THE SECRET GARDEN
BY FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT
PUBLISHED: 1911
AVERAGE RATING: 4.10
331 PAGES
READ: NOVEMBER 17TH - NOVEMBER 23RD 2015
★★★★☆
When I saw that this book was available in the e-library, my heart almost skipped a beat. I'd completely forgotten about this book, but in a split of a second I remembered the nights when my mom read it to me when I was little. I remembered that even when we finished reading and I was supposed to go to sleep, I could just lay there and imagine how beautiful and wonderful this garden was, and I wanted to be there so badly. After reading it again, about 16 years later or so, I still wish I could be there.

“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done--then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.” 

The secret garden is written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and was first published in 1911. It's considered a classic, and a lot of painting books is based on it. It's a beautiful story with lots of morals and definitely what I consider a good and "healthy" book for a child to read.

Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too. But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him.

“Two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way - or always to have it.”

Although it's a child's book, this was a really beautiful book to read now as I'm 21 years old as well. It's an easy read, and it kind of puts you to peace. It's so easy to imagine the wonderful wind blowing in your hair as you run up the hills and then walk in to this amazing garden to spend hours just breathing the fresh air and smelling the flowers. I read this during my exams and it was the nicest breaks I could have had. Also, the characters here are really beautiful, and the character development is both astonishing and exciting to read about, and also gives a valid lesson of how children's logic work, and what's healthy for a child and what's not. And how "bad children" often are bad because they've never learned anything else. It's just a book that gives me hope and makes my heart warm inside.

If you're looking for a perfect book to give to a child, this is it. And, if you're looking for a nice break from your stressful daily life, this is also it.