This was essentially a retelling of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett without much of the India backstory that is in the original book. I thought it was a fun retelling though and I enjoyed reading it. I don’t think anything particular really stuck out to me in this book and since it was a pretty similar plot to the original, there wasn’t really anything new aside from it being in graphic novel format. The artwork was beautifully done though and the font was easy to read which was great! I think this would be a nice story to read to a child or even just a nice way to reminisce on favourite stories from your childhood. Reading this book made me want to rewatch the 1993 version of The Secret Garden. Oh and I also appreciated the authour’s note regarding Marsden’s choices on including or cutting out parts of the original story.

It is a beautiful book and full of expression.
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The story is adapted to fit the vignettes, but the essence of the story is found between the drawings and the use of different tones.
I liked how art served as a tool to express the different moments and feelings of history. As the flowers begin to bloom, the colors come alive and the book has that look of the story that have with every word.
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I think it is an ideal book for children although I enjoy it a lot as an adult, is a must have in all library
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Thanks to Andrew McNeel Publishing, for give me this beautiful book in exchange for my honest review

This is a great retelling for a child more interested in graphic novels than regular novels or even classics. This retelling sums up all the best parts of The Secret Garden in an easy yet still magical way to read. The way it told the story in pictures held my interest and was beautiful. The backgrounds had more details than the characters but there was no problem with it. Some of the details of the classic story were glazed over but I'm not complaining because the core of the story is still there. I would recommend this to children wanting something new to read.

Years ago, I loved that story. Thanks to this comic book, I fell in love even more. It was wonderful to come back to this story years later in this version. While it wasn't 100% in the artist's style at first, in the end I think this style adds to the charm of the story.

One of my favorite childhood stories and movies. I liked this as a graphic novel but it felt a slight short and lacking for me, otherwise good read.

I just reviewed The Secret Garden by Mariah Marsden, Hanna Luechtefeld. #TheSecretGarden #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I think that this is a great graphic adaptation of this classic that would go great in any children's room. I loved the illustrations and the adaptation of the story. You can't really go wrong with this one!

A very sweet adaptation of the beloved novel. I appreciate the artwork and detail included I wish something new was brought to this version, something new to help it stand out compared to other versions of this work. But overall, it is a very nice little read with very pretty artwork. However, if you’re already very familiar with The Secret Garden there may not be as much for you here.

This adaptation was short and sweet. I was missing the meat of the core plot lines and story of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic. It was very fluffy and that wasn’t always a good thing. I did like how the colour palette changed as the story progressed. It was a great tell on the different characters as the pages went on. I just wanted more of the original story to be a part of this graphic novel. Overall, I would recommend it to someone who is interested in Victorian literature but would like to start in an easier place.

I received a free arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

LOVE IT.
I SIMPLY LOVE IT.
AMAZING
The illustrations are good. The story MY GAWD.
Sending love from Mexico.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a re-imagining of the book “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. For me, this was a short, easy read and I really enjoyed the drawing style of this graphic novel. This book follows the same story line as the classic, so this is perfect for anyone who has an aversion to reading classic literature. I personally have never read the original book, so I decided to give this graphic novel a try in order to at least know the basics of the story.

I commend the author for leaving out Mary’s time in India before returning to England because, as she writes in the afterword, it doesn’t “do justice to the history British oppression in colonial India.” I like that the author was conscientious of the fact that times change and classics don’t need to be adapted word for word. She chose to be mindful of those who would be offended by the misrepresentation of historical events.

I believe that this book did a good job of telling the story in an accessible way. If you have never read “The Secret Garden” or are a fan of the original text, I think both parties will enjoy this adaptation.

The Secret Garden was a favorite of mine when I was younger, and the movie from 1993 is still a favorite. So, as soon as I saw that it was adapted into a graphic novel, I had to jump in and try to get an ARC.

I was a little nervous about a longer story being adapted into such a short version, but it did not disappoint. There are things that did not age well from the original novel and would do no good to the readers now. The authors knew exactly what should be left out, so thank you for that.

The art is absolutely adorable, and the way the flowers are drawn is stunning. I honestly didn't want it to end, because I still felt what I felt when I first read this story and first watched the movie.

The additions at the end of info about the original story, the original author and the graphic novel authors/illustrator were amazing! I learned things I didn't know, and it made my love for the story grow even more.

"Here's my scientific experiment. It's about magic. Not many people know about magic... But it's all around us."

Oh this was lovely. Subtle, evocative images alongside the honest dialogue of a few sad, lonely children. I found the drawings charming and beautiful and true. I especially loved the full-page images of the moors and any image with the gate framing the view.

I read with my 8 year old daughter. She enjoyed it. We had read Hodgson Burnett's original text this year, along with a couple retellings and watching the 2020 movie. My daughter, knowing the original story, found starting further along in the story to be lacking. She, at 8, said you missed watching the girl change.

I agree. I think one of the most wonderful parts was watching the child go through something so hard and deal with it honestly--she was a rude, sad girl with no one to love her. It's so much more powerful to watch her learn to love and to find such a rejuvenating, magical sanctuary.

My daughter said she'd definitely recommend the graphic novel to friends. But, she said, they should read the original first. Or at least the first part, so they understand the backstory of the main character. I agree. This graphic novel is a beautiful addition to the tradition of this story, but much of the depth will be lost for those who do not know the story.

I appreciated the dialogue in this version. It's honest, yet easy for a child to read.

