This book contains the following stories:
"The Secret Garden" is a classic novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1911. The story centers around Mary Lennox, a sour-tempered and spoiled girl who is orphaned after a cholera outbreak in India kills her parents. She is sent to live with her reclusive uncle, Archibald Craven, at Misselthwaite Manor, a large and mysterious estate on the Yorkshire moors of England.
When Mary arrives at the manor, she discovers that the house is full of secrets, including a locked garden that has been neglected and left untouched for years. With the help of a kind servant named Martha and her brother Dickon, Mary begins to explore the estate and befriends a local boy named Colin, who is her sickly cousin and has been hidden away from the world due to his health issues.
As Mary spends more time outdoors and tends to the neglected garden, she undergoes a transformation. The magic of nature, friendship, and the healing power of the garden have a profound effect on Mary, Colin, and even their uncle, who has been grief-stricken since the death of his wife, Lily.
Through the revival of the secret garden, the characters experience physical and emotional healing. The garden becomes a symbol of renewal, hope, and the transformative power of love and nature. As the garden blooms, so do the lives of Mary, Colin, and their uncle, bringing them together as a family and healing the wounds of the past.
"The Secret Garden" is a beautiful and timeless story that celebrates the importance of love, friendship, and the wonders of the natural world. It continues to captivate readers of all ages with its themes of resilience and the potential for growth and change, making it one of the most beloved children's novels in literature.
A Little Princess
Hodgson Burnett's tale of a wealthy little girl sent to boarding school in London who falls out of favour when Daddy's wealth disappears is a lesson in coping with changing fortunes. Sara Crewe is sent to a girl's boarding school whilst her her wealthy father, Captain Ralph Crewe, goes off to fight in the Boer War. Sara is initially treated like a princess at the school due to her wealth and status. She is well-loved by her classmates and Miss Minchin, the headmistress, who showers her with attention and luxurious accommodations. Pretty and rich Sara is the favourite of all, but still manages to be kind and thoughtful. When news comes that her father is dead and the money gone, Miss Minchen, the boarding mistress, does not feel she can throw Sara out so she makes her a housemaid, shifting her to the attic with the existing maid. Sara's imagination keeps both her fellow maid and herself sane. In the rooftops they befriend the Indian servant of the man who lives next door. It is through this friendship that Sara is discovered by the friend of her father and rescued from the clutches of the evil boarding mistress. And the servant girl is saved too (although Burnett still keeps her in her place as Sara's servant...).
