The Strange Disappearance Of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum

Okay, but what happens neeeeeext?!

That is less a complaint than a plea for Kirsty Applebaum to keep writing more books about the garden at the heart of The Strange Disappearance Of Imogen Good. The book itself opens with Imogen about to sneak into a forbidden garden, in hopes of ditching her once best friend Bex Baxter. The point of view in the next chapter switches over to Imogen’s cousin Fran, whose parents need to attend an important conference in a last ditch attempt to save their business. Her Uncle Pete and Aunty Liz are thrilled to have her come stay for six days, but Fran is bracing herself for the reception of her cousin Imogen, who is about her age. Imogen is neat and bossy in a way that chafes at Fran’s more chaotic nature. She’s honestly the main reason Fran doesn’t want to visit, much less stay at, the Stillness Estate.

She’s thus shocked when Imogen is nowhere to be found. More bewilderingly, everyone is acting like Imogen never existed, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. At first, Fran is tearful, thinking that everyone is just playing a cruel prank on her. The more she learns of Stillness Estate and the strange garden at its heart tho, the more she begins to wonder if maybe people aren’t pretending, and if something more sinister lies at the heart of Imogen’s disappearance and erasure.

Interspersed with this mystery are the contents of a notebook detailing the sad story of Stillness Estate, and the curse that’s befallen the secluded garden. I’m trying to stay spoiler-free, but if you really don’t want any spoilers, you should stop reading here. What I’m going to discuss next is only a mild spoiler, but don’t say you weren’t warned.

The part that really elevated this book above other tales of curse-breaking is how Ms Applebaum dealt with the aftermath of Imogen’s return. The girls’ courage in seeking to end the curse despite knowing full well the cost of failure was so gallant, especially given the insight we had as to Imogen’s personality. The subtle way in which the author showed us how Imogen isn’t a villain, and how the girls eventually learned to not only cooperate but get along, was honestly really neat.

The legend around the estate was also well done, with the layers of mystery unfurling as the girls investigated. The only thing I wish I knew is what the girls do next! Hopefully, that will be the subject of a future book, even as I very much recommend this one to any reader who enjoys quality middle grade fiction.

The Strange Disappearance Of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum was published May 5 2026 by Nosy Crow and is available from all good booksellers, including