First of all, thank Netgalley for providing me with this graphic novel. Having said this, I make it clear that my review will be completely honest.
The graphic novel is the novelized version of the book of the same name The Secret Garden, a book that although I have not read (but I have) I already knew the story, since when I was a child I used to see the animated series that existed and the movie. It was a story that I loved and I liked to see the evolution of the characters, in this novel it shows us the story of Mary, who recently lost her parents and now has to live with her uncle, here she discovers that she has a living cousin locked in his room since he is sick and will die young so the servants of the house consent to everything, turning him into a spoiled child. We will also meet Dickon, the brother of one of the house maids, who will show him the beauty of the outside world. By accident Mary discovers a secret garden that belonged to her uncle's wife, but when she dies it is closed, and for fear that they will not let them go to this place anymore they decide to keep it a secret, here they can be free, and we can see how characters evolve, learn to be better people and influence adults.
A beautiful story, obviously the story is summarized here, but it does not take away the beauty, the drawing is simple but it gives it a special touch, it is according to the story.
for me it deserves a 4 out of 5 stars since the adaptation could have been a little longer.

The Secret Garden was my favorite book for most of my childhood and this adaptation is wonderful! The plot remains the same, but now the garden is alive and vibrant just as I read it to be years ago. Great for any fan of the original interested in a beautifully illustrated version or for a reluctant reader of the classics to dip their toes in. This book would be accessible for first or second graders to read and would be a great first look into the classics!

Such a fun and heartwarming read. I loved the simple elements of childhood imagination, the reality of earth magic. The illustrations were beautiful and captivating, the expressions of the children very fun to watch and discover.
The only concern I have is the fast pace that sometimes made it hard for me to trully experince the magic and the contagious happiness of the children.

I think I just love the original too much. The illustrations are beautiful, and the core of the novel are there. My favorite line is even there (Might I have a bit of earth?. But it feels like so much is left out. New generations will love this. It's such a perfectly condensed version of an enduring classic. I was able to read an advanced copy thanks to NetGalley

I liked the art style but did not enjoy the story. Nearly all the characters annoyed me and you do not get enough backstory to know why they are like that. The magic in the garden was none existing. The dialogue felt really childish and because te was not a lot of it, it felt dull.

I read it with the intention of reading a simple version of a classic and leaving with no idea what the morel of this book was.

Perfect if you would like a quick recap of the book this graphic novel is based on, you get the feel of the story with excellent illustrations and only a few words.

The Secret Garden by Mariah Marsden and illustrated by Hanna Luechtefeld was such a fun read! It brought me back to a very cozy time during childhood where you enjoy the outdoors and find yourself in nature while enjoying spring. The illustrations were stunning and were able to make me feel as if I were in the book with the main character and traveling with her. This was a nice update to the original The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This book can be enjoyable for many age groups and can be a great read for the Spring time!

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite stories. I remember watching the 1993 movie when I was in second grade and loving it. I didn't read the book until I was much older, but when I did, I was sorry I hadn't read it sooner. Seeing the story I love in a graphic novel format was so exciting to me. It made me feel nostalgic and happy and honestly I'm ready to flip through the whole thing again even though I just finished it. I fear there may be a few things not properly understood by people who read this without having read the original story, but I think it holds up well despite that

When I was in middle school I read the novel The Secret Garden and I really liked the story, I found it whimsical and interesting (for a 10 year old), it was able to capture my attention. So having the experience of rereading the same story but in a graphic novel format was great. I liked the art style, and if I was a kid experiencing the story for the first time I would definetely prefer this format than the traditional novel.

4.25/5 :)

I read the original secret garden when I was little but don’t remember much, and never had much interest to re-read it again. But this graphic novel adaption caught my eye with this stunning cover so I just had to check it out. It definitely did not disappoint :)

The art style and colors are beautiful and to my liking. The colors are pretty and pleasant to look at. And I loved how it changed as the story progressed and the mood changed. I loved seeing the details in Mary’s facial expressions and how much she and her entire vibe changed at the end compared to the beginning.

Although I thought things were resolved a little too fast, it’s the perfect graphic novel length for a relaxing comfort read and for a younger audience. I love how they included a glossary at the end, i thought that was really thoughtful and would be really helpful especially to young readers.


If you don’t want to or have already read The Secret Garden, then this is the perfect read for you. I might even read it now that I’ve read this graphic novel version :)

This was absolutely perfect. The illustrations were beautiful and adorable, and the story reflected perfectly the original source material. It’s a wonderful little graphic novel based on a classic. There is also a lot of interesting info about the author I didn’t know about in the back of the book, as well as some history on British colonialism in India which would be great to educate children on. Highly, highly recommend.

