The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett · 1911
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Orphaned in India and sent to live in a gloomy Yorkshire manor with a hundred locked rooms, sour little Mary Lennox hears crying in the corridors at night, and a friendly robin leads her to a garden that no one has entered for ten years.
A gentle story of grief and healing. Mary's parents die of cholera at the start, but this is told, never shown, and there are no frightening scenes.
Characters
Mary Lennox
A sour, spoiled orphan sent from India to her uncle's lonely Yorkshire manor, where she hunts for a garden locked for ten years.
Colin Craven
A pale, fretful boy hidden away in a great firelit room, sure he is too ill ever to live.
Dickon
Martha's moorland brother, who charms wild creatures with his pipe and knows exactly how to make things grow.
the robin
A bold, friendly little robin who hops ahead of Mary along the ivied wall, as if he has a secret.
Mr. Craven
Mary's grief-stricken uncle with crooked shoulders, who shut up his house, his heart and a garden after his wife died.
Ben Weatherstaff
A crabbed old gardener who grumbles at everyone but goes soft as a whisper for his friend the robin.
Martha
A cheerful Yorkshire housemaid who lights Mary's fire, loves the moor, and gives her a skipping-rope from her own wages.
Mrs. Medlock
Mr. Craven's stern, red-cheeked housekeeper, who keeps the manor's keys and forbids Mary to wander its corridors.
Dr. Craven
Mr. Craven's anxious cousin, a worried country doctor who looks after Colin.
Soot
Dickon's clever, glossy black rook, who rides about on his master's shoulder.
About the story
The Secret Garden follows Mary Lennox, a sour, spoiled and lonely girl raised by servants in India, who is sent to England after the sudden deaths of her parents. Her new home is Misselthwaite Manor, a huge old house on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. It has nearly a hundred locked rooms and belongs to an uncle who keeps away from everyone. Left mostly to herself, Mary begins to explore. She gets to know the cheerful housemaid Martha, the grumpy gardener Ben Weatherstaff and a friendly robin. She also hears of a garden that has been locked for ten years and whose key was buried.
At its heart, the story is about change. A neglected child and a neglected place slowly come back to life through fresh air, hard work, friendship and care. The wild moor, the changing seasons and the quiet mysteries of the manor set the scene for a story about how people heal and grow.
Frances Hodgson Burnett published the novel in 1911, and it has been a well-loved classic ever since. Readers remember it for its honest picture of a difficult child and its moving feeling for nature. Its central idea also lasts: kindness and growing things can change a person.
This is a condensed picture-book retelling of 80 illustrated pages, with about 26 minutes of narration by a synthetic voice; the pictures are AI illustrations drawn for this edition. Burnett's full original text is in the public domain, is free to read, and is well worth reading too.
Adapted from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911), public domain.
Questions
What is The Secret Garden about?
It is about Mary Lennox, a lonely and spoiled orphan who is sent from India to live in her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors. There she learns of a garden that has been locked for ten years and sets out to find it.
Who is the main character in The Secret Garden?
The main character is Mary Lennox, a nine-year-old girl who starts the story as a sour, selfish child. Other important characters include the housemaid Martha, her brother Dickon, the gardener Ben Weatherstaff and a robin.
Is The Secret Garden suitable for children?
Yes, this edition is rated for all ages. The story opens with the death of Mary's parents in a cholera outbreak, which is told gently and without graphic detail, and the rest of the book is about friendship, nature and growing up.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
This picture-book edition has 80 illustrated pages and about 26 minutes of narration, so it fits easily into one sitting.
Is this the full book?
No. This is a condensed retelling of Burnett's 1911 novel. The complete original text is in the public domain and free to read.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
