain that this will be the worst summer ever and with its embroidered pillows and flowered wallpaper, the apartment they are renting doesn’t help much. But when she discovers a bundle of letters between two sisters with plant riddles in them, Caspia sets out to identify and then find each flowering plant which leads to her meeting an Indonesian woman who runs a spice shop, a young woman who works in her aunt’s bookish flower store and a boy name Ado whose father works at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Shy Caspia finds her voice and learns that she can put down roots in a new home and then blend the two when she returns to Maine.

Such great characters coming together over their love of plants in this book! Caspia’s mother was wonderful with all her efforts to use all of the riddle plants in her adventurous cooking while attending as many cooking classes as possible so she can turn all her creative recipes into a cookbooks. Mrs Wahid’s spice shop sounded like a a quirky shop with its ceiling high shelves and all those drawers and nooks plus a finicky dog to boot. And who wouldn’t want to visit a flower shop that uses books new and old as part of the displays? Funke’s worksmithing skills brings all of these people and places to life in a way that will thrill the soul of any ELA teacher and make every reader certain they all really exist.

Highly recommended for libraries serving grades 4-6 with high circulation in realistic fiction. The relatively low page count of 225 pages will make this Text in the arc is free of violence and sexual content and only one “damn” (totally unnecessary and I have no clue why it was included and hope it’s not in the final copy). Funke’s characters are from diverse backgrounds and reflect the mix of cultures present not only in Brooklyn but everywhere.

Exactly the heartwarming coming of age story you would expect from Cornelia Funke. The book is emotional, reflective and tells its story well through the lens of magical realism.

Twelve-year-old Caspia is dreading a summer in Brooklyn when her dad is temporarily relocated for work. However, she quickly begins to plant roots in Brooklyn when she finds a stack of letters containing 10 plant riddles. These riddles send her to a local spice shop, an unusual florist, and the botanical garden where she meets one charming New Yorker after another. Her parents and friends are drawn into the riddles as she makes more and more connections.

Readers will enjoy trying to figure out the plant riddles before the solutions are revealed, and this story will be beloved by those who love idyllic, cozy stories if they don't get too hung up on plausibility. However, for me, the title and cover were the big weakness: at first glance, this novel is another Funke fantasy, and fantasies are not popular in my middle grade library. I would have to booktalk this one to convince my non-fantasy readers -- and to keep from disappointing those who love the 9 fantasy novels by Funke on my classroom shelves.

Caspia is upset when her parents tell her they are going to spend the summer in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is so different from her home in rural Maine, and she will be away from her friends. How will she enjoy her summer?

In the house they are renting, Caspia finds old letters with riddles about plants. Maybe this summer won't be so awful after all.

For those who delight in plants--and those who don't--this book is a warm-hearted romp through a summer filled with challenges, friendships, and more. It explores themes of identity, belonging, home, friendship, and interest in the natural world.

I am inspired to do plant riddles with my nephews this summer, as well as spend more time explore my new state. I think that I too am starting to put down roots.

When twelve-year-old Caspia's father takes a job in Brooklyn for the summer, she's sure that life is over. Whatever could she possibly find to do in the city away from friends for 10 weeks? Far away from her home in Maine, Caspia resigns herself to making do until school starts again. But then one day she finds a bundle of letters with "green" riddles, riddles designed to lead her to a new plant. As she begins to unravel each mystery, Caspia discovers there are numerous friends to be made and adventures to be had right in the middle of the city.

This book was a fun read, proving that sometimes friendships pop up in unexpected places. There were several things that I liked about this book:

*Caspia does turn her attitude around and draws closer to her parents.
*There's a lot to be learned about the plants highlighted in this book.
*Caspia's friends prove to be a positive influence in her life.

Still, there were a few notes for parents to be aware of:

*There is a budding romance between Caspia and a boy.
*There is mention of same-sex attraction involving one of her friends.
*Talk of witches and spirits
*Caspia's parents tell her that it's sometimes ok to keep secrets from them.

