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"Ten-year-old Mary Lennox arrives at a secluded estate on the Yorkshire moors with a scowl and a chip on her shoulder. First, there's Martha Sowerby: the too-cheery maid with bothersome questions who seems out of place in the dreary manor. Then there's the elusive Uncle Craven, Mary's only remaining family-whom she's not permitted to see. And finally, there are the mysteries that seem to haunt the run-down place: rumors of a lost garden with a tragic past, and a midnight wail that echoes across the moors at night. As Mary begins to explore this new world alongside her ragtag companions-a cocky robin redbreast, a sour-faced gardener, and a boy who can talk to animals-she learns that even the loneliest of hearts can grow roots in rocky soil. Given new life as a graphic novel in illustrator Hanna Luechtefeld's whimsical style, The Secret Garden is more enchanting and relevant than ever before."--Provided by publisher.
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2021 May #1
Burnett's iconic novel gets a graphic reenvisioning. Marsden, graphic-novel adapter of Anne of Green Gables (2017), hopes to entice a new wave of young readers with her interpretation of the classic tale. Following Burnett's narrative, after the death of her parents, tempestuous young Mary is sent to live with mysterious Uncle Craven in his sprawling estate on the moor. Her displeasure with the situation is evident from the beginning, when she is introduced with a prominent scowl and obvious attitude. However, time at Misselthwaite Manor softens Mary's hard exterior as she makes friends and discovers the wonder of nature. When she finds a walled garden and a sequestered cousin, she learns she is able not only to begin her own voyage of healing, but to help her uncle and cousin as well. Luechtefeld's orderly panels employ a deliberate earth-toned palette, starting with a decidedly dark feel and gradually lightening as the characters move through their own personal struggles with grief. Marsden takes liberties with the original text, glossing over such details as Mary's colonialist beginnings and the deaths of her parents; readers see little more than her standing graveside. A concluding note includes an explanation that "we chose to leave out [the Indian] parts of the story because they don't do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India." The core of Burnett's tale is present, however, often ably conveyed in lovely wordless scenes. A visually appealing adaptation. (Graphic adaptation. 7-11) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2021 July
Gr 3â6âMarsden and Luechtefeld's graphic novel reimagines Burnett's story of a lonely girl who blossoms while tending to a garden. Recently orphaned 10-year-old Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle Craven at gloomy Misselthwaite Manor in the Yorkshire moors. Sour and standoffish, Mary initially rebuffs the kindness of maid Martha Sowerby and wanders the grounds alone. Discovering a long-abandoned, locked-away garden, she decides to revive it, which leads her to both animal charmer (and brother to Martha) Dickon Sowerby and Colin Craven, her sickly cousin whose existence has been concealed from her. As the children transform the garden, happiness again seems possible at Misselthwaite Manor. This pleasant, evenly paced retelling is a good entry point for reluctant readers into classic children's literature. The parallels between the tending of the garden and character development within the story are reflected in the beautiful, hand drawnâstyle artwork, which gradually brightens from a washed-over neutral palette to lighter. The biggest change to the narrative is the decision to remove mention of India because those parts "don't do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India." A brief biography of Burnett, a glossary, and a discussion of places and spaces from the original novel are appended. As in the original book, Mary and the other main characters are white. VERDICT A new take on a beloved story that will delight readers young and old. Recommended for all libraries.âPearl Derlaga, York County P.L., VA Copyright 2021 School Library Journal.
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