The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Publisher: many
Publication date: 1910/1911
ISBN: many
Source: audio download from library
When Mary Lennox is sent to England to live with her uncle, she finds everything is very different than what it was in India. She has no servants to wait on her hand and foot and no one cares if she is lonely or sad. When she discovers a secret garden, she finds an outlet for her anger and begins to transform just as the plants do from winter to spring. She also helps her cousin, Colin, to change from a sickly, weak and spoiled little boy to a strong healthy one.
Things I Liked:
I'd forgotten just how magical this book was. My husband and I listened to it on a road trip and it really is delightful. Even my husband laughed and enjoyed the story. We especially loved the accents and voices that Josephine Bailey used (top notch, really, she was great). The story sucks you in and the magic of the secret garden seems so real. I loved listening again to how Mary changed and then helped to change Colin and he helped to change his father. A beautiful story of growing up and the magic of nature. Seriously, I felt so nostalgic listening to this, remembering adoring this story when I was younger. I can't wait until I have kids I can introduce to this story for the first time.
Things I Didn't Like:
Not much I can think of. A great story that still has remarkable appeal for kids today (and adults, apparently).
Read-alikes:
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
And really a hundred other classic children's stories, simply for nostalgia
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: none
Overall rating: *****
What's a book you loved as a child that you still love as an adult?
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