The Secret Garden is a piece of classic literature that has been part of an untold number of childhoods (if you missed our article on why children should read classic novels, see it linked below!). It is a powerful tale of friendship and discovering oneself that resonates with our souls.
The Secret Garden is about a young girl named Mary Lennox who loses her family and everything familiar with her due to a cholera outbreak in India, where her father was working as a British Army Captain. As a child, Mary was quite neglected, but indulged by family’s servants, so she was a spoiled child with a terrible disposition. She had very few traits that would help her cope with a new life in England, where she was sent to live with a grouchy distant relative, 先生. Craven.
先生. Craven had very strict rules for Mary to follow at her new home at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, which included her being forbidden to enter various rooms inside the giant mansion, as well as forbidden to enter one of the gardens on the sprawling property, which belonged to his beloved late wife. As Mary begins to explore her new home, she begins to find a sense of happiness and regains her health after being sickly for much of her childhood. After a robin helps her find the key to the secret garden, she finds a sense of purpose in restoring the garden, much as she restores her inner self. Through the thorns and dried leaves of winter, she finds much more lies within.
Aided by new friend Dickon, Mary develops her first friendships, and uses her newfound strength and kindness to help her bedridden cousin Colin, whom she finds tucked away in the manor. Friendship strengthens both Mary and Colin, and in the end, everyone witnesses a miracle only made possible by these close bonds and belief in oneself, two very important themes in the novel.
Young people will love reading this fantastic story of friendship, overcoming obstacles, and experiencing the healing power of nature. The characters and the lessons they teach us will surely touch your child and help them experience the power of a great story.
If you would like an opportunity for your child to experience this story with others, we are happy to let you know that we will be reading The Secret Garden as the first novel in our Young Classics Level 2 Course this summer.
In the course, we not only read the novel, but we also learn and apply new vocabulary from the book, discuss important literary techniques used by the writer, and practice writing summaries, a key skill that many students find challenging
If you are interesting in learning more about Young Classics, or and of our other excellent and engaging courses, contact one of our Education Consultants today! We hope to work with your child very soon!
