Millie Fleur Saves the Night

by Christy Mandin, Christy Mandin (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

First it was poisonous plants, now it's the creatures of the night, Millie Fleur is a connoisseur of the misunderstood and young readers will find such joy in her fresh perspective.

Wednesday Addams meets The Night Gardener in the sequel to The New York Times bestselling Millie Fleur's Poison Garden. A delightfully peculiar story about embracing the magic of the night.

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.

Millie Fleur Saves the Night is a delightfully peculiar story that encourages readers to find beauty in the darkness. A gorgeous companion to The New York Times bestseller Millie Fleur's Poison Garden, perfect for fans of The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781339023373
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Christy Mandin is the author and illustrator of multiple picture books. She’s grown many interesting plants in her garden over the years but, so far, none with teeth or tentacles. She currently lives in Georgia with her husband and four children. Visit Christy online at christymandin.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Millie Fleur's Saves the Night:

"This warm and pleasant bedtime tale will reassure kids frightened of the dark. Mandin makes a strong case that nighttime should be savored; her work will spark a sense of wonder about natural phenomena not evident during the day. ...Nighttime comes alive here." —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Millie Fleur's Poison Garden:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

AN INDIE BESTSELLER

AN INDIE NEXT PICK

"This dare-to-be-different picture book blends beautifully with the kids-to-the-rescue story... leaves readers with much to think about." — Shelf Awareness, starred review

"A girl plants a fantastical idea... This charming, low-key tale celebrates those who unabashedly find unconventional things exciting... No poison here; just a garden of delights about someone who improves things in a unique fashion." — Kirkus Reviews

"The sign at the entrance to Garden Glen boasts 'a picture-perfect place,' a phrase that hints at the neighborhood’s stifling conformity. But young Millie Fleur — who’s vaguely reminiscent of Wednesday Addams in Mandin’s measured, sepia-toned digital illustrations — changes all that when she and her mother move into a lone, decrepit gothic house on the edge of town." — Publishers Weekly

"This charming picture book...pays homage to classic and beloved creeps like those featured in Frankenstein and The Addams Family while simultaneously creating its own... Young readers will leave inspired by Millie's refusal to hide what she loves." — Bookpage

From the Publisher

2025-03-22
The protagonist ofMillie Fleur’s Poison Garden(2024) once more teaches the townspeople a lesson in stepping out of their comfort zones.

The residents of Garden Glen fear the dark and keep their homes illuminated all night. All but Millie Fleur La Fae. She adores darkness and, since moving here, has missed the nocturnal creatures that avoid the lit-up town. “The Dark isn’t scary,” Millie Fleur assures the townspeople. “You just need to get to know her.” Together, Millie Fleur and the Dark, a hulking being with glowing eyes standing by the forest’s edge, lead the night creatures to her moon garden, where plants burst with delicious aromas that waft through town. Bearing lanterns, the enchanted young neighbors follow their noses to the garden, where Millie Fleur advises them to extinguish their lights. Plants with quirky names like Forty-winks Fern and Snoozing Sugarplum safely light their path. Initially timid, the kids soon discover that the Dark offers new and rewarding experiences. Thereafter, Garden Glen’s lights dim, moon gardens flourish, night creatures settle in, and the town embraces darkness. This warm and pleasant bedtime tale will reassure kids frightened of the dark. Mandin makes a strong case that nighttime should be savored; her work will spark a sense of wonder about natural phenomena not evident during the day. The digital illustrations—set, unsurprisingly, against mostly blue backgrounds—are lovely, infused with a sweetly gothic sensibility. Millie and her mom are pale-skinned; the neighbors are racially diverse.

Nighttime comes alive here. (author’s note about real-life night creatures)(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews