i had actually forgotten the original secret garden plot (it's been years since i read it) but this was delightful. the way cherie writes her characters with such love and gentleness means so much to me. i also love when the old white dude stories get remixed.

thanks to macmillian and netgalley for the egalley!

Content warning: possibility of an adult giving medicine to a minor to purposely make them seriously ill (suggestion of Munchausen by proxy), parental death, racism

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Ok, so my love of THE SECRET GARDEN comes directly from the 1991 musical, though I have read Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel as well. There are parts of this remix that I think are really well done while honoring the original text, but overall, I felt like the magic of Mary Lennox discovering Colin Craven and the secret garden while befriending Dickon were absent and those are some of the best parts of the whole story.

So the good: I really like what Dimaline did with Olive's character so that Mary still discovers a sick cousin she didn't know about that's hidden away, but without the problematic ableism of Colin's disability and miraculous healing in Hodgson Burnett's version. One of the biggest red flags in the original is the blatant racism towards the country of India and its people (yes, I get that in the time it was written it wasn't seen as problematic... but it is racist). So I like that Dimaline took that and remixed it to how white settlers viewed the Indigenous people of the Georgian Bay.

I also enjoyed the character of Sophie, though Dickon Sowerby is my favorite character from THE SECRET GARDEN, so I was disappointed he wasn't there (though I get that Sophie is his replacement).

What didn't work for me: Mary is supposed to be this spoiled brat of a child and while I get that she's aged up in order to make INTO THE BRIGHT OPEN a YA novel instead of a middle grade novel, that petulance is lost because it doesn't entirely work with a 15-year-old. So I felt like her character growth wasn't as great in this as it is in the original text.

The magic of the garden took a backseat and was mostly glossed over in favor of giving Mary a love interest that (thankfully) is not her cousin. But for a story that really hinges on a child stumbling upon a secret garden she chooses to bring back to life and therefore through her learning to care about something other than herself, she brings back happiness and love into a family that has been living under the shadows of illness and grief for too long isn't there. Which makes this one a miss for me, though I think readers who aren't as familiar with the original will enjoy it for what it is.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up because I had enjoyed the other book I had read in this revisited classics line and The Secret Garden was one of my childhood favorites so I was interested to see what the new take on it would be and overall I had a good time reading this! It's been so long since I have read the original so while I don't remember all the details I did feel like this story largely evoked the same feelings that I remember having reading the original and in that sense I think this was a successful retelling. I also thought the way the new aspects of the world were woven into the story and setting was done very well.

My two qualms are that I do wish we spent a little more actual time in the garden itself than we did. And I thought the end felt a little *too* neatly tied up in a bow,

I love the classics remixed series and this is definitely no exception— I LOVE the new setting and characters, love Mary and Sophie and Olive, love that romance, friendship, and found family all get equal weight. Would love to have in my classroom!

Into the Bright Open is the latest release in Macmillan’s Remixed Classics series, in which “authors from diverse backgrounds take different literary classics from centuries past and reinterpret them through their own unique cultural lens. This collection will serve YA readers as both a series of fun, engaging reads as well as a subversive overall look at what our society has deemed “classic” — works that are overwhelmingly cishet, white, and male.” You can read more about this wonderful project on Macmillan’s website here!

I adore this idea, and I’m thrilled to see these books well received. When I saw an Indigenous retelling of The Secret Garden was coming out, I was beyond excited. Our communities have always been here, but we haven’t always been represented or represented accurately.

Confession: I haven’t read the original The Secret Garden. I know, I know; please don’t take my bibliophile card! I did grow up watching the 1993 movie on endless repeat, and I blame this film for my obsession with small carved elephants and all of my gardening attempts (some successful, others not). Although I haven’t read the source material, I am at least familiar with it.

