Other editions of book The Secret Garden

After losing her parents, young Mary Lennox is sent from India to live in her uncle's gloomy mansion on the wild English moors. She is lonely and has no one to play with, but one day she learns of a secret garden somewhere in the grounds that no one is allowed to enter. Then Mary uncovers an old key in a flowerbed—and a gust of magic leads her to the hidden door. Slowly she turns the key and enters a world she could never have imagined.

[Children's Fiction (Ages 8-12)][Read by Julie Christie]Renowned actress Julie Christie brings out the magic of this children's classic. When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable looking child ever seen. This self-centered orphan and her pampered, invalid cousin Colin Craven, both deprived of love and attention, find themselves becoming friends. Together, they learn compassion and generosity within the walls of an abandoned magical garden.

“It is the child no one ever saw!” exclaimed the man, turning to his companions. “She has actually been forgotten!” “Why was I forgotten?” Mary said, stamping her foot. “Why does nobody come?” The young man whose name was Barney looked at her very sadly. Mary even thought she saw him wink his eyes as if to wink tears away. “Poor little kid!” he said. “There is nobody left to come.” It was in that strange and sudden way that Mary found out that she had neither father nor mother left; that they had died and been carried away in the night, and that the few native servants who had not died also had left the house as quickly as they could get out of it, none of them even remembering that there was a Missie Sahib. That was why the place was so quiet. It was true that there was no one in the bungalow but herself and the little rustling snake. "Bratty and spoiled Mary Lennox is orphaned when her parents fall victim to a cholera outbreak in India. As a result, Mary becomes the ward of an uncle in England she has never met. As she hesitantly tries to carve a new life for herself at imposing and secluded Misselthwaite Manor, Mary befriends a high-spirited boy named Dickon and investigates a secret garden on the Manor grounds. She also discovers a sickly young cousin, Colin, who has been shut away in a hidden Manor room. Together Mary and Dickon help Colin blossom, and in the process Mary finds her identity and melts the heart of her emotionally distant uncle." -- Publishers Weekly

The Secret Garden (1909) is possibly Frances Hodgson Burnett's most treasured children's novel, a story of miraculous rediscovery of joy and positive life-force magic. Mary Lennox, a bitter and spoiled upper-class child, orphaned in India, is sent back to England to live with her reclusive uncle Mr. Craven at his manor. At first, Mary is "quite contrary" and a scourge of the household, until the gentle magic of the countryside and those who work the earth begins to have its effect on her. Since her uncle is mostly away on travels, Mary begins to run wild, and makes many discoveries on the estate grounds, including a secret walled-off garden that has been locked up and forbidden for anyone to enter. She finds the key by accident when watching the antics of a wild bird, then discovers the hidden door, and starts exploring. But the garden is not the only secret in the household. The crying at night that Mary occasionally hears in the manor belongs to a mysterious young invalid boy Colin, locked away not unlike the garden itself. Spring is coming. Mary and Colin meet, their tempers collide and explode in vital bloom as does the garden, and at last, oh-so many things are brought back to life. A life-affirming, beloved classic for all ages.

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him.

The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's literature. Several stage and film adaptations have been produced. The Secret Garden is the book's central symbol, inspired by Burnett's interest in Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science theories. The secret garden at Misselthwaite Manor is the site of both the near-destruction and the subsequent regeneration of a family. Using the garden motif, Burnett explores the healing power inherent in living things. (H. G. Wells's short story 'The Door in the Wall' described a similarly transforming secret garden.) The story constitutes a struggle between common sense and the accepted wisdom of the day, in which common sense wins. Servants and father are seen to do harm by getting caught up in false ideas that come from the doctor who espouses medical practices of the day, though another doctor does take a different view. The children, by their own observations, strengthened by the common-sense of Dickon's family, break free of the imposed regime and triumph. Mary finds that she has a great fear of the out side world and Colin helps her become more aware of the joy of life as he heals. Another theme is what today might be called 'positive thinking', and belief in its power to bring about psychological and physical healing. Along with this goes a powerful message about the way in which life circumstances affect the formation of personality. Mary, described as 'sour faced' and 'spoilt' becomes more aware of her own personality when confronted with selfishness and tantrums in the boy Colin. Both are very affected by the simple kindness and understanding of Dickon, and his mother, who live a happy family life despite being poor, with the emphasis on fresh air, exercise and being at one with nature, as well as kind to other people.

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.But Missalthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic wil work wonders on him.From the Trade Paperback edition.