Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite stories. I remember watching the 1993 movie when I was in second grade and loving it. I didn't read the book until I was much older, but when I did, I was sorry I hadn't read it sooner. Seeing the story I love in a graphic novel format was so exciting to me. It made me feel nostalgic and happy and honestly I'm ready to flip through the whole thing again even though I just finished it. I fear there may be a few things not properly understood by people who read this without having read the original story, but I think it holds up well despite that

When I was in middle school I read the novel The Secret Garden and I really liked the story, I found it whimsical and interesting (for a 10 year old), it was able to capture my attention. So having the experience of rereading the same story but in a graphic novel format was great. I liked the art style, and if I was a kid experiencing the story for the first time I would definetely prefer this format than the traditional novel.

4.25/5 :)

I read the original secret garden when I was little but don’t remember much, and never had much interest to re-read it again. But this graphic novel adaption caught my eye with this stunning cover so I just had to check it out. It definitely did not disappoint :)

The art style and colors are beautiful and to my liking. The colors are pretty and pleasant to look at. And I loved how it changed as the story progressed and the mood changed. I loved seeing the details in Mary’s facial expressions and how much she and her entire vibe changed at the end compared to the beginning.

Although I thought things were resolved a little too fast, it’s the perfect graphic novel length for a relaxing comfort read and for a younger audience. I love how they included a glossary at the end, i thought that was really thoughtful and would be really helpful especially to young readers.


If you don’t want to or have already read The Secret Garden, then this is the perfect read for you. I might even read it now that I’ve read this graphic novel version :)

This was absolutely perfect. The illustrations were beautiful and adorable, and the story reflected perfectly the original source material. It’s a wonderful little graphic novel based on a classic. There is also a lot of interesting info about the author I didn’t know about in the back of the book, as well as some history on British colonialism in India which would be great to educate children on. Highly, highly recommend.

This was my first time ever reading The Secret Garden and I’m so happy I started with this graphic novel adaptation! The artwork was beautiful! The illustrators did such a great job creating artwork for these scenes from the original story! They even were able to create pictures that were okay being left without dialogue! I would love to see the colors and the artwork once it’s published into a paperback!

I love the art style of this graphic novel. The fact that it's a children's classic made it more interesting because I tend to get intimidated with classic books. It was astonishing and a very cute adaptation. I think children would enjoy how adventurous and awe-inspiring it was.
I was having a rather bad day and this book really cheered me up. It was a very comforting read. I am excited for more adaptations by these artists. I would recommend it.

The cover of this book is what really grabbed me at first, i've never read the original classic, but i'm a huge fan of retellings and graphic adaptions, so I couldn't say no to this. In terms of the plot, i'd compare it to an abridged adaption of the original book, perfect for introducing new/younger readers to the story before they tackle the full thing. While I found some parts vague (and the author's notes at the end show some of this was for good reason), what I really enjoyed was the focus on the characters and their feelings and relationships.

The illustrations are lovely, with vibrant colors, fantastic depictions of the flora and fauna of the garden and surrounding moors, and simple character designs that leave room for their expressions and personalities to shine.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced readers copy.

I have never actually read "The Secret Garden" Novel, so it was really interesting to read this graphic novel adaptation.

I really liked the style of drawing, the simplistic linework felt very child-like, which added to the child-like whimsy of the story. I feel like there was enough of the original source material that I didn't lose the plot along the way. The changes that were made feel like an update to what I know about the original. it feels modern and more current even though it has the same victorian English setting. This is definitely a great book to help new readers jump into classic children's literature.

I especially loved the note in the back of the book explaining what was updated or omitted due to issues of racism. I think it was important that they acknowledged that the source material has those elements, but it doesn't need to continue into the text.

After reading this I think I do prefer the book because a lot was cut for time. You still get this beautiful story, but a more condensed version so it does make it great for younger readers who maybe don’t want to bother with the actual novel.