Cherie Dimaline’s Into the Bright Open reimagines The Secret Garden with Indigenous and Queer representation. When Mary Lennox is unexpectedly orphaned, she finds herself leaving the only home she’s ever known in Toronto for an unknown uncle’s estate on the Georgian Bay. Interacting with Indigenous people for the first time, Mary learns the oppressive nature of her old home is not maintained by the staff in her new one. However, finding a secret cousin locked in the attic and the return of a domineering aunt changes Mary’s perception of this new home. Having had a taste of family, love, and freedom to roam, Mary isn’t quick to give it up. She sets about finding a way to free her cousin, restore a locked garden, and perhaps even find love along the way.

Dimaline expertly honors the source material while making this story distinctly her own. Mary and her cousin Olive’s relationship is quickly solidified before Mary loses access to her due to the interfering aunt. The blow is softened by the burgeoning friendship, and perhaps love, between Mary and Sophie. Sophie is a local girl who helps brainstorm ways to help Olive while she and Mary work on restoring the locked garden.

Mary’s story is full of growth, resilience, and shifts in understanding. Dimaline breathes new life into an old story, raising the stakes and shifting the nature of relationships in a way that is refreshing, relatable, and inclusive. Mary’s self-love, reflected in the garden and how she interacts with the natural world, is just as beautiful as the love story.

Into the Bright Open is a beautiful, fresh, Indigenous take on The Secret Garden.

Wado, thank you, to the author, NetGalley, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends for an e-ARC such that I could share my honest opinion.

Cherie Dimaline’s Into the Bright Open will be available September 5, 2023.

_Into the Bright Open_ is a strong retelling of the classic _The Secret Garden_, with queer characters and Canadian settings. Mary Lennox is orphaned, and has been sent to live with her uncle in the wilds of the Georgian Bay, a very different landscape than the city of Toronto that Mary is accustomed to. At first lost and apprehensive, Mary finds friendship from the servants and her cousin, and love from a local girl, as well as a landscape full of gardens and adventure. I enjoyed this retelling.

I have to admit I've never actually read The Secret Garden, so I can't judge this as a reimagining, but I can't imagine it topping this book. I read this in one sitting and I felt so immersed in the setting of this story. It's a very atmospheric, well-written story, with a main character who starts out unlikeable but who you also sympathize with. It's on the younger side of YA, which was really nice to see for a change, and I think this would be great to read in schools! This was my first time reading from this author, but it certainly won't be my last!

<b>Characters</b>: 5, I wish I cared more but I just didn't. Mary arrives self-centered and cynical, and finds purpose weeding a garden and falling in love with a more worldly girl. Every other character is a prop for her journey. Fiona, Rebecca, and Sophie felt slightly less flat than everyone else, but I still found myself not caring.

<b>Atmosphere</b>: 6, it was OK. I generally struggle to imagine settings- I got the bare outline of the abandoned house, the secret garden with its swing, the big house. Feelings-wise, Mary's default reaction to frightening things was anger, so I didn't feel tension until very near the end when the first major conflict occurs. Even then, it's resolved rather quickly and easily, with nobody much worried, so it didn't exactly keep me sucked in.

<b>Writing</b>: 6, it was OK. No glaring issues that I saw, just less developed than I'd hoped. It's more of a juvenile YA than expected, which is fine and the writing is appropriate to that. I suppose I hoped for a bit more metaphorical or poetic language, but it's very plain and verb-focused.

<b>Plot</b>: 7, it's a retelling of The Secret Garden so there aren't many surprises. However, the twists of Olive's treatment, the inclusion of the Metis presence, and the redesign of Dickon all served the story better for a modern audience. The pacing was fast and the story was short, which made it feel more like something to be read aloud.

<b>Intrigue</b>: 5, I had to push myself to read a bit of this every day, but I usually got bored after 1 chapter and wandered off. It's not poorly executed, it just wasn't enough of a me thing to keep my attention, so it took me 11 days to read.

<b>Logic</b>: 7, things worked in accordance with the societal norms of the era, the racism and ageism. Plus the characters acted along their motivations (the ones we could discern, anyway). There were no glaring plot holes that I could spot.

<b>Enjoyment</b>: 6, it was OK. I wish I'd been more invested, but I don't regret reading it.

