A review by heathercottledillon
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

4.0

I tried to read this children's classic when I was younger but didn't get through it because it creeped me out: the big, dark house, the moaning throughout the night, and the poor orphan all by herself (but the real reason is that I was a huge wuss). I'm glad I gave it a second chance! This time, I found it charming rather than disturbing. I could just picture the secret garden and the magic that the children saw in it. It reminded me of when I was a kid and had secret places of my own out in the woods. I enjoyed watching Mary's, and later Colin's, transformation. I especially loved the side characters, including Dickon, Martha, their mother, and Ben Weatherstaff. I think the pacing of the story is just right; enough time passes that the changes in the children are believable, but it doesn't drag on too long. I'm not sure that many children today would have the patience to adjust to the old-style language of this book, but I think it's a great pick for older teens or adults who want to remember being carried away with their imaginations when they were younger.