Though with the condensed version I do feel like we lose a bit of Mary’s character. We still get visually her struggle of losing her family and feeling like no one wants her, but the whole ending is cut short so we don’t see her come to terms that the new people in her life aren't going anywhere. I think if it was allowed just a couple more pages we could’ve gotten those scenes, especially the ones where she’s with her cousin.

The art however in this book is honestly so cute, I love the simplicity of it, and when there was a full spread it just looked so good. The garden scenes are of course the best because there’s so much small details put throughout the page. I think this is a cute and fun adaptation of a classic that I’ve seen and highly recommend if you want to just know the story finally.

This was such a joyous and wonderful read, I loved it!

The art style is so charming and delightful, I really need to check out more works by this illustrator.

The graphic novel wasn't as detailed as a book but it was pretty decent.

I would recommend it to younger children, they would certainly enjoy the story and maybe gain an interest in reading a book someday.

All in all, a lovely graphic novel.

Lovely graphic novel version of The Secret Garden. The illustrations are gorgeous and completely embody the spirit of the book. I did a read aloud with my five-year-old daughter (she's seen the movie from the 90's) and she adored it. She pored over the full-page illustrations and looked forward to bedtime when we were reading it. A must-by for libraries and children's bookstores.

So pretty and so sweet! A really quick read for all ages. I haven't read the original The Secret Garden so I can't compare the two (I do intend to read the novel eventually) but I really enjoyed slowly flipping through this graphic novel. The art is simple and cute and I'd love to have this in my collection just so I could flip though it again and again.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m really digging all the new graphic novel adaptations that have been coming out. Embarrassed to say I’ve never read the original Secret Garden Novel, but was blown away with this adaptation!

The story revolves around a young girl whose been orphaned, so she clearly has some emotional trauma. She’s sent to live with a distant uncle who lives on a Moor. It’s during her stay there that she opens up and truly begins to be herself again, and so does everyone else around her.

Before her arrival tragedy had struck the manor, resulting in the “Secret Garden” being locked away for years. She of course with a little magic uncovers the garden and brings color both figuratively and literally back into everyone’s world.

This was a breathtaking story, I couldn’t put it down. I recommend it for all ages, it teaches us to value what we have and to be kind, also that sometimes people just need a little love and kindness.

I know that some people had trouble with the art style, to each their own. I personally found it to be perfect for this story, it wasn’t over the top but just the right amount of simplicity. Truly breathtaking.


Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publishers/authors for giving me a chance to read & review such a wonderful story.

The Secret Garden is one of my favourite classics, so of course I jumped at the chance to read this graphic novel adaptation of the story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations, it doesn't do the original story justice, and it's liable to annoy people who are tired of whitewashed history.

The main problem I see here is that, if you don't know the original story, you're going to be confused because the format leads to a glossing-over of many plot points and the character development is weak (and inconsistent with the original). For some reason, the decision was made to remove any mentions of India from the story (purportedly because "they don't do justice to the history of British oppression in colonial India"), rendering Mary an inexplicable orphan with no backstory and no reason for her appalling behaviour toward those she feels are beneath her. The British were in India and they acted like racist jerks; can we please not try to "fix" the problem by ignoring it?

In the original story, Mary is a lot more sour. Here, we see a badly developed child character going through the motions of the story. Even the artwork doesn't really convey the emotions of this hurt little girl very well, as the drawings make everyone look much the same. Colin is probably the best developed out of all of them, but only because he's such an over-the-top character to begin with.

I can't put my finger on the intended audience here, either. There's not a ton of text (there are many panels with no text at all), so it might be okay for younger readers. However, like I mentioned earlier, those who are unfamiliar with the original story are liable to be confused and/or underwhelmed by the rather thin plot as it's presented here. There is some historical information at the back, along with a strange glossary that defines many words that are only used in the author's note. While the factual information about Frances Hodgson Burnett, India, and the English countryside is nice, I don't really know why we needed a glossary. (And I don't know why India was too taboo a topic to include in the graphic novel itself, when it was okay to put in the notes at the end.)