Mary is a very selfish but lonely little girl so when her parents death and she is being sent to live with her uncle George she is taken aback upon her arrival at how familiar the servant flora is, but she also kind of likes it. Flora even invites 15-year-old Mary to meet her sister Sophie who is around the same age. For the most part however little Mary is alone at night and when she hears noises instead of being frightened she decides to go and check them out this is how she find out about her cousin in the attic. (Instead of Colin the cousin is a girl) she is sick and cannot leave the attic but Mary is just happy to have a friend her cousin will not be her only friend because eventually she does meet Sophie Sophie will be the one who makes a profound difference in Little Mary’s life for the most part this book is only similar to the secret garden but still I found it to be a great book they don’t spend lots of time in the seventh and secret garden in be worn does also child abused in this version as well I have yet to find a remix that is identical to the original only having Those from minority groups as characters are either way I really did thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a great job because even if I didn’t know it was a remix I would’ve definitely seen the similarities Nexus Romeo and Juliet but I’m sure not in that order lol! A definite five story. I want to thank McMillan children’s publishing group Ann that galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

I really liked a lot of the plot dressing here--the Canadian Metis community, the <spoiler>Munchausen's by proxy</spoiler>--but aging Mary up into a teenager really...doesn't hit the same. And there was just like.........way less time spent in the Secret Garden and more time in the woods. IDK I love the Remixed Classics series but most of them have been more about aging characters down from adult into teen and I think trying to YA-ify a children's book...well at least in this instance I didn't love it as much as I wanted to.

“The wild wasn’t empty. For a thing to be wild it had to be full. It had to be crowded, even if it was with things you couldn’t find the right words to label.”

I received an eARC of Into the Bright Open: a Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline from Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review. Here are my thoughts!

🌸 Like many other children my age I grew up the 1993 movie adaption of The Secret Garden. It’s one of four I can remember watching during my lifetime and I’ve always loved this story no matter which version. So it should come as no surprise that I was thrilled when I heard The Secret Garden was going to be part of the Remixed Classics collection.

Sadly, this particular adaptation came up a bit short for me. Even though I’m not an outdoorsy person myself, I’ve always found a sense of comfort in watching Mary blossom into herself alongside the forgotten, overgrown, secret garden she stumbles across. That just felt…missing from this story. The garden felt somewhat underdeveloped and it felt as though the author was talking down to the intended audience.

It’s a bummer — I could have LOVED a sapphic take on this story, but ended up pretty bored. That being said I highly recommend pretty much every other story in the Remixed Classics collection. Can’t wait to read more of them! 🌸

I love the Remixed Classics series as they breathe new life into familiar tales. While I had read the book and watched the movie as a child, I didn't remember much beyond the big plot points, so it was fun to rediscover the story. Mary did feel a bit young at times, as she grows from stunted and snobby to empathetic and strong. She went from mistreating Flora to scheming so that Flora can have more time with her love interest, and while previously she had no friends, Mary's relationships with Olive and Sophie grow to flourish. The ending wrapped up a bit quick for me, as I loved the writing style and would absolutely read more about Mary and Sophie's future.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I've seen a growing number of sapphic retelling of stories and found myself enjoying them immensely. Into the Bright Open was no different. When Mary's mother and father die she's brought to her Uncle's home and sets off a chain of events that occur change the lives of every single person in Craven Manor and much of the surrounding community. Seeing Mary's transformation from a sullen city girl to someone who helps bring a garden to life, who helps set up a dear friend to fall in love, and finds love herself in a very unexpected, but sweet place, was a treat from start to finish. I finished this in just a handful of days. My heart ached as Rebecca's reign washed over the grounds of the home, then leapt when Mary and Sophie would steal away to their Secret Garden.

If you like The Secret Garden, you’ll like this, as it follows the original pretty directly beat for beat. Extra points for taking place in Canada (I’m from Toronto and have spent a little time not too far from Georgian Bay), minus a few for not including the full final confrontation on the page (may not have been necessary but I wanted it anyway).