While none of these notes are about major plotlines, some of them may be larger issues for families and should be approached with open conversation.

All in all, I did think there were more positives than negatives in this book, and families could easily enjoy it as a read-aloud or a fun addition to a plant study.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A lovely and cozy read with a strong message of environmentalism and community. I have read other books by Cornelia Funke and was really excited for a new story from her. The cover is beautiful and caught my eye right away. It gives a more magical feeling than the actually story which is like my only complaint. The story stays firmly rooted in the real world but captures the imagination of the reader with the green magic found every day in nature. The main character Caspia was curious and delightful. The little riddles she finds are quite fun and leave the door open to learn more about the plants discovered throughout the story.

I received an early digital copy of this book through NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book from cover to cover! Plants, new friends, riddles, magical adventures, new discoveries... the list goes on and on of all the good things The Green Kingdom has to offer middle grade (and above!) readers. Thank you, NetGalley!

The Green Kingdom by Cornelia Funke is a middle grade fiction about a young girl who finds a bundle of letters containing riddles that lead her to discover plants during her summer in New York. What Caspia expected to be a boring summer turns into an adventure where she finds not only plants, but friends along the way.
I loved the writing. I enjoyed reading the letters and the clues for the plants. It made me want to go on a deep dive to learn more about each plant. I do wish that there was more time between getting the clues and discovering the plant’s identity. It seemed like all Caspia had to do was pull out her phone and google the information, but I guess that’s the world we live in.
This would be a great addition to a library servicing upper elementary or middle school students. I would recommend this to 3rd grade & up.
Thank you to DK Children and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a lovely [children's - middle grade] story about a young girl, a summer in a new city [BROOKLYN!!!!], and some mysterious old letters [found in a beautiful old dresser] and what comes from reading the letters [and from learning her new neighborhood and neighbors], and how making new friends, staying in touch with old friends [who are both excited about the mysteries and very valuable in helping the solving of them], and everyone working together in the mysterious adventure leads to fun, learning, and a very satisfying end.

Sprinkled with gorgeous illustrations [that really add to the overall story], plant, flower, and spice lore, and a story-within-a-story, this was a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Thank you to NetGalley, Cornelia Funke, Tammi Hartung - Ethrobotanist, Melissa Castrilloh - Illustrator, and DK/DK Children for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When her parents drag her to Brooklyn for 11 weeks, Caspia Turkel is anything but happy about the family vacation. While exploring the place, she finds pale-green linen envelopes inside a hand-painted dresser. The letters are from the 1950s and 1960s to a girl named Minna from her sister, Rosalind. Each letter contains a series of riddles about plants. Caspia decides to delve into the “Green Kingdom” scavenger hunt and soon learns a variety of facts about Brooklyn and plants. As she does so, she meets new friends and starts to feel like Brooklyn is home. Will Caspia find a way to make Brooklyn home?

The character-driven plot is well written and engaging. The characters are likable, realistic, and relatable. Hartung’s botanical expertise comes to light and blends well into the story. The setting has an old-fashioned, fun feel. The illustrations are well-done and add a lot of depth to the story. Readers who like realistic fiction, adventure, and learning to adjust to a new town will want to pick this one up. Recommend for library collections where such books are popular. 4 stars, Gr 3 to 7

I was so excited to read a new Cornelia Funke title. Inkheart was my favorite book in middle school, so I instantly picked this one up. Thank you, DK Children for allowing me to read this review copy.

In this delightful and wholesome Middle Grade novel, we meet Caspia; a 12-year-old who finds out she'll be spending her summer in Brooklyn, NY instead of her hometown in Maine. She is forced to leave everything she loves behind, but discovers a secret mystery once she arrives at her new (but temporary) home.

The secret mystery being a set of 10 letters written by Rosalind, a blind girl on a botany expedition with her father. Rosalind wrote these letters for her sister, and included clues for her sister to discover a new plant in the Green Kingdom.