Perhaps fans of the novel who want to read every adaptation will get more out of this than I did. I love the original story... but this graphic novel definitely did not measure up.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this story with my 8-year-old daughter. Both lovers of the original, we were thrilled to find another version and in an interesting format. The illustrations were beautiful and aided the story telling reasonably well. The text was limited, as you would expect in a graphic novel, however we felt there needed to have been a little more. Some details could be inferred from the illustrations and we felt a lot of necessary detail had been lost. We could only follow along as well as we did as we knew the original so well. It also came across as a little dry and not as absorbing as we know this story to be.

I'm sure my daughter will return to these pages again, as it was an easily accessible read for her age and the artwork was beautiful. Just my recommendation, but I would encourage a new reader to read a version of the full story first and then to enjoy this format.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of the best children’s books of the 20th century. I was so excited when I found this graphic novel. It took me much longer than expected to finish reading because I was captivated by the amazing illustrations. Even once I was finished reading,I flipped back to stare at my favorite ones some more.

Of course, major points in the original book are missed, but I believe this book will pique the interest in children to read the original.

I also enjoyed the brief history of Frances Hodgson Burnett and also other information about the setting of the story with a glossary included.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Orphaned Mary arrives to her Uncle's home on the moor and would rather be any place else. She feels lonely and has trouble adjusting to her new life...not to mention the wailing at night. When the weather turns nicer and she begins to explore her home and a secret garden with her new friends her world expands.

I remember seeing the stage version of The Secret Garden and enjoying it so it was nice to revisit the story. The illustrations were very lovely (for some reason they reminded me of the cartoon Madeline). The story started out so dark and dreary but by the end when everyone was happy the colors came to life. This is a very sweet book.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

#netgalley #thesecretgarden

I make no secret that I am big fan of graphic novel adaptations. Anything that brings a new reader to a story they might not never have otherwise experienced is a positive, and Marsden's pervious adaptation of Anne of Green Gables has certainly seen a healthy circulation in my library. I think this one will be popular too.

This is adaptation is sweet and soft, offering an overview of the classic story with simple, muted illustrations. Part of me wouldn't have minded a bit more contrast in the imagery--greater darkness in the house or in the flashbacks, a more vibrant world in the garden--but this is an adaptation that tells the story gently. I also feel like some of the aspects of the story, like Colin's longing for his father and the grief that dwells in Misselthwaite, weren't developed well enough for the ending to have the emotional impact that it should, but Marsden did the best with the page space allotted to her. And I absolutely loved some of the bits lifted directly from the book--Dickon's drawing, Martha's wages paying for the skipping rope, Colin and his mother's portrait, Mrs. Sowerby coming to the garden! I also really enjoyed the way the "magic" was represented in the artwork.

All in all, this is a charming introduction to the original and a worth addition to any graphic novel collection that should be popular with younger independent readers or as a one-on-one read aloud. 3.5 Stars.

2.5 stars

The visuals are a huge part of the storytelling, with several full-page spreads and montages. And to be quite honest I personally didn't love the art style which is relatively simple, kind of cartoon-like, which doesn't lend itself to nuance or subtlety. Plus, in part due to the minimal dialogue and narration, on some pages it's hard to determine the order of the panels. That said, I did like how playful it is — I particularly like how elements cross panel boundaries to create a lively flow.

As an adaptation this is decent, but it might be difficult to follow if you're not familiar with the source material, since you lose Mary's internal monologue and many plot points are simplified/omitted. Consequently, several of the developments seem abrupt and lose resonance ... though that may be an issue with the medium itself, rather than any particular creative choices.

This was a beautiful graphic novelization of the classic book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The illustrations were very well done, but I felt like a lot of the original story was lost in this rendition. The book only contained dialogue, so a lot of text was lost if someone had not previously read the book. I'd recommend the book for those who have read the classic first, but I wouldn't recommend it as an alternative to Burnett's book.