I loved this book! Mary has a huge character development, going from a sheltered girl who was ignored by her parents to a strong young woman who stands up against abuse and fights for her love! I loved seeing her grow.
Her relationship with Sophie is adorable. It encompasses the wonder of falling in love and meeting your person.
Her friendship with Flora and her cousin Olive were essential to Mary's growth as the story progresses, without them, Mary would've remained prejudiced and vain.
I loved the ending! Jean ended up saving the day with Mr Craven, I really enjoyed Jean's character, he seems like he doesn't pay attention, but secretly knows the whole story!
This book also focuses on a very important topic: racism against native people. It's shameful and terrible how many people would discriminate native people and push them out of their own lands. Native Americans have lost so much because of colonialism and it's heartbreaking to see some people are still racist in 2023. We have to do better and support the native community.
I really recommend this book to fans of Secret Garden and also to people who want to learn more about Canada's society in the 1910s.

Tw: illness, poisoning, racism, mentioned drowning and death.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

“Because, sometimes, even in the darkness, if you push hard enough, you can end up sailing into the bright open.”

The Remixed Classics is slowly becoming a favorite series of mine. I’ am not a reader of classics but this series has gotten me more into wanting to invest in them. This story takes the timeless tale of The Secret Garden and give it a sapphic spin. Mary is our heroine, who is tragically orphaned after her parents are suddenly killed. She is sent to live with an uncle who she’s never met and is thrust into a world she isn’t familiar with. She isn’t treated with the same attention as she once was, and the workers that live with her uncle are wild and different.

Mary’s character goes through a tremendous character development that I was grateful for. Similar to the original story, Mary goes from a spoiled girl who is unable to care for anyone but herself to someone who is able to love and learn with the help of her cousin Olive and the servants at her Uncle’s manor.

The original Secret Garden was written in the early 1900’s, so it’s hard to come back in the year 2023 and try to adjust it to be more modern. There are themes in the story that stick with the time period even though they would not be as welcomed today. One of the only issues I really had with the story was how fast things happened. This is a short book, so it is to be assumed that things go by at a steady pace. Issues are resolved without much big and take.

Although this is super fast paced, I loved the characters we meet and the environment we get to see. The romance here was sudden yet expected with what Mary was going through at the time as well as her age. My favorite character was Flora and I would have loved to be her friend. I really enjoyed this book and I’m more and more excited for the series to be continued.

Mary Lennox is a girl whose parents are part of the high society and as such are snobbish. When they die and she is sent to go live with family she has never met, she meets a fun cast of characters who are all part of her uncles household or community.

The idea of a sapphic secret garden is a really fun one and I liked the whimsy of this book. This is a fun book and a quick read. I wish the characters would have stayed slightly more true to the original characters (Mary is only terrible for like three chapters), but it was a fun read.

This was a great addition to the Classics remixed series, although it wasn't my favorite out of the bunch! I liked the main character but the pacing was a little off for me. A quick, enjoyable read though.

An enchanting remix on a classic tale. I found it refreshing and the commentary spot on. It was an absolute pleasure to read.

This was an interesting book. On one hand I enjoyed it just because I do think retellings of older children's books can be really fun. But on the other hand, it felt like the idea was that ya needed to be a bit dumbed down but this was adapted from a children's book, but you can see where plot points and ideas were washed out a bit. I also think that they did the characters a disservice, by removing key character traits from them. Like the main characters bad attitude just turns into her being sort of mousy, and quiet and shy. I also feel like the romantic aspect was unnecessarily pigeonholed into this story, along with the removal of a lot of narrative and tonal aspects that this story really needed. The atmosphere of the setting, the way the characters interact, the tone of the story, it all felt non-existent. I don't know, I feel like the idea here was to retell a classic novel as a ya book, but the book was already yay? So they ended up just removing important pieces, and adding unnecessary pieces. So now this book just is the secret garden, but like a bad abridged version. I don't know, I wanted to like this but I found myself so not compelled by the story or characters.