Product Description
After the death of her parents, Mary is brought back from India as a forlorn and unwanted child to live in her uncle's great lonely house on the Moors. Then one day she discovers the key to a secret garden and, like magic, her life begins to brighten in so many ways.Amazon.com Review
Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her gardengrow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, whois every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas ina pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors ofEngland, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and putsthe blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest,most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high wallswhich shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses whichwere so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,'Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for tenyears.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin'ssour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid tolive and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakeningspirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett createscharacters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identifywith them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to12) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (274)

Delightful fiction for the family
This classic engages and captivates the reader from the beginning. Everyone loves to uncover hidden secrets. The main character is an orphan girl called Mary whose curiosity, intelligence and unpretentious character not only win the hearts of all around, buthelp her to solve the mystery of the Secret Garden.

Under cover in a bygone England.
Normally, I don't delve into juvenile literature that often, but the 1948 movie was so indelible for me that I went to Ms. Burnett's sourcework to find what treasures could be found within. Like a good yarn, it captivated me until I finished it 3 days later. There were more characters than the film (expected)and there were shifting alliances and sub-plots as you went along. Still, the suspense and mystery builds to a wonderful conclusion. Despite, subtle racial and class allusions within that may trouble politically-correct devotees, the psychological and moral lessons within for the reader outweigh any censorship as far as I am concerned knowing its historicity. The very fable itself serves notice as to the benefits of solitary improvement. What "Treasure Island" did for this man, "The Secret Garden" would surely do for any girl. A Charmingly told yarn.

Hleping Gardens Bloom
Set in Victorian England a century ago this endearing children's classic remains as refreshing in our modern age as when it was first published--literary dew on the roses.True, it lacks the swashbuckling adventure and terrifying physical dangers which typically appeal to boys, but it does transport readers back into a simper era, when people felt closer to the land and all living things--attributes which we are starting to rediscover.

Orphaned by the death of her socialite parents in India, where she was accustomed to being catered to by her Ayah, Mary Lennox arrives in Yorkshire, England with a chip on her shoulder and an ache in her abandoned heart. Spoiled, selfish, arrogant and disdaining common folk she quickly is ignored by most of the overburdened staff at Craven Hall and left to her own devices to while away empty time.Worst of all, even her taciturn uncle takes no interest in her; in fact he seems to shun his own home. The only servant who is kind and friendly to the sullen arrival is a sweet Yorkshire maid.

Bored yet curious about the strange cries and groans she overhears Mary starts to explore her new surroundings' exterior and interior.Outside, she discovers a secret garden, hidden away and unloved behind ivy-covered walls, with only one entrance door which is mysteriously locked. Inside the manor house she stumbles upon a hidden room in which lies a wretched, bedridden boy--her ten-year-old cousin, Collin--who thinks he is developing a hunch back and will soon die. Spoiled, selfish and denied parental love as well, the boy alternates between moments of pique and a natural, juvenile interest in someone his own age. Despite the clash of wills the rejected children gradually come to understand each other; she
encourages Collin to combat his gloomy prognosis and try to walk.Is there a conspiracy between doctor and housekeeper to prevent the boy from getting well and growing up?

But the Garden Cure is close at hand, for Mary meets Dickon, the country lad who lives nearby--a fellow who has a sunny presence and a way with all living things. Animals trust him; even the wild ones are tamed in his presence.After assuring Mary that the secret garden is still "wick" (alive) they undertake to restore it to life. But why did her uncle lock it up long years ago, abandoning a place so much beauty and healing for the soul?What will lead Mary to rise above her self-centered existence in order to help Collin break his pessimism and her uncle reject his despair?A timeless treasure which reminds us that even seemingly dead gardens can bloom again--even in human hearts.

NB:the excellent PBS version includes surrealistic scenes bordering on Black Magic as in JANE EYRE--making the story darker than the author intended. Still an excellent film.

If you must get this book, get the one with the Tasha Tudor illustrations
I tried to attach this review to an edition of this book with Tasha Tudor's illustrations, but unfortunately my review somehow ended up in a group of reviews of the DVD of one of the movie adaptations through some glitch. Therefore, I'm reposting my review here so it will actually attach to the book it is meant for.

