Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this magical edition of The Secret Garden. After losing her parents, young Mary Lennox is sent from India to live in her uncle's gloomy mansion on the wild English moors. She is lonely and has no one to play with, but one day she learns of a secret garden hidden in the grounds that no one is allowed to enter. Then Mary uncovers an old key in a flowerbed – and a gust of magic leads her to the hidden door. Slowly she turns the key and enters a world she could never have imagined. With a heart-warming introduction by Sophie Dahl.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format beginning in 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's literature. Several stage and film adaptations have been produced.Mary Lennox is a troubled, sickly, and unloved 10-year-old girl born in India to selfish, wealthy British parents. She is primarily cared for by servants, who pacify her as much as possible to keep her out of her parents' way. She grows into a spoiled and selfish girl. Eventually, there is a cholera epidemic in India which kills Mary's parents and all the servants. Mary is discovered alive but alone in the empty house. She briefly lives with an English clergyman and his family and is then sent to Yorkshire, England, to live with Archibald Craven, an uncle she has never met, at his home called Misselthwaite Manor.

The Secret Garden. Novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett (World's Classics)

The timeless tale of a young, sickly girl who is forced to live with her uncle after tragedy strikes her life. Alone, angry, and confused, the only thing that brings Mary Lennox a glimmer of hope is the story of a mysterious secret garden. Mary Lennox is an orphaned girl with a cold heart and a sour tongue. Accustomed to a privileged life in India, Mary isn’t prepared for the move to her uncle’s grand house on the Yorkshire Moors. But as time goes by, she becomes used to her new surroundings and begins to discover secrets are lurking around every corner. One day, she discovers a secret garden with high walls and a locked gate. Could the garden be the key to softening little Mary’s heart? This gorgeous edition of Frances Hodgson Burnett's children’s novel The Secret Garden is accompanied by Charles Robinson's beautiful illustrations, and was first published in 1912.

The Secret Garden - Illustrated by Charles Robinson

Mary Lennox, a sickly and spoiled little girl, is orphaned to dim prospects in a gloomy English manor. Her only friend is a bed-ridden boy named Colin whose prospects may be dimmer than hers. But when Mary finds the key to a Secret Garden, the magical powers of transformation fall within her reach. The Secret Garden is an inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment.

"The Secret Garden should be on every child's bookshelf."—Amanda Craig, The Time An enchanting story of transformation and compassion, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden is widely considered to be one of the most important works of children’s literature. After her parents die of cholera, Mary Lennox, a difficult and sickly little girl, is brought from India to her mysterious uncle’s sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Mary continues in her self-absorbed ways until one day she discovers a hidden and neglected garden adjoining her uncle’s mansion. When she meets Ben Weatherstaff, a curt but gentle gardener, and discovers her hidden-away invalid cousin, Colin Craven, the three come together to tend the garden, and Mary’s life—as well as the lives of those around her—begins to change in unforeseen ways. This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the text of the first American edition published in 1911. Praise for The Secret Garden “It is only the exceptional author who can write a book about children with sufficient skill, charm, simplicity, and significance to make it acceptable to both young and old. Mrs. Burnett is one of the few thus gifted.”—The New York Times

BeeLit

Beli Labs

Download BeeLit to save reading records and track comprehension over time.

Love reading quizzes?

Getting your quiz ready

No books found

The Secret Garden reading comprehension quiz — free, instant, no sign-up. Pick a book and start now!

BeeLit

The Secret Garden Quiz

Choose a Book