There is nothing better then a retelling of a classic. I have been binge reading them lately and this one did not disappoint. If you are looking for a way to get your kiddo into classics look no further then this gorgeous rendition of The Secret Garden!

I loved The Secret Garden as a child and I loved this graphic novel! The pictures are so beautiful and felt like what I always imagined the garden would be while reading the novel has come to life. A great read for those who have and have not read the original version.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However, all opinions are of my own.
A book I've loved since a little girl. I loved all of the graphics - they were pretty and sat really well with the story. I fell in love with the story all over again and love how magical all of the elements are within.
I love graphic novels and I loved all of the illustrations which really made the book feel much more magical.

Everything was very nice!

Starting with the story that I wanted to read for a long time but it didn't encourage me, but as soon as I saw that it was a graphic novel and it had these beautiful illustrations I said "it's time"!

I really liked it a lot. Easy to read, cute illustrations and a moving story!

Graphic novels are not my usual genre - in fact, it is the first time (since comics in my childhood) that I have tried one. My intention was to review it in digital format with the possibility of buying it for my granddaughter in a couple of years’ time. I’ve recently re-read the original Secret Garden and, while this book is beautifully illustrated, I feel it is too light on dialogue and story line. My personal feeling (and others may disagree) is that without having read the original book it would be difficult to portray the story in a faithful manner. I read it with an imaginary child on my knee and didn’t feel I would enjoy the experience of doing this for real. It might be a nice book for a child to flick through by themselves, but I doubt they would get the depth of the story or be able to identify fully with the characters. This is my voluntary review of a free copy of the book. My thanks to NetGalley and the author.

The Secrets Garden is a graphic novel. The illustrations were mellow and soothing. A significant amount of the text was wordless. Young kids will find this book easy to read because of the illustrations and fewer words. You can also learn about the author's life, her inspiration, and what was happening in England during the time this novel was written.

This is a delightful and enchanting retelling of the classic story, The Secret Garden. The story is just as wonderful as I remember from when I read this as a child.

I love the artwork. The art is beautiful and really adds to the wonder and enchanting magic of the story. The art really shows you when something magical is happening. There are stars hovering over everything in the Secret Garden. The stars added something extra that made me believe in the magic even more.

I also really enjoyed reading along as the children in the story grow and become friends. We really see the power of friendship and how friends can do anything when they set their mind on doing something.

I really recommend anyone who is fan of the Secret Garden to read this graphic novel and enjoy this terrific retelling.

Stay awesome and keep reading!

"The Secret Garden" graphic novel is a beautifully illustrated, annotated version of the classic story that fans of the original will enjoy. Newcomers to the novel may need to refer to the original book to understand some of the plot points.

This was not my first time reading this story, but having it in a graphic novel format really broadened the reading experience.

Although some elements from the original story were omitted I think they retrieved the main ones so I didn’t think it missed important data.

Just by looking at the cover I knew the illustrations were so pretty, the art style and color scheme were endearing to this story.

I really enjoyed this story in this new and fresh format. If you love this story you’ll adore the graphic novel.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of The Secret Garden Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

The Secret Garden Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden and Hannah Luechtefeld is a graphic novel adaptation of the classic novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  It was published on June 15th, 2021.  I rated it four stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Green-growing secrets and magic await you at Misselthwaite Manor, now reimagined in this graphic novel adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s tale.
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.

The Secret Garden wasn’t a story that I had strong nostalgic feelings for, but I wanted to see what might happen with a graphic novel adaptation of it. I have to say that I really enjoyed it.
The story worked really well as a graphic novel because it was nice to have the visuals that were going along with the story. When you’re writing about a garden, it’s nice to have actual images of the garden being talked about. I really like the art style and that it was full colour. It was very beautiful. I felt that the style matched with the story as well.
Story wise, it was one that I was vaguely familiar with. As mentioned I don’t have strong memories about it, but I felt like I had a good understanding of what was going on and what the author had written about. I liked seeing the main characters grow through the events of the story.  They really showed development even though it wasn't very long.
Overall, it was a really good story and I recommend that you check it out.

