The Secret Garden is one of my favourite classics, so of course I jumped at the chance to read this graphic novel adaptation of the story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations, it doesn't do the original story justice, and it's liable to annoy people who are tired of whitewashed history.

The main problem I see here is that, if you don't know the original story, you're going to be confused because the format leads to a glossing-over of many plot points and the character development is weak (and inconsistent with the original). For some reason, the decision was made to remove any mentions of India from the story (purportedly because "they don't do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India"), rendering Mary an inexplicable orphan with no backstory and no reason for her appalling behaviour toward those she feels are beneath her. The British were in India and they acted like racist jerks; can we please not try to "fix" the problem by ignoring it?

In the original story, Mary is a lot more sour. Here, we see a badly developed child character going through the motions of the story. Even the artwork doesn't really convey the emotions of this hurt little girl very well, as the drawings make everyone look much the same. Colin is probably the best developed out of all of them, but only because he's such an over-the-top character to begin with.

I can't put my finger on the intended audience here, either. There's not a ton of text (there are many panels with no text at all), so it might be okay for younger readers. However, like I mentioned earlier, those who are unfamiliar with the original story are liable to be confused and/or underwhelmed by the rather thin plot as it's presented here. There is some historical information at the back, along with a strange glossary that defines many words that are only used in the author's note. While the factual information about Frances Hodgson Burnett, India, and the English countryside is nice, I don't really know why we needed a glossary. (And I don't know why India was too taboo a topic to include in the graphic novel itself, when it was okay to put in the notes at the end.)

Perhaps fans of the novel who want to read every adaptation will get more out of this than I did. I love the original story... but this graphic novel definitely did not measure up.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this story with my 8-year-old daughter. Both lovers of the original, we were thrilled to find another version and in an interesting format. The illustrations were beautiful and aided the story telling reasonably well. The text was limited, as you would expect in a graphic novel, however we felt there needed to have been a little more. Some details could be inferred from the illustrations and we felt a lot of necessary detail had been lost. We could only follow along as well as we did as we knew the original so well. It also came across as a little dry and not as absorbing as we know this story to be.

I'm sure my daughter will return to these pages again, as it was an easily accessible read for her age and the artwork was beautiful. Just my recommendation, but I would encourage a new reader to read a version of the full story first and then to enjoy this format.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of the best children’s books of the 20th century. I was so excited when I found this graphic novel. It took me much longer than expected to finish reading because I was captivated by the amazing illustrations. Even once I was finished reading,I flipped back to stare at my favorite ones some more.

Of course, major points in the original book are missed, but I believe this book will pique the interest in children to read the original.

I also enjoyed the brief history of Frances Hodgson Burnett and also other information about the setting of the story with a glossary included.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Orphaned Mary arrives to her Uncle's home on the moor and would rather be any place else. She feels lonely and has trouble adjusting to her new life...not to mention the wailing at night. When the weather turns nicer and she begins to explore her home and a secret garden with her new friends her world expands.

I remember seeing the stage version of The Secret Garden and enjoying it so it was nice to revisit the story. The illustrations were very lovely (for some reason they reminded me of the cartoon Madeline). The story started out so dark and dreary but by the end when everyone was happy the colors came to life. This is a very sweet book.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

#netgalley #thesecretgarden

I make no secret that I am big fan of graphic novel adaptations. Anything that brings a new reader to a story they might not never have otherwise experienced is a positive, and Marsden's pervious adaptation of Anne of Green Gables has certainly seen a healthy circulation in my library. I think this one will be popular too.

This is adaptation is sweet and soft, offering an overview of the classic story with simple, muted illustrations. Part of me wouldn't have minded a bit more contrast in the imagery--greater darkness in the house or in the flashbacks, a more vibrant world in the garden--but this is an adaptation that tells the story gently. I also feel like some of the aspects of the story, like Colin's longing for his father and the grief that dwells in Misselthwaite, weren't developed well enough for the ending to have the emotional impact that it should, but Marsden did the best with the page space allotted to her. And I absolutely loved some of the bits lifted directly from the book--Dickon's drawing, Martha's wages paying for the skipping rope, Colin and his mother's portrait, Mrs. Sowerby coming to the garden! I also really enjoyed the way the "magic" was represented in the artwork.