First, let me say that I am a huge fan of Tasha Tudor's lovely illustrations for both "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess". To me, the Tudor editions are really the classic evocations of these books, and it's even a bit irksome to see editions with other illustrations when there are so many other wonderful stories for those talented folks to work on. Therefore, if you're going to buy an edition of "The Secret Garden," I'd say the Tudor-illustrated edition, preferably in hardback with the lovely dust jacket, is the one to get.

Having said that, I'll admit I have had mixed feelings about this story both as a child and as an adult. In a nutshell, it's the story of a spoiled, ill-mannered little British girl named Mary who is being raised in India in late Victorian times. After her entire family dies in an epidemic, Mary is shipped off to live in a remote castle-mansion in the English countryside, where the climate (cold) and the accents (such as that of the Scottish maid) are foreign to her, and no one pays any attention to her. Exploring on her own, Mary discovers a "secret" walled garden and works to restore it with the help of a gardener and a local country boy named Dickon, who tames animals as well as being a whiz with growing things. Mary also discovers she has an "invalid" cousin, Colin, around her own age, who sequesters himself in his bedroom. Colin and Mary both have disagreeable personalities at the beginning because they've been ignored and neglected by the adults in their lives, but as time goes by and they spend more time outdoors in the garden, playing with animals and the like, they help each other develop into nicer and more physically healthy children.

If this sounds like a very old-fashioned Victorian story, it more or less is. Each time I've tried to read it (several times from about age 12, when a popular movie version was out, up through adulthood) I find the beginning pretty exciting, what with Mary suddenly losing her family and being shipped off to a strange place, but then it bogs down in the middle. The kids never do much except mess around in the countryside and think introspective thoughts; there are no big "adventures" to speak of. Unlike "A Little Princess," you don't have the hero/ heroine vs. evil villains plot aspect; it's basically a book about some children fighting the demons in themselves. The neglectful adults, such as Mary's uncle, are not particularly demonized nor are they abusive; one gets the impression that they just don't quite know how to handle raising the kids, which again is very Victorian given that the raising of children was often handed off to nannies or servants.

I am sure there are children and adults who would just love this book, especially all the descriptions of cute animal tricks and flowers coming to life, as well as the whole "children thoughtfully overcoming the mistakes of adults in their lives" theme, but I am equally sure there are folks who, like me, would prefer a story with a little more going on in it, such as "A Little Princess" (or even something wackier like "Alice in Wonderland"). The idea that kids who are physically or perhaps mentally/spiritually ill to some degree just need to run around in the sunshine and have pleasant manners and it all goes away is also a bit disturbing. Despite the nice illustrations (in the Tudor edition) and the charming animal antics, it's just not my type of book.

Great book for all ages!
Even though this book was supposedly written "for children", I ENJOYED reading it VERY much! I love happy endings, and the book provided that. ... Read more

Product Description
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress. Bonham Carter made her film debut in the K. M. Peyton film, A Pattern of Roses, before appearing in her first leading role in Lady Jane. She is best known for her portrayals of Lucy Honeychurch in the film A Room with a View, Marla Singer in the film Fight Club, Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter film series, her Oscar-nominated performance as Kate Croy in The Wings of the Dove, her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, as well as her other collaborations with Tim Burton, her domestic partner since 2001. Bonham Carter will play the villainous Red Queen, alongside notable actors such as Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Anne Hathaway, and Christopher Lee, in her partner Tim Burton's 2010 film, Alice in Wonderland, and Enid Blyton in an adaptation of her life entitled Enid. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a digital press kit used by movie critics and entertainment writers. THIS IS NOT A DVD OF THE FILM, but it is a nice supplement to fans of the film or the stars! It has a booklet inside with a film synopsis, full credits and stories about the production. The disc has photos, behind the scenes movie stills and other stuff about the movie. Not available to the general public!Pictured are Johnny Depp working on the animation, as well as Tim Burton, and the characters. ... Read more

