The Secret Garden

About:

At 10 years of age, Mary Lennox has grown up neglected and unloved to wealthy British parents in India. Cared for primarily by native servants, Mary became demanding, self-centered, and frequently ill because of lack of care. After the sudden death of her parents and the fleeing of the household servants, Mary is discovered abandoned in her home by British soldiers.

Mary is soon sent to live with her reclusive uncle Archibald Craven in Yorkshire, England. Although Mary arrives with a dislike of everything and everyone around her, her temperament begins to improve, and she hears of a secret garden from her maid. Driven by curiosity, Mary becomes determined to find the garden; and over time, befriends the gardener, a friendly robin, and a friendly boy named Dickon. Mary soon recruits a knowledgeable Dickon in helping her restore the secret garden.

But Mary’s new home holds more secrets than just the garden. One of which Mary stumbles upon when investigating crying she heard in the night. Mary discovers that more than the once-hidden garden needs help healing in the Yorkshire Moors.

Author: Burnett, Frances Eliza Hodgson
Date Published: 1911 (after magazine serialization Nov. 1910 – Aug. 1911)
Publisher: William Heinemann (UK), Frederick A. Stokes (USA)
Illustrator: Robinson, Charles H. (UK), & Kirk, M. L. (USA)
Public Domain: YES