
Member Reviews

What an absolutely delightful read! I enjoyed it throughouly! Can't wait to pick a physical copy of it when it releases!!

5/5 Amazing, very nostalgic!
I loved this book! I feel as though it was very healing and would leave most readers feeling very happy! I recommended this to every level reader who thinks magic is interesting!
The story is about secrets, magic, family, and the healing properties nature brings to people. I loved the main character at first site, her grumpiness is so cute! The characters are so well developed and each have different personalities, which I often feel children's stories lack.. My only complaint is that I feel the story progression towards the end was a bit fast but this is a graphic novel so I kind of expect that.
I have pretty bad anxiety and have been stressing about my college work and this story almost completely took my stress away! This read left me feeling so clam and comforted and I really hope anyone and everyone will take the time to read it! I can't wait to see if this will have a physical copy I can collect and will definitely be checking out more of the authors works.
I read this for free on Netgalley in return for an honest review..

As someone who read The Secret Garden when I was much younger and know that there are certainly problematic elements to the original story (which is purely attributed to the time in which it was written) this was a good example which contained the basic and main plot while shedding those elements. As a good introduction to the story and the overall journey, I felt it was pretty good. The art isn't as vibrant as I personally would like with a story featuring a garden, but that's a me thing. I did really enjoy the whimsy in the drawings of flowers and animals, plus the noticeable changes in Mary as she grew over the story.

I really enjoyed the art and look of this book as much as I enjoyed reading it! I love this push to make classics graphic novels- what an amazing way to discover books all over again!
Hopefully this will encourage more kids (and adults) to pick up classic literature, and to enjoy the immense talent it takes to make graphic novels. I absolutely love this book and cannot wait to get a hard copy for my son.

What a charming graphic novel! I recently read The Secret Garden for the first time -- this was a wonderful way to interpret this classic. I really like the art style as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I have read the Secret Garden many years ago, and I don't remember much of the story. I decided to read this to refresh my memory and experience the story in a new format. It did not disappoint. It helped me remember the story and it is a fast read. Sometimes things were a bit too fast for me, but it was enjoyable all the way.
The art is gorgeous, to me the sceneries and colors were very beautiful. Don't hesitate to give it a try if you have read the book or would like to know this story.

I was given the graphic novel for free for an honest review.
The story was cute and I loved how Mary started to explore her surroundings.
Sometimes you have to be pushed to try new things to find out they are not as bad as they seem.
This is a quick read for people who loved the original story. It is easy to follow and the graphics were very cute.

I loved the illustrations and the information provided at the end of the book about the moors and the author.
However I felt I needed to read the original book to really understand the story.
Very fast paced and read it in about 15 minutes!

I had a great time reading this graphic novel. I actually never read the original novel but am now quite motivated to do so.
The art stile was great. I previously loved the Anne of Green Gables graphic novel which was also adapted by Mariah Marsden so I was quite comfortable going into this one - knowing I love her way of adapting a childrens classic into a graphic novel.
The story itself is very heartwarming, cute and has a lot of moral lessons as would be expected.
I think the afterword was very important and valuable because it set the book and its original author (Frances Hodgson Burnett) into a more honest, historical context.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book and am excited to see what we will get next from Mariah Marsden.

An abridged retelling of a classic story! I've always loved A Secret Garden and this version certainly does it justice by featuring all the key moments of the story accompanied by the sweetest artwork.
Mary Lennox is a spoiled little girl who lost her parents and moved in with her uncle. In the dreary moors, she finds a unique group of friends (including a robin) and, through her Secret Garden, finds healing for the entire household. A beautiful story that you never forget!

