The Secret Garden

Mary Lennox likes nobody, and nobody likes her. Growing up in colonial India she is physically cossetted by servants, but emotionally neglected by all. When her parents die and she's shipped back to England to live with her new guardian, a reclusive uncle, it seems at first her loneliness will only deepen. Spoiled and unfriendly, she keeps everyone at a distance. And anyway who would she be friends with? Her uncle is almost never to be seen, and with Mary seemingly the only child in a huge northern manor house, it appears that nothing will change. That is, until Martha the maid sends her out into the grounds, and she finds a locked garden gate. As winter turns to spring, Mary finds her way into the secret garden; she meets Dickon, Martha's brother, and her own cousin Colin, a sickly, bedbound boy who has never walked. Together they will bring the garden back to life, along with Mary's heart. And as flowers bloom and the sun and fresh air strengthen Colin's limbs, the magic of the secret garden, the magic that Mary unlocked, brings newfound happiness to everyone in the house. A classic of children's literature, beloved for over a century, this is one of the great stories of the human need for love, and the solace to be found in nature.