My daughter also thought this version lacked some of the "magic." She said it "changed" in that the garden didn't heal the boy. I think this version can be read either way, which I find lovely. I appreciate when there are aspects of a story that are elusive and up for discussion. I do think she's onto something that it's missing some of the "magic." This version seems to showcase the beauty and serenity of the English countryside rather than the magical otherworldly-ness that can be found in this tale.

I do love how the boy is healed. My daughter has a chronic illness, so there is just something so powerful about someone with a health struggle that is healed. I think this is a story that is needed. Children need stories that are hard, stories where children lose parents or feel like they are unloved or have a chronic illness.

Overall, I found this to be a lovely graphic novel. Highly recommended.

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Images: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Interest Level: 3-11
-Younger children will adore the pages and pages of beautiful images.
-THE SECRET GARDEN has depth in the character arcs and in the struggles the children encounter, I believe it'd be of interest to children at least up to 11.

Reading Level: 5-11
-My daughter, 8, read it in one sitting of about 45 minutes to an hour.

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I will post a review to my Instagram closer to publication day.

While it stayed true to the story, it is heavily pared down and does not have nearly the detail of the original and therefore (in my opinion) loses much of its charm, sense of mystery, and the character development of all the main players. However, I will say that the illustrations were lovely and I enjoyed the nice garden vignettes. But I do hope that any child who picks up this graphic novel has the wherewithal to then pick up the original for they are surely in for a treat!

This was a wonderful graphic novel adaptation of the classic story. The artwork was absolutely beautiful. The style was fitting, the palette used was perfect for the story, and I love how many illustrations went onto the next page.

This was such a cute retelling! Retelling a classic through a graphic novel brings a lovely modern twist to the story. The Secret Garden in particular works incredibly well as a graphic novel. The biggest thing that stood out to me were the illustrations. All of the illustrations were absolutely gorgeous and enthralling. The colour palette used for the illustrations gave it more of a classical or almost gothic feel which I quite enjoyed, like a reminder that even though it's a retelling it's still a classic story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a super sweet read!
Here's why you need to read it too!

🌺A graphic novel interpreted from the much-loved children's classic!
🌻The illustration is simply superb!
🌼It was a wonderful way to refresh my memories of this story!
🌷Wonderful morals provided via the characters' arcs!
🌱The themes of friendship, love (romantic, platonic, and familial), were done really well!
🌸It was an overall very refreshing read because of the aspect of nature that was brought in!
🌹Since it was also a graphic novel, it was quite short.

🌲🌿🌴🌳🍂🍁🍃
And since it was all about a secret garden, here's a beautiful garden for you all!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!
I adore the art style of this graphic novel.
Although I haven't read the original Secret Garden, I'm aware of the problematic aspects - or rather, the unlikeable characters of it, but this retelling painted a much kinder version.
I was blown away by the illustration and the colors.
It was very easy to read, and I prefer graphic novels that are less wordy, so this was very easy to breeze through.

I was so lucky to get this book as an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publishers - thank you!


The novel is, of course, shortened down. It doesn't have as many details (or text) as the original, obviously.
Frankly, it wasn't really detailed enough for me. I love details in books, and I look back on the movie with so much nostalgia that I just miss a lot of things from it.
I have mixed feelings about the art. The style is not really my type.
But it wasn't bad at all and actually managed to give a bit of the magic I remember from the movie.
I feel like the style is a bit too children/cartoon-ish, which makes me think it is a perfect book for younger children who haven't yet reached the reading level of the original.
It also would make a wonderful learning-to-read book but doesn't really work as well for an adult audience - especially someone with very high nostalgia expectations like myself.
In the end, though, I did enjoy reading it. It was fun to make it back to the garden - even in an abridged version.

*thank you to Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing and Mariah Marsden for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


3.5 stars.

As you may know, I absolutely adore The Secret Garden and have many versions of the story, so to see it as a Graphic Novel to add to my collection, of course I was going to grab it if I could.

While I tried to keep in mind that I had to keep my high love for this at bay and base my thoughts from a non bias place, I did find it tricky. But I still stand by my thoughts on this. 3.5 stars from me means that it is slightly better than 'Good/I enjoyed it.'

From the beginning it felt too choppy. I feel that it needed more of the storyline added into make more sense of what was happening. But further into the book, I got into the flow of it and it seems that the main points and a few bonus ones, did find their way into the pages.

It did end up making me feel the magic of the story which I wasn't sure it was going to, so I was pleased by this.

The illustrations I warmed up to and I'll admit, I wasn't a fan right away but enjoyed them by the end.

As this is targeted probably at a Middle Grade level, or as a first introduction to the classic story, it's quite good for that. It gives you the basic storyline and a feel for why all of us out there, love this story so much.

The added touch at the end of the book, where there is information on the original author, was really welcomed. I would like to buy an actual copy of this and would recommend it to all.

A beloved classic with a new twist! I love graphic novels! I don’t know why I shied away from them for so long. To me, they are like comic books on steroids. And the illustrations are simply beautiful! A whole book with so much beautiful artistry on every page. It’s a little like being a kid again for me, if I’m being honest!

Hanna Luechtefeld has done an outstanding job of bringing the story to life through pictures. Each page was worthy of taking extra minutes to study the details of the artwork!

Mariah Marsden did a wonderful job of adapting the story to a graphic novel platform. Easy to understand and enjoyable for all ages.

If you haven’t given graphic novels a try, this is the perfect one to begin with!

Thank you to #AndrewsMcMeelyPublishing and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.