This was my first time ever reading The Secret Garden and I’m so happy I started with this graphic novel adaptation! The artwork was beautiful! The illustrators did such a great job creating artwork for these scenes from the original story! They even were able to create pictures that were okay being left without dialogue! I would love to see the colors and the artwork once it’s published into a paperback!

I love the art style of this graphic novel. The fact that it's a children's classic made it more interesting because I tend to get intimidated with classic books. It was astonishing and a very cute adaptation. I think children would enjoy how adventurous and awe-inspiring it was.
I was having a rather bad day and this book really cheered me up. It was a very comforting read. I am excited for more adaptations by these artists. I would recommend it.

The cover of this book is what really grabbed me at first, i've never read the original classic, but i'm a huge fan of retellings and graphic adaptions, so I couldn't say no to this. In terms of the plot, i'd compare it to an abridged adaption of the original book, perfect for introducing new/younger readers to the story before they tackle the full thing. While I found some parts vague (and the author's notes at the end show some of this was for good reason), what I really enjoyed was the focus on the characters and their feelings and relationships.

The illustrations are lovely, with vibrant colors, fantastic depictions of the flora and fauna of the garden and surrounding moors, and simple character designs that leave room for their expressions and personalities to shine.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced readers copy.

I have never actually read "The Secret Garden" Novel, so it was really interesting to read this graphic novel adaptation.

I really liked the style of drawing, the simplistic linework felt very child-like, which added to the child-like whimsy of the story. I feel like there was enough of the original source material that I didn't lose the plot along the way. The changes that were made feel like an update to what I know about the original. it feels modern and more current even though it has the same victorian English setting. This is definitely a great book to help new readers jump into classic children's literature.

I especially loved the note in the back of the book explaining what was updated or omitted due to issues of racism. I think it was important that they acknowledged that the source material has those elements, but it doesn't need to continue into the text.

After reading this I think I do prefer the book because a lot was cut for time. You still get this beautiful story, but a more condensed version so it does make it great for younger readers who maybe don’t want to bother with the actual novel.

Though with the condensed version I do feel like we lose a bit of Mary’s character. We still get visually her struggle of losing her family and feeling like no one wants her, but the whole ending is cut short so we don’t see her come to terms that the new people in her life aren't going anywhere. I think if it was allowed just a couple more pages we could’ve gotten those scenes, especially the ones where she’s with her cousin.

The art however in this book is honestly so cute, I love the simplicity of it, and when there was a full spread it just looked so good. The garden scenes are of course the best because there’s so much small details put throughout the page. I think this is a cute and fun adaptation of a classic that I’ve seen and highly recommend if you want to just know the story finally.

This was such a joyous and wonderful read, I loved it!

The art style is so charming and delightful, I really need to check out more works by this illustrator.

The graphic novel wasn't as detailed as a book but it was pretty decent.

I would recommend it to younger children, they would certainly enjoy the story and maybe gain an interest in reading a book someday.

All in all, a lovely graphic novel.

Lovely graphic novel version of The Secret Garden. The illustrations are gorgeous and completely embody the spirit of the book. I did a read aloud with my five-year-old daughter (she's seen the movie from the 90's) and she adored it. She pored over the full-page illustrations and looked forward to bedtime when we were reading it. A must-by for libraries and children's bookstores.

So pretty and so sweet! A really quick read for all ages. I haven't read the original The Secret Garden so I can't compare the two (I do intend to read the novel eventually) but I really enjoyed slowly flipping through this graphic novel. The art is simple and cute and I'd love to have this in my collection just so I could flip though it again and again.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m really digging all the new graphic novel adaptations that have been coming out. Embarrassed to say I’ve never read the original Secret Garden Novel, but was blown away with this adaptation!

The story revolves around a young girl whose been orphaned, so she clearly has some emotional trauma. She’s sent to live with a distant uncle who lives on a Moor. It’s during her stay there that she opens up and truly begins to be herself again, and so does everyone else around her.

Before her arrival tragedy had struck the manor, resulting in the “Secret Garden” being locked away for years. She of course with a little magic uncovers the garden and brings color both figuratively and literally back into everyone’s world.

This was a breathtaking story, I couldn’t put it down. I recommend it for all ages, it teaches us to value what we have and to be kind, also that sometimes people just need a little love and kindness.

I know that some people had trouble with the art style, to each their own. I personally found it to be perfect for this story, it wasn’t over the top but just the right amount of simplicity. Truly breathtaking.


Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publishers/authors for giving me a chance to read & review such a wonderful story.