The Secret Garden

About the story

Spoiled, lonely Mary Lennox is sent to live in her uncle's huge, gloomy house on the Yorkshire moors. She discovers a walled garden locked for ten years — and, hidden in the house, a sickly boy named Colin. With the help of Dickon, who seems able to talk to animals, the children bring the garden — and themselves — back to life.

Before reading

• Have you ever grown a plant? What did it need to grow?
• How can being outdoors change the way you feel?

Discussion questions

1. What is Mary like at the start of the story? Why is she so unhappy?
2. How does the robin help Mary find the garden?
3. What makes Dickon special?
4. Why has Colin been kept hidden? How does he change?
5. How do the pictures show the garden — and the children — coming back to life?
6. What is the "magic" the children talk about?

Words to know

• Moor — wild, open land with grass and heather.
• Manor — a large country house.
• Contrary — always wanting to do the opposite.
• Bulb — the underground part of some plants, like daffodils.
• Wick — Yorkshire word for "alive."

Activities

• Plant something. Plant a seed or bulb and keep a picture diary of it growing.
• Before and after. Draw the secret garