The Secret Garden FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT ‘Two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way – or always to have it.’ Amongst children’s literature, The Secret Garden holds a special place. When the spoilt, sickly Mary, living in pre-World War colonial India, loses her parents to cholera, she is shipped off to Yorkshire to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven. There, Mary slowly discovers many secrets, both dark and delightful – including a ‘secret garden’. As she learns new things, Mary’s personality undergoes a gradual but steady transformation. Vividly descriptive, The Secret Garden is equally enjoyable for children and adult readers.