Product Description
Ben Blewitt is desperate for a dog. He's picked out the biggest and best dogs from the books in the library - and he just knows he's going to get one for his birthday. Ben is excited when the big day arrives, but he receives a picture of a dog instead of a real one! But the imagination can be a powerful thing, and when Ben puts his to work, his adventures really begin! ... Read more

Product Description
The tale of a little girl who drops a yellow flower into the sea and hears the whales' song, given magical treatment by Helena Bonham-Carter's reading on tape, and designed to encourage young readers to follow the story whilst turning the pages of the accompanying "Mini Treasure Picture Book". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

wonderful book
This is a great children's book for any little girl or boy interested in whales.It has a cute simple story - the reading level is probably 1st or 2nd grade, but can be happily read to 3 yrs and up.Really beautiful illustrations

A beautiful story about these majestic animals
This story is about the beauty of whales, yet it has aspects that refer back to the economic value that whaling had before the days of petroleum products and over killing. Lilly is a young girl who lives by the ocean and her grandmother is telling her the story of the whales. How peaceful they are and how she would watch them and occasionally even hear them singing to her. Lilly's great-uncle Frederick provides the counterpoint, calling the grandmother's stories about whales silly and pointing out how important they were for meat, bones and blubber to create whale oil for lamps.
Lilly is told that she needed to offer the whales something, so one day she throws a yellow flower into the ocean. After waiting, she gives up and goes home to bed. However, during the night the whales call to her and she goes to the seashore where she sees the whales and hears them saying her name.
Humans know very little about whales, their social structure or even their level of intelligence. Therefore, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that humans could learn a great deal from whales. While that is not the main premise of this book, it does point out that there is much to admire and respect about whales and the role they have in the ecosystem of the world.

Imaginative, Beautiful, Appealing
I love reading this story to children at the Seattle Aquarium, and inserting their names at the pivotal points as the whales call out.This is a vivid story with beautiful illustrations.The story appeals to all young children, and especially little girls, as they relate to the main character.Sheldon introduces some gentle reminders of caring for whales for more than their meat, and then poetically and imaginatively shows us what it means to be friends with the whale.This is a story filled with magical realism, and I highly recommend it for ages 3 through 7.

Beautiful
I bought this book over ten years ago while living in London as a student. Now, married with 3 children, it is a family favorite. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the story is told in a magical tone. We love to whisper the words on the last page -it always captivates the kids. The part of the story that discusses the purposes of the whale long ago is a bit advanced for small children, but for the older ones it promoted conversation & learning. Buy this book in hardcover to ensure it lasts longer. A WONDERFUL MUST-HAVE for anyone with an imagination!!

Beautiful, loving story, exceptional paintings.
As a homeschooling parent I read this book with my children as we were doing a unit study on sound.

Whales have a the ability to make a much higher pitched sound than the human ear can hear. It is their song, or communicating which facinates us.

This book offers magnificent and realistic paintings which will delight your eyes as well as your heart.

The grandmother tells of the whales, is it real or fantasy? All the while a great uncle so blatently informs the little girl what whales were used for in the past.

As we know, whales have much larger brains then ours- who is to say they would not sing for a kind gesture from a loving stranger?

This book has found a special place in our home library, I hope it will for you or someone you love as well. ... Read more

Product Description
Kindle edition of James' masterpiece with an active table of contents.

The novel tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her impact on the people around her. Some of these people befriend Milly with honorable motives, while others are more self-interested.