All in all, this is a charming introduction to the original and a worth addition to any graphic novel collection that should be popular with younger independent readers or as a one-on-one read aloud. 3.5 Stars.

2.5 stars

The visuals are a huge part of the storytelling, with several full-page spreads and montages. And to be quite honest I personally didn't love the art style which is relatively simple, kind of cartoon-like, which doesn't lend itself to nuance or subtlety. Plus, in part due to the minimal dialogue and narration, on some pages it's hard to determine the order of the panels. That said, I did like how playful it is — I particularly like how elements cross panel boundaries to create a lively flow.

As an adaptation this is decent, but it might be difficult to follow if you're not familiar with the source material, since you lose Mary's internal monologue and many plot points are simplified/omitted. Consequently, several of the developments seem abrupt and lose resonance ... though that may be an issue with the medium itself, rather than any particular creative choices.

This was a beautiful graphic novelization of the classic book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The illustrations were very well done, but I felt like a lot of the original story was lost in this rendition. The book only contained dialogue, so a lot of text was lost if someone had not previously read the book. I'd recommend the book for those who have read the classic first, but I wouldn't recommend it as an alternative to Burnett's book.

I've loved this book since I was a child, and reading it in graphic novel form is just adding another way for me to experience the wonderful story that was created. I did find it simplified but the art was cute and lovely too, will probably pick it up again.

This was a lovely graphic novel. I've never read The Secret Garden, but the movie was a big part of my childhood; I loved getting to revisit the world, especially with the phenomenal illustrations by Hanna Luechtefeld. It was moody and moving, exactly the escape I was looking for. A perfect intro to the classics for kids, but I'd recommend it for adults too!

Such a special book!
This was so amazing to re-read as a graphic novel, I loved the art style and feel like the pictures really brought the story to life!

What a charming rendition of the classic, The Secret Garden. I feel a graphic novel will make this story more accessible to both a younger crowd and those who may have little interest in "the classics." The artistry was lovely and they were able to capture the personalities of the characters well. I didn't feel like there was much explanation on what happened to Mary before she came to the manor with her Uncle; however, it wasn't an altogether integral part of the story. I'd recommend this to anyone whose interested in the story. I loved the additional information provided in the back of the graphic novel. A section about the original author, Frances Hodgson Burnett, information about the scenery of the novel like the moor and the different plants and animals in the story. There was also a glossary of terms which leads me to believe this is geared toward a younger audience. I always found this sort of addition helpful to a book, sometimes we learn words only through the books we're reading and having an easy way to learn the definition is quite helpful. I'd recommend this to anyone whose interested in the story.

Review to come June 2nd on goodreads/blog.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

One of my favourite books when I was younger and so I had to get the graphic novel when I saw it on Netgalley. I was curious how the story would be adapted and how much changed from the original. Well quite a bit. Haha, the whole India part is left out and Mary is definitely not so much of a brat as I remember her from when I read the original during my childhood.

Meet Mary, a tiny little girl who lost her parents and is now struggling with the loss. I guess with the India parts away, it changed things for me. Whereas I remember her as quite spoiled and grumpy with a dash of loss, here it seemed more that she was bratty and grumpy because of the loss, not because she was spoiled. I really liked that change. It made me like her much more and had me rooting for her. Hoping that she would find the garden soon and discover the fun and joy of growing something, discovering animals and flora.

I loved seeing her bond with the servants, getting quite close with Martha. Who wasn't impressed that much by Mary's grumpiness (she also clearly just saw a little girl who was lost and alone). I loved that they had fun chats, and that Martha bought a present for Mary so she could have fun.

The secret garden was just wonderful and I especially loved seeing it bloom and get cleaned up a bit. It still held its wild magic.. but it also become something else. I loved seeing Mary and Dickon garden, plant flowers, pick away the things that are dead. Later on they get help and things get even better.

