I Am Reading: The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum

09 October 2025

The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum 👉

I'm always delighted to pick up a book by Kirsty Applebaum, whether it be the weird world of The Middler, a fable like The Life And Times of Lonnie Quick, or moving sci-fi like TrooFriend. Now we have a cautionary tale of magic, with secret gardens, adults acting strangely, and a reminder to be careful what you wish for…

Fran dreads a holiday of being dumped with her aunt and uncle and her rude and unfriendly cousin Imogen. But when she gets there, Imogen is gone. Weirder still, no one even remembers her!

As Fran tries to work out what's going on, she soon realises it has something to do with Imogen's friend, Bex, and a hidden garden at the back of Stillness Hall. Why is everyone so scared of this garden, and who are the twelve statues that occupy it? By the time she learns the truth, it may be too late…

This is a classic tale of magic gone wrong, and as we follow Fran's adventures we learn about the history of Stillness Hall and the tragedy at its heart. But what really brings the book to life is Imogen herself. Applebaum does a brilliant job here. Imogen is, in many ways, quite unlikeable, but when we step into her head and see how she sees the world, the scenery shifts a bit. And the descriptions of Imogen's time spent trapped by magic (and its effect on her even when she escapes) are really well done, genuinely skin-crawling but still within a middle-grade level.

It's beautifully written, of course, in short chapters that pull the reader along and give it great momentum. There are scary moments and heart-thumping scares, but it's the characters of Fran, Bex and Imogen that brings it to life.

Creepy in all the best ways, it gets under your skin and keeps you turning pages well past your bedtime!

Many thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me a copy of this book.

Find out more and buy The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good here 👉