As Caspia reads through each letter, she discovers new plants, friendships, and even a little bit of a first love. But more importantly she discovers that she is able to set roots down in multiple places, and that it's okay to admit that you care about something (or someone) even if you'll eventually have to leave it behind.

I did think the book ended a bit abruptly, and her relationship with Rosalind was slightly unrealistic. But overall, I loved everything about this story. The characters were very likeable, and I am always really happy when a MG title includes healthy parental/child relationships.

I cannot wait to share this with my Cornelia Funke-obsessed students.

I LOVED The Green Kingdom! This is a fantastic middle grade book focusing on a girl who finds a series of plant-based riddles in an NYC apartment that her parents are renting for the summer. The riddles inspire trips around the city and a true love of plants and the natural world. Definitely one that made me stop and appreciate plants while reading!

Thanks to Cornelia Funke, DK, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own!

I enjoyed this book, a quick middle grade read. Caspia and her parents are spending the summer in Brooklyn so dad can work at a construction site while a family member recovers from an accident at said job site. On the first night in their air bnb Caspia finds a stack of letters from the 1950s written by the previous tenants younger sister in a dresser drawer. The letters it turns out hold clues to plants and sends Caspia on a scavenger hunt around Brooklyn where she meets a cast of characters. What she thought was going to be the worst summer ever turned out to be pretty great. I would definitely reread this with my kiddo when he’s a little older.

I adore Cornelia Funke's Dragonrider and Inkheart series, so I was looking forward to this new book. For some reason, I thought the Green Kingdom was going to be some sort of fairy tale or magical realm. Instead, we're in Brooklyn.

Caspia Turkel is going to spend her entire summer in Brookyln, away from her home and her two BFFs, while her dad is on a construction job. She thinks she is going to hate it, especially when their AirBNB is a floral nightmare. Or is it? Caspia finds mysterious letters written to the apartment's former occupant, littered with plant riddles. Curious, she tries to solve the riddles and her mother tries to use whatever the answer is in an interesting culinary dish. Caspia, in turn, makes many friends on her plant adventure and "grows roots" in a place she thought she was eager to leave.

I admit I enjoyed the journey of the letters and mysterious plants, some of which my guesses to were completely wrong. I like thinking of the plant world as "The Green Kingdom" and never considered it much until reading this book. The friendships made in the story are fun.

I docked it one star because the book ended so abruptly I was sure some of it is missing. Maybe it was from the ARC I got. I sure hope it got corrected in the final book.

My thanks to DK Children Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Green Kingdom

By: Cornelia Funke; Tammi Hartung

Publish Date: April 1, 2025

Publisher: Dk/Dk Children

Children’s Fiction

#TheGreenKingdom#NetGalley

200 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Dk Children for allowing me to read and review this Book.

Book Review:

I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. Caspia is a twelve-year-old girl who has to go to Brooklyn for the summer. She really doesn’t want to go and the miss the summer with her two best friends. Once she gets there, she finds ten letters in the bottom dresser drawer and decides to read to them even though she knows she shouldn’t. These letters have five clues to different plants, and she decides to figure out what they are. She ends up having fun and finding new finds. She gets help from her friends back home through text messages.

I like how she figures out the clues because I wasn’t able to. I also enjoyed how she goes out of her comfort zone and meets new people. Her parents are so supportive and encourage her. This is a great family book and something I know young readers will enjoy. It is perfect for the month of April with Earth Day.

