Monday, December 16, 2013

The Secret Garden

The story ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodges Burnett, is about a young girl who goes through some major life changes and along the way learns how to change herself as well. The author wanted the message to be that when you go through tough times you can come out stronger and better than you were before. A good friend always helps too just like the main character and her friend grew up and thought each other to care for other people than themselves.

The main character Mary, a young girl who has grown up unloved with uninterested parents (who end up passing away from the disease going around India), is sent off to live with a distant Uncle named Mr. Craven, who is mysterious, grumpy, and a hermit. He lives in a 200 year old castle in rural England. Mary has always been spoiled rotten and a huge baby, so when she moves to England it’s shocking people aren’t acting like her slave. This is good for Mary because it forces her to grow up. One day while Mary was exploring the castle, which is strictly forbidden by her uncle, she hears the crying of a child. Curious, Mary follows the strange crying throughout the castle and comes across another boy. This boy is Mary’s cousin who she had no idea even existed. Colin is just as rude and unloved as Mary was. Colin in convinced he is crippled and sick so he has never walked, stepped outside, or lived any kind of life a kid should have! Colin and Mary form a great friendship and they discover a Secret Garden. As their friendship grows they work more and more on this garden that is their secret hideout. It’s really neat to see how the characters change throughout this book! You can start off hating a character and by the end of the book they are a whole new person.
   
I would suggest this book maybe to a young girl because I think girls would be more interested in this story because of princesses, castles, and typical girl things. I think I might have been a little bit too old to read it, but it’s still a great story. I think this is one that is considered a classic and every kid, girl or boy, should read it at some point in their life! One of the things I also liked is that even though the story takes place a long time ago, it isn’t written in old English so it makes it a lot easier to read without getting frustrated or uninterested. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and would suggest it to anyone who asks me!



Book Review by Allie K.

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