The Secret Garden

Orphaned by a cholera outbreak, young Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire. Sad and lonely, Mary is left to explore the house and the grounds alone, one day finding the secret garden that becomes her salvation. Aided by her friend Dickon and the kindly gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, Mary returns the garden to its former glory, helps her cousin, Colin, recover his health, and brings joy back into the life of her uncle.

One of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s most popular novels, The Secret Garden was originally published as a serial starting in fall 1910 in The American Magazine. Ahead of its time in many respects, The Secret Garden championed good health coming from healthy food, physical exercise, and a positive attitude. It continues to be a beloved childhood classic, and has been adapted multiple times for the screen and stage.

HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

Orphaned by a cholera outbreak, young Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire. Sad and lonely, Mary is left to explore the house and the grounds alone, one day finding the secret garden that becomes her salvation. Aided by her friend Dickon and the kindly gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, Mary returns the garden to its former glory, helps her cousin, Colin, recover his health, and brings joy back into the life of her uncle.

One of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s most popular novels, The Secret Garden was originally published as a serial starting in fall 1910 in The American Magazine. Ahead of its time in many respects, The Secret Garden championed good health coming from healthy food, physical exercise, and a positive attitude. It continues to be a beloved childhood classic, and has been adapted multiple times for the screen and stage.

HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.