The Secret Garden

THE SECRET GARDEN tells the story of Mary Lennox, a spoiled, contrary orphan, who is sent to live in her uncle's manor in Yorkshire. She is left to herself by her uncle Mr. Craven, who travels most of the time, trying to escape from memories of his wife. The only person who has any time for Mary is the chambermaid Martha. It is Martha who tells Mary about the walled garden, Mrs. Craven's favorite garden, which nobody has seen the inside of since she her death; Mr. Craven locked it and buried the key.

Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was an English author and playwright.  Born in England, she emigrated with her family to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1865.  Burnett turned to writing to help support her family, and became a popular children's writer with the publication of LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY in 1886.  Burnett wrote a number of popular romances for adults in the 1890s, but her best known work her children's classic THE SECRET GARDEN.