4.5/5⭐️

The Green Kingdom is a cozy slice-of-life story in which a girl, Caspia, finds a bright spot in the midst of an unwanted summer trip in the form of mysterious letters containing plant riddles that she gathers friends new and old to solve. As she solves the riddles, she develops a newfound connection to nature and strives to learn more about different plants and start a garden of her own. Her own piece of ‘The Green Kingdom’. A simple story, and yet there’s a magical quality to it. Something about finding real life thriving in a concrete jungle. Brooklyn, it’s people, and it’s treasures appear vividly in my mind with Funke’s writing. Like Caspia, I feel like my head is now full of plants. Despite my previous failed attempts at fostering houseplants, I feel the urge to try again. I also enjoyed the riddles as much as she did, and felt quite proud when I guessed them correctly. If you appreciate the beautiful cover, you’ll be happy to know that there are equally stunning illustrations throughout as well. To sum it up, I would describe this book as ‘peaceful’ but also ‘interactive’. Perfect for when you want a cozy summer story with the warmth of nature’s own magic; plants, friendship, family, and community. As a side note, it would be lovely if a place like Blooms and Books really did exist. Thank you to NetGalley and DK Books for the arc!

Cornelia Funke is an author enjoyed by my children and whenever I discover a new book, I know she will not disappoint. Lets's first talk about that gorgeous color awash in shades of green (nicely partnered with its art complement, red). The cover adds a bit of mystery as the reader wonders about the plants on the cover.

Caspia has mixed feelings about spending the summer in Brooklyn. Her father took a construction job and her mother hopes to finally write a cookbook. And poor Caspia is wondering how she'll survive 12 weeks without her two best friends. They rent a quaint place that looks like it belongs in a different century with floral wallpaper and embroidered items all throughout. While Caspia was [hitting her things into the ancient dresser in her room, she discovered a ribbon-wrapped stack of letters. She was surprised to find out they were written in the 1950's and were a series of riddles about plants ("The Green Kingdom").

Those letters open up a new world to Caspia as she explores Brooklyn in order to solve the riddles. As she frequents various local businesses to find the answers, she also makes friends: young and old, with a variety of backgrounds. The friends she adds are like the varieties of plants in a garden--each with their own beauty and strengths. And each friendship teaches Caspia more about the Green Kingdom and, more importantly, more about herself.

The treasure hunt using plants is a genius way to interest young people in the fascinating history and little-known uses of common plants. I loved how Caspia's mother's love of cooking becomes part of the adventure as she finds recipes using the featured plants (if only the recipes were shared in the book!).

I loved how so many old-fashioned skills were interwoven into the book: gardening, cooking, embroidery, sketching & painting and letter-writing. I can see this book being a fabulous springboard into trying out all of those skills.

I really enjoyed the story and highly recommend with only a couple minor cautions. The topic of same-sex attraction comes up with one of Caspia's friends--felt like an unnecessary detail thrown in. And the other small disappointment was when one of the 12-year-old characters uses a swear word near the end of the book. The character was a very polite and well-behaved boy; it seemed totally out of character to swear, especially in front of Caspia's father (and presented as just normal dialogue). Why throw in one swear word for no apparent reason?

I am a huge advocate of reading aloud to children and in this case, I would definitely suggest doing so. This allows a parent to either talk about the elements mentioned above or edit them out. In the case of swearing, I am THAT parent that skips over cuss words in books--kids hear enough profanity everywhere else and I believe books should elevate the mind, not debase it.

It was truly a magical book in almost every other way. I did feel the book ended rather abruptly--sort of felt like a conversation was cut short. I think readers will feel a bit let down that there isn't more to the story. Perhaps that was to leave open the possibility of a sequel or to allow the reader to speculate on what Caspia's next adventures might be.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The Green Kingdom from DK Children through NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I read an Advanced Reader's Copy on my Kindle and it was bit glitchy, but it looks like the illustrations are going to really add to this book. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a physical copy.

The story is heart-warming. Caspia and her parents spend a summer in Brooklyn, which Caspia is very relunctant to do; she will miss her friends and their summertime rituals in small town Maine. However, Caspia finds a pile of ten letters that include plant riddles which lead her to find many new friends in Brooklyn, and beyond.

I know of a reader who loves plants who will devour this book! Those who are not plant lovers may find a new interest in them as well.