It's a classic for a reason! This book was an utter delight to read. I felt that the author got the level of tension just right - you never thought the protagonist might fail but the tension arose from the progression of her character and the way that others changed around her. It was hopeful and a joy to the end, although the events of the first few chapters before Mary comes to the manor in England are quite full on - this is a kid who has experienced some serious trauma! You also get the impression that she's younger than she is and it isn't until maybe two thirds of the way through the book that you discover she's ten. I'm so glad to have read this book and the 2011 edition I read is a truly beautiful paperback from the 'Penguin Threads' series, featuring exquisite textured cover artwork by Jillian Tamaki. 

 This book was absolutely everything I needed it to be for my first read of 2021. Hopeful, inspiring, full of love and wonder and beauty.

The story begins in India where we are introduced to Miss Mary Lennox, a child of nine who has spent her life ignored by her parents and catered to by a slew of native Indian servants. Accustomed to getting absolutely everything she asks for, Mary is selfish, moody, and quite friendless. When her entire household dies of "the cholera," young Mary is sent off to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, though Mr. Archibald Craven also seems to have no interest in his abandoned niece, leaving her in the care of teenage Martha and allowing her near free rein of the property--except for one garden, which had belonged to his wife and has been locked since her death ten years prior, the key buried somewhere long-forgotten.

Of course, Mary becomes fascinated by the idea of this garden, though she had never before been interested in much of the outside world, and in only a few weeks manages--with the help of a sweet robin--to discover both the key and the hidden entrance to this secret garden, which quickly becomes her happy hideaway. With the assistance of Martha's younger brother Dickon, Mary cultivates the garden, pulling weeds, planting seeds, and marveling at the changes and growth that seem to occur every day. When she discovers that there is another child living in the house, she cautiously brings him into the secret, and Colin proudly joins the ranks of child-gardeners.

I have chills just summarizing this book, and I've left out some of the most moving details and moments. Burnett's writing is absolutely stunning. Every word has intention, and the prose reads like poetry. There are countless lessons in this book as we watch Mary and Colin learn to recognize and appreciate a natural world that is greater than themselves and to love all the creatures and people in it, but nothing feels heavy-handed, rather a comforting reminder of both the fragility and resilience of living things.

I read this book as a child, but hardly remembered the plot other than that I enjoyed it. Certainly, an element of nostalgia influenced my feelings for this re-read, but I think I would have ranked it five stars regardless. This book is a beauty, and I already cannot wait to read it again and to share it with my students and future children.