“The Secret Garden” by F. H. Burnett is one of my most beloved children’s books of all time, so I couldn’t skip this graphic novel. The adaptation was written by Mariah Marsden whose other book “Anne of Green Gables” I loved very much and I sometimes dive into when in need to cheer up. “The Secret Garden” was no less enjoyable.
The illustrations by Hanna Luechtefeld are simply enchanting. Performed in muted gentle colours, they created a cozy, magical atmosphere, a world you would want to get lost in. They were so heartwarming and touching, I couldn’t tear myself away from the pages.
The story itself is so popular, that everyone is familiar with it more or less: through the book or an old movie adaptation (which was my favourite to watch as a child). I believe Marsden’s version did the novel justice. The nature is basically called “magic“ in the adaptation and looks like it too. The picturesque scenery of moors, wild flowers, trusting animals are so alive and breathing, it made me smile.
I guess more pages could be dedicated to developing the characters’ relationships and to the importance of making friends. The other thing I’d change in this graphic adaptation is its length, I wish it was much longer. On the other hand, it’s the right number of pages to keep kids engaged in the story.
I hope the additional information at the end of the book will strike a spark of curiosity in young readers’ minds and they will be interested in reading the novel itself or just spending some time outdoors in the company of birds and plants.

The Secret Garden is one of those stories which has beautiful moments and dark moments. The drawing style emphasizes the lighter side, but makes it work and effectively communicates it to younger readers.

The animation style took some getting used to, but overall it's still the same classic children's book I grew up with in my childhood. The pacing was nice and I loved some of the closeup illustrations of the flowers. Since this is the same book just in another outlet I will say I love the character development of everyone including Colin and Mary their bickering was amazing almost like a married couple even though they were children. My favorite character was Dickon I love how he was portrayed in this graphic novel he had an angelic quality I couldn't help but love and the way that Mary was so infatuated with him was amusing and lovable as well. I would definitely recommend this for kids who aren't that comfortable with reading it because they should definitely consume classics in any way the good. This was a good graphic novel overall and I am grateful to have read it.

This cute and beautiful adaptation has a quick plot and adorable art!
Although I felt like some of the characters and events weren't thoroughly fleshed out, I enjoyed reading it as a condensed summary of the original story.
The art was definitely my favorite part; the charming style and colorful setting added a magical aspect to this story.
I would recommend The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel to young readers!

This is a cute and quick read. The art is BEAUTIFUL and everything is very aesthetically pleasing, although I do wish the colors were more vibrant.

This book will be great for children, but I think that parents and older readers who may also decide to read it will enjoy it swell.

The adaptation brought a fresh and modernized perspective while still being reminiscent of the original. Reading this made me quite nostalgic as I have fond memories of reading the original as a child.

The Secret Garden is one of my favourite children’s books. I love the entire story (except for one part; more on that later) and all the characters, Dickon and Martha being my special favourites. So seeing the graphic version of this novel is a nostalgic experience.

You might already know the original story. Mary’s parents, who live in colonial India, die suddenly of cholera and she is shipped off to one of her distance uncles in England. While initially a spoiled brat, she is soon set right by the friendly maid Martha. Under her loving tutelage, Mary learns to enjoy the outdoors, find new friends and even love herself. The secret garden she discovers on the grounds is central to this changeover.

The book is quite charming and cute. It moves very quickly as there are many pages with only graphics and not much dialogue. Unfortunately, the story gets a few abrupt jumps at times and I can’t help feeling that chaptered sections would have worked better in explaining the sudden scene shifts.

While the illustrations of the garden and house are excellent, the children could have drawn in a cuter way. The book will still be appealing to all its readers because the story is en evergreen one that speaks of nature and its enjoyment. I hope this graphic novel spurs the children to read the classic book too.

What I have always hated in the original story is the colonial setting. While I am sometimes forgiving of the classic authors for being so racist and stereotyped in their thinking about “the natives”, I found it hurtful that the author Frances Hodgson Burnett had never even visited India and merely used whatever she had heard to create a picture of the Indian under British rule. So here comes the great news: the graphic version does away entirely with the Indian part of the story and begins with Mary travelling to her uncle’s house. The note by the author at the end of the book states that the Indian part has been skipped out as “it doesn’t do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India.” Heck, yeah! I am usually against significant parts of the story being left out in the graphic version, but in this case, I wholeheartedly support this decision and am grateful to whoever took that creative call. A big THANK YOU. A extra half star to the book for this decision and the honest note mentioning the same. <3 I would have gone with 3.75 stars for the book but now I go with 4.25.

Thank you, NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable. Cute. Magical.

This was such a cute graphic novel! I do need to say, I did not read the original story. However, I quite enjoyed it. The artwork was magical and made the story really come to life on paper. The story itself was adorable. I loved how Mary explored everything on her own and discovered so many things. Would really recommend reading this one!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

CW- death of family member, grief
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This graphic novel adaption of The Secret Garden was adorable! I loved the art style, and I feel as though many of the important parts of the book were still there. It would be a perfect way to introduce young readers to the classic.
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Again, the art style is just so wonderful! It is worth it to pick up this book just because of it! It is very whimsical and almost dreamy.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A perfect little book. I’ve always loved The Secret Garden so I thought I would give a graphic adaptation a try, and I’m so happy that I did. The story works so well as an adaptation and the beautiful illustrations are so cute and really bring the story to life. I also loved how true it stays to the original heart of the story in a much shorter format. There are omissions - particularly to do with the original novels colonialist history - which are explained at the end of the story, I really appreciated that. This short graphic novel would also be the best way to introduce very young readers to the story as the slightly creepy Gothic elements of the original are toned down in this version. Super cute, definitely recommend.

3.5 "nostalgic, stress easing, hope instilling" stars !!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and illustrator and Andrews McCeel publishing for an e-copy.

I had a variety of minor stressors today (that added up) and I was feeling tense and mildly anxious. Aside from my meditation and walking I needed a little more. So I opened up my favorite Portuguese Rose and was perusing Netgalley when lo and behold......

This adaptation appeared.

As a young boy from the ages of five to eight I read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett at least three times a year. At five I may have had it read to me once or twice but I started reading very young. It quickly became one my very favorites and it was both magical and comforting to me.

This graphic novel/picture book is an adaptation by Mariah Marsden and illustrated by Hanna Luechtefeld. The adaptation was sweetly done but a bit lacking and I would rate it three stars. The illustrations were lovely and varied and I can see it appealing to young children. I would rate the illustrations an excellent four stars. In the end there is some really interesting background on the book and author as well as a glossary.

I feel this would appeal as a read-along to the younger children or older children that avoid novels.
I would hope this good book would be enough incentive for the child to then go on to the Classic.

This was cute! I have such vivid memories of watching The Secret Garden film probably twenty years ago so I couldn't resist this. The art style is gorgeous, especially the nature and flower scenes - they really stood out and will look even more amazing in print. I also really appreciated the history and the glossary in the back! A great and informative read especially for younger readers.

This was such a cute retelling/reimagining of the classic story. I think what really stood out to me was the art. The cover is not even a HINT at the beauty inside. Seriously, this art will blow you away.

We all know the classic story, but this adaptation made it feel fresh and new, modernized but at the same time paying good homage to the original.

Thank you for the e-galley!