The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden was written in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The garden at Great Maytham Hall in Kent, England, provided the inspiration for the book. The garden is the book's central symbol. In the book, the secret garden at Misselthwaite Manor is the site of both the near-destruction and the subsequent regeneration of a family.

Using the garden motif, Burnett uses the garden motif to explore the healing power that exists in living things.

In the book, Mary, a young orphan girl from India, is taken to England to live with her uncle on the Yorkshire Moors. She finds it difficult to adjust to the lonely and unfamiliar life of her uncle's mansion, but she gradually befriends Dickon and her cousin Colin. Together, they begin to restore the Secret Garden, into which she had been forbidden to go, by her uncle. At the end of the book, the garden flourishes again and Mary's cousin is finally able to walk again. The Secret Garden sends a message of hope based on the powerful role of friendship in bringing about a change for the better.


The Secret Garden can be read as an ebook online. We will also watch the DVD.


Here is a site with a viewing guide -

The Secret Garden Study Guide

1. Identify the following Characters:
a) Mary Lennox
b) Mrs. Medlock
c) Martha
d) Archbald Craven
e) Dickon
f) Ben Weatherstaff
g) Colin Craven
2. Why was Mary taken from India to England? Find both countries on a map, and trace her journey.
3. When Mary heard crying during the night, what did she think about her new home?
4. Martha told Mary the crying sound came from the wind on the moor. What is a moor?
5. What is special about Dickon?
6. Mary was very curious and wanted to know about everything. Name two things the Mary's curiosity led her to discover.
a)
b)
7. Why did Mr. Archibald become so sad when Mary asked him for some earth to make a garden?
8. List three (3) problems that Colin had.
a)
b)
c)
9. How did Mary help Colin to solve each of these problems?
a)
b)
c)
10. Ben Weatherstaff said, "Where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow." What do you think he meant by this? Explain how this relates to
a) Mary
b) Colin
11. Explain how Colin's attitude about life changed after he and Mary became friends.
a) Before:
b) After:
12. How does Colin surprise his father?
13. Who is the lady sitting outside the garden at the beginning and at the end of the film version of the story?
14. What happened to Dickon?
15. How does the story end?
16. Compare/contrast the book and the film.