I love the illustrations in this graphic novel. A lot of the story is told with just pictures, leaving things to the reader's imagination. The main characters, Mary, Martha, and Colin were well-developed. This novel gives a complete and satisfying story, even though much of the original is not represented. The author chose to leave out the backstory about colonial India, which isn't really required for the main storyline. This version of The Secret Garden boils the story down to the relationship between Mary and Colin, which makes for a lovely, engaging read.

(actual rating: 3.5/5)

This was a really charming retelling of an already enchanting tale, in graphic novel form.

The art style was actually really adorable, and while it isn't as intricate as some, it does its job well and gives certain parts of the story more childlike wonder.

The story stays almost entirely true to the original, the only major change being that instead of Mary's past being shown at the beginning of the book, it is occasionally flashbacked to throughout the story.

I think that this graphic novel works well as an adaption of the original story, even if it seems a bit rushed/disjointed at times. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoyed the original book, as a different way to experience the story.

I'm going to tell you something shocking: I haven't read The Secret Garden yet. I actually just recently got my hands on a copy and it's on my TBR (who knows when my TBR will ever shrink though).

I REALLY wanted to jump into it sooner, so this book seemed perfect! It's a graphic novel, I can sink into the images and learn about the story. Then when I read the original, I will have a better understanding and be able to learn. It's something nice, ya know?

The illustrations in this book make it feel very whimsical and magical. It feels like I'm in a child's world - which we are. Learning about The Secret Garden and watching the story for the first time - it was truly an experience. I think this is a wonderful book to read. I can't tell you if it's accurate to the original yet, but it was one miraculous story and it's told in an engaging way.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I read and received a DARC through the publisher and NetGalley. Thank you so much! The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Secret Garden adapted into a graphic novel? I wanted to read it right away. This story brings me back. For the graphic novel version, I love the simplistic and poignant illustrations to compliment such a classic like this. I appreciate the little details in capturing the beauty of the gardens as well as the mood of the Moor. The short dialogue from the characters are easy to read for those who are familiar with the story. If one is reading this for the first time, they may find the transitions a little difficult to follow with no chapter indications. Otherwise, this is a lovely read for children and will take adults in a nostalgic trip.

While not as detailed as the novel (understandably), this was a very nostalgic read with some beautiful illustrations. I felt that Mary's back story was shown in flashbacks but not really touched at all. If you didn't know about it already, the flashbacks are actually very confusing as they served no purpose. I do think it is a graphic novel that could introduce young readers to classics in an accessible format!

Such a beautifully illustrated story, which really did justice to the original story. The art style was minimalistic, and the colour scheme they picked was very suitable for the story. I'm glad they decided to exclude a few certain (problematic) parts of the original story. Such a sweet tale.

I want to thank to the author and Illustrator for giving me the opportunity to read this graphic novel via Netgalley all in exchange of my honest review.


This graphic novel Is a retelling of the real book the secret garden which starts with a young girl Mary going to her uncle's house because her parents died, and there she finds a meaning and a great reason to be happy.


This book has some gorgeous and beautiful graphics and I think that the book show us the life that nature give to us every time, and not only that, but to learn to love every inch of our life represented by nature and everything that surround us.

At the end this was fast paced and I really liked it and enjoyed it, I read it so fast but it was good, not the best but it was so gorgeous, so I am about to rate it 4 stars.

Remember this is my own opinion and any one can think differently from me and say different things.

I don't know if this graphic novel was a good adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, since I've never read the book, but I love it! The plot, the characters, it's a simple story but it's so emotional at the same time.

The illustration style really helped give life to these characters: their expressions are adorable, specially Mary and Colin when they are angry. The soft lines, the colors, it all matched well with the plot and made The Secret Garden even more engaging to read. It was a page-turner to me, but this is no news, since I love books with children as central characters.

The secret Garden is a story about loneliness, healing and found family, and the ending was the perfect conclusion for it.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. I especially loved the color palette used. It was definitely pertinent to the subject and feel of the story. The dialogue is a lot smoother and I feel the characters are nicer than in the original novel. I loved the illustrations about Mary's past. The best part of the book was getting to see the flowers and the garden. I liked how it was visualized.

This is such a lovely graphic adaptation of The Secret Garden. Luechtefeld's illustrations are unique and sweet and give a whole new feel to this classic. This is a title I would recommend to young readers who enjoy the classics and readers who struggle with novelizations.