We also meet Colin, who was definitely NOT my favourite character for most of the book. I can kind of see where he is coming from in regards to his attitude. A father who doesn't care, a mother who died, doctors and servants who talk about death. I was worried he would spoil the garden. I was worried he would just ruin things. But in the end he just needed a friend, friends even. Something to do. Someone to play with. A garden to take care of. I love how he transformed and how his attitude changed.

I love seeing everyone bloom. Mary got much more happy, but she also helped out her uncle and her nephew. The garden got revived. Animals glitter. There is magic in the air. At times I was just tearing up, especially during the last few pages. Those were so well done. Making me smile and tear up.

The art was just so pretty and I love the style and how well it fitted with the story and the characters.

All in all, I would highly recommend this one to everyone. I am kind of eager to read the original novel again, because it has been ages!

This was a nice, cute graphic novel about the Secret Garden. I loved it! The writing was good and true to the original story. I wish the illustrations had been a little cleaner and precise, but that’s a preference of mine. Overall, very good graphic novel!

I’ve always loved the original children's book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, so I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I obviously already liked the story itself, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that I enjoyed this version as well. The art style is cute and I even came to like the way the graphic novel played with differently sized panels. At first I was a little confused, as panels with varying heights and lengths sometimes didn’t make for a logical reading order, but now I actually think that the small, detailed shots made the atmosphere more magical.

While the graphic novel stays quite true to the book, I appreciate the authors’ decision to omit the protagonist’s past in India and to add some basic historical information at the end of the novel instead. In their words, they chose to „leave out those parts of the story because they don’t do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India“.

Charmingly illustrated adaptation of the classic English children's novel, <i>The Secret Garden</i>. For readers familiar with the source text this adaption should be appealing and subtle. Minimal text set amongst increasingly colorful panels featuring fall-to-spring nature scenes help reflect the growth of both Mary and Colin bodies and hearts.

3.8 Stars
This illustrated children’s book is an abridged version of the original work, The Secret Garden. The book is great for kids who like more pictures than words. However, I do wish the graphics were a little more charming. The feeling of magic, which is crucial for the story, doesn’t seem to come out to its fullest. Still, the book is a nice little read to teach kids about plants, nature, friendship, and affection. I’m really glad that the author chose not to use the part about India in her illustrated work. Giving kids biased and one-sided views of a country they aren’t familiar with wouldn’t be good.
Overall, this is a cute and sweet version of the original book for the little munchkins.
Thank you, NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the ARC.

Its been a long time since i read this book. Reading this graphic novel brought back alot of memories. Love the unique drawing style and the portrayal of our main characters. It ended way too soon though would have loved a few more (actually a lot more) pages.

this graphic novel was truly a delight read ✨

i adored The Secret Garden as a child, and when i saw this graphic adaptation, i couldn't not NOT pick it up to read.

the illustrations in this graphic novel are stunning and really do bring the story to life. obviously, the storyline is not as detailed as the original story, but it does sum up the general idea. The Secret Garden is a beloved classic because of the beauty and magic of its writing—no adaptation can really measure up to the physical book.

however, even though i prefer the original novel, i think this graphic novel would be wonderful for younger kids how prefer visuals and less words :))

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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing !!

find me on instagram @tiffanyhubooks and twitter @tiffanyhu22 !!

It is an inspiring, lovely and interesting story, with elements of sadness, mystery and magic. There are challenges in life but life has its own way of opening opportunities. Children teach us. in fact, that is what the story says, children teach us because they are free from conditioned responses. Transcending the past and future they live and explore their today. That is the secret of life and happiness. That is what makes the story so unique and perhaps immortal.
Presentation is non-linear like life, which also makes the book so unique. Illustrations are perfect for the story and imaginatively unfold and support the story.
Very nice book that you will read in one sitting but will ponder over for a long time and will like to go back to it.

THANK YOU Net Galley for a copy of the graphic novel The Secret Garden. As this is one of my favorite classics, I enjoyed this one! The illustration was good.