It's great to see a graphic novel adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s tale. I felt that there were important details missing and also felt that it was rushed at the same time. The illustrations are nice but the dark colours brings the mood down. A good book otherwise.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing
I read the The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett first when I was 11 years old. On it's own, it is a beautiful book with elaborate descriptions of the surroundings. The graphic novel, the art, only enhanced the experience of this beautiful and heartwarming story, with all the cottagecore aesthetics. I highly recommend this graphic novel to everyone in need of a reminder of how magic exists in nature.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.
I never read the original book but I absolutely adored the film that had Maggie Smith in it so while I read this, I could hear the actors voices throughout the comic. While the art style was a little simple, I liked it! I definitely got a magical vibe to it while I read and I enjoyed it- I wish I had this when I was younger.
Rating: 3.5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

I really liked this book. The art was adorable and the reading experience in general was just very nostalgic and heartwarming. I think it's a great book for people of all ages and it's also a very quick read.

The Secret Garden is a well-known children’s classic. The story of a young orphan, a mansion on the moors, a crippled young boy and others is a hopeful one. The novel has been presented in different formats including a recent movie with Colin Firth, a cookbook and this graphic novel version.
All of the elements of The Secret Garden are here. The illustrations are evocative and true to the story. The dialogue covers the plot well. All in all, this title is a welcome addition to the classic version of the story. I recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
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This graphic novel is amazing, it will warm your heart if you need to take time away from the reality of nowadays and transition to a very beautiful place and story.
The colours change with how the characters feel. The graphics in the novel are beautiful to look at. The story is very good, it keeps you wanting to know what happens next...
The way it tells the story through the moods in scenes but also in colours is something one can feel through it. The way our main protagonist grows as a character will warm your heart. The way the people around her affect her but also she affects them in her way without changing her personality as a whole is excellent.
There are so many things one can see if they keep their eyes and heart open for change.
If you're thinking whether you'd read this book or not, I'll say just go read it; you will feel very good from inside out I promise. 😃
For me, in this bizarre time, I felt happy after reading this book; it made my heart full with its story, not just my eyes.

Really loved this graphic novel! It's a short, light read and the art was stunning! It brought back fond memories of reading The Secret Garden when I was younger. This would be a perfect first introduction to the book for not as advanced readers. Again Lovely illustration style and lovely retelling. Highly recommend.

Being alive is the Magic!
I LOVED this graphic novel adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved tale. The illustration is cute and the artstyle is have classical vibes.
The story is also very beautiful and heartwarming. I can feel the magic in secret garden, It gave me a nice feeling while reading the story of Marty, Dickon, and Colin enjoying their time in their secret garden. Very lovely! ❤️

3/5
I have never read the original, so I can't speak on how this graphic adaption compares to it. What I can say is that it was absolutely adorable. The Illustrations were amazing and just pretty, there's really no other word to describe it. I do think that the problems were solved a little bit too easily, but for younger kids or actually anyone who's just looking for a quick story it is perfect.

The Secret Garden was one of my favourite classic books when growing up. I often pulled off the special edition my aunt owned to read through when I visited, and eventually got my own copy too. I find it’s one of the easier classics to read as it’s quite small so I’m happy it’s been adapted into a graphic novel as it allows children of all ages to enjoy it.
First thing to note about the graphic novel is that it has the perfect gloomy artwork and introduction to Misselthwaite Manor. The artwork gets brighter and brighter as the book goes on and Mary makes friends.
I personally didn’t enjoy the artstyle as a whole, but I loved that it encompassed multiple types of frames, often with imagery crossing multiple panels to show off importance. The art style was also consistent no matter what the subject was and the characters were well drawn to be distinct. The artstyle also allowed for expressive faces easily, which covered a wide range of emotions in this story.
The story is fast paced, and much faster than the original tale. It covers a lot of the main story but with this form it does lose some nuance and context as we don’t know what the character is thinking most of the time. I would describe it as similar to the children’s versions of Shakespeare, it gets the main story points but has lost a lot of the artwork in the writing itself.
Another thing that I think we can’t really ignore when talking about The Secret Garden is that it relies a lot on themes of racism and colonialism as a backdrop to Mary’s character and upbringing. This has been left out of the graphic novel completely and on purpose by the author. I both understand it would be more complicated to cover in this medium and also I feel like ignoring the history is a mistake.
But overall I found The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel to be a lovely little read for a rainy Sunday afternoon.