The novel has been adapted for film and stage several times; notably in 1997 with Helena Bonham Carter who was nominated for an Academy Award.
... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine), published by Thomson Gale on September 11, 2007. The length of the article is 938 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A few choices titles to get excited about between now and Christmas.(HOTPICKS)(movie reviews)(Movie review)
Author: Kyle Buchanan
Publication: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 11, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 992Page: 39(2)

Article Type: Movie review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Includes articles on the Las Vegas home of Siegfried and Roy, Helena Bonham-Carter, The Beverly Hills Hotel, painter Ed Ruscha, Peggy Guggenheim, and a short story by James Atlas. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on May 7, 1998. The length of the article is 1347 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Las alas de la paloma.(TT: The Wings of the Dove)
Author: Mario Saavedra
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: May 7, 1998
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: v44Issue: n2342Page: p80(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on April 2, 1998. The length of the article is 1275 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Las alas de la paloma.(TT: The Dove's Wings)
Author: Tomás Pérez Turrent
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: April 2, 1998
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: v44Issue: n2337Page: p70(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on March 29, 1998. The length of the article is 721 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Las alas de la paloma.(TT: The Wings of the Dove)
Author: Javier Betancourt
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 29, 1998
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: n1117Page: p64(2)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on February 23, 1998. The length of the article is 847 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Las alas de la paloma.(TT: The Wings of The Dove)
Author: Pedro Crespo
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 23, 1998
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Issue: n678Page: p68(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Kindle edition of Forster's classic work with active table of contents.

The story is about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century.

Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985 directed by James Ivory and starring Dame Maggie Smith as "Charlotte Bartlett", Helena Bonham Carter as "Lucy Honeychurch", Dame Judi Dench as "Eleanor Lavish", Denholm Elliott as "Mr. Emerson", Julian Sands as "George Emerson," Daniel Day-Lewis as "Cecil Vyse"and Simon Callow as "The Reverend Mr. Beebe". ... Read more

Product Description
Kindle edition of Forster's classic novel with active table of contents

On a journey to Tuscany with her young friend and traveling companion Caroline Abbott, widowed Lilia Herriton falls in love with both Italy and a handsome Italian much younger than herself, and decides to stay. Furious, her dead husband's family send Lilia's brother-in-law to Italy to prevent a misalliance, but he arrives too late. Lilia had already married the Italian and in due course becomes pregnant again.

In 1991 it was made into a film by Charles Sturridge, starring Rupert Graves, Giovanni Guidelli, Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter, and Judy Davis. ... Read more

Product Description
A Victorian sensation!Beware the blood-soaked razor of Sweeney Todd, that demon barber of Fleet Street!

Johanna Oakley's lover, Mark Ingestrie, has gone missing under suspicious circumstances.And the man who was meant to deliver Mark's last gift to her, a string of pearls, has gone missing, too ... and was last seen entering the barber shop of Sweeney Todd.

In desperation, Johanna decides to dress up as a boy in order to gain access to Todd’s premises. And there, in a foul underground crypt, she discovers the grisly truth about what has really happened to Sweeney Todd's unsuspecting customers ... and what they have to do with Mrs. Lovett, famed maker of the most delicious pies in London! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Personal Thought
The String of Pearls

Sweeney Todd is the antagonist for the novel The String of Pearls. He is known in London as the demon barber, for he sits people in his chair and slits their throat with his sharpened blade. The story begins with the missing man, Lieutenant Thornhill. He has a delivery for miss Johanna Oakley from her lover, Mark Ingestrie, who was assumed, lost at sea. Johanna and one of Thornhill's mates, Colonel Jeffery, set sail to look for him. Johanna dresses up as a boy to satisfy her curiosity of Sweeney Todd. She ends up working for him and finds out that her lover, Mark Ingestrie, has been locked up in the cellar working as a cook making pies out of human flesh for him. Mark tells the customers the truth about the store and Sweeney Todd. Mrs. Lovett is poisoned by Sweeney Todd and he himself is hanged for his doings. Johanna and Mark feel relieved and live happily ever after.
My feelings about this book are rather scattered. When Sweeney Todd is going around killing people, it is intriguing and makes me relate other movies and books I have read previously. But I love the adventure. I cannot really relate the book to my life in the same situation because I do not live in London nor make pies of human flesh nor slit people's throats with a razor. But if you look at the romantic part of this story, it is much like Pirates of the Caribbean. Will goes searching for Elizabeth as she is captured by the pirates. Such as Johanna searches for Mark lost at sea. Todd's apprentice, Tobias, is relative to me because he is a chefs assistant. ... Read more