Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

This book wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. And the ending came suddenly to me. I was ready to keep going, felt like I had finally gotten into it, and it ended. I did like how it played on prickly children. They are a favorite of mine.

Webb, Holly Return to the Secret Garden, 240 pages. Sourcebook Jabberwocky, 2016. $17. Content: G.

Emmie and the other orphans are being evacuated from London because of the War and the bombings, sent off to a manor house near the moors. Emmie was forced to leave behind Lucy, the stray cat she befriended and is having a hard time settling in to the new place. When she finds a diary written by a long ago little girl who was also lonely. Emmie follows the clue and finds the garden.

I don’t want to give too much away about this sequel tribute to the original. While not as compelling or lyrical as the original, it is a nice follow-up for those who ever wondered what became of the garden and all of the characters. If you really want readers to find this, I would treat it and label it like a sequel, otherwise it will probably never get any attention. (FYI - This is much better than the 1997 book with the same name)

EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Return to the Secret Garden, by Holly Webb, was a beautifully written return visit to the life of Mary Lennox from the original story, this time through the point of view of a young orphan sent to stay at the manor during World War II, a generation after the orginal story. The writing is gorgeous--easily comparable to the beautiful style and flow of Frances Hodgson Burnett's original. However, I found myself to be a purist where the story was concerned; while I loved the story and growth of the main character, I winced at the changes to Burnett's own characters, especially Dickon.

As a child, I can remember reading A Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett and falling in love with the secret garden and it’s ability to heal the broken. When NetGalley allowed me to read an ARC of Return to the Secret Garden by Holly Webb, I hoped that again I’d find the magic of the secret garden still there. I was not disappointed. This again is a story for children but it still holds to the same high standards of the original classic. The story begins with a group of orphans being evacuated from London in preparation for the German bombing of WWII. Emmie Hatton, one of the students feels very alone and different from the others. She has befriended a local stray cat but when they are evacuated to an old manor, Misselthwaite Manor she cannot take it. While she feels friendless and alone, she finds an old diary hidden in her bedroom that describes another young girl like herself, alone and friendless. In the diary the young author, Mary, describes the secret garden and Emmie finds it. Only she discovers that it is not so secret now. The wonderful way this story follows along with the original classic is so enjoyable. The same dark atmosphere, the mysterious crying in the night, and the broken people seemingly healed by spending time in the garden all come together to make an enjoyable addition to reading the classic.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks with no obligation to review it. This is my honest review