The Secret Garden in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jun 30, 2007 Kristen rated it it was amazing

This has always been one of my favorite childhood stories. Reading it as an adult, I almost loved it more. It made me realize how much this book shaped a part of who I am. Growing up, I lived in a house that was on a canyon at the end of the cul-de-sac. You could walk along the canyon’s edge just beyond our house, and there was a small, U-shaped inlet that was full of wild native plants. Pretty much from the first day we moved into that house this little inlet (completely hidden by the hedge on This has always been one of my favorite childhood stories. Reading it as an adult, I almost loved it more. It made me realize how much this book shaped a part of who I am. Growing up, I lived in a house that was on a canyon at the end of the cul-de-sac. You could walk along the canyon’s edge just beyond our house, and there was a small, U-shaped inlet that was full of wild native plants. Pretty much from the first day we moved into that house this little inlet (completely hidden by the hedge on our property line) became my ‘secret garden.’ One of the nicest things my Dad did for me as a child was that he cut a hole in his hedge so that I would have my own private entry into the garden (grown-ups could just use the walking path). I had smaller versions of gardening tools, and I cultivated my own little garden of wildflowers.

I kept thinking about this as I reread the book, and thought of the other message that I didn’t necessarily pick up as a child: the message that being active and out of doors is necessary for a child to be healthy and thrive. Basic and obvious, yes, but that message stuck with me more as an adult, as so many of our friends start families and we start thinking about having our own one day. I started thinking about how kids today don’t spend as much time outdoors (I don’t blame them, per se, there are a lot of reasons). And I hoped they would find the magic in the book (and the surprising complex character development) that I found I loved even more as an adult.

On the day I finished the book, I had just come in from spending three hours in the backyard of our (new to us) fixer-upper home. I had been pruning our beautiful, mature orange tree that was overhanging onto the neighbor’s yard (and pushing on the back fence to the point that I thought it might break it), as well as pruning our lemon tree, both of which had been neglected for years. It was difficult work – sawing the limbs off with one hand, holding the limb in the other hand so that it didn’t drop in the neighbor’s yard when sawed, only then to have to pull the heavy, fruit-laden branches back over the fence onto our side of the yard. But it felt so good do it, even though I was getting scratched by branches and covered in dust and dirt and insects. I stood on our back porch when it was all done and could see how much better our yard looks. It was so nice to see the results of hard work tangible in front of you. And I thought of the book and hoped that I could instill this same love into our kids some day.
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Oct 22, 2012 Lacey Louwagie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, children-s, classics

This was a sweet read, although I would have enjoyed it more if the story wasn't so familiar to me. Still, I think the reason that this book has endured isn't because of the storyline but because of the vivid and compelling characters. Like Mary, I was especially enchanted by Dickon, and I found Mary's transformation through time outdoors, minimal supervision, and encounters with truly good-hearted people to be believable (although I did find Dickon's mother, a poor woman with twelve children wh ...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Jill rated it it was amazing

I am in the middle of this book and am loving it. I tried reading it when I was a little girl and thought it was boring. Now I am enthralled with the book.

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May 22, 2007 Kecia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kiddie_lit, england

One of the few books actually suggested by my mother and probably my single favorite childhood book. I could not even venture to guess how many times I read it. I did not have a garden then...but I do now...and a garden is good for the soul.

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May 23, 2011 Jennie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, religion-spirituality, plants, read2011

part of me is a little bit irritated that nobody nudged this book into my hands as a kid. such a good read.

also, anyone who read 'the secret' should have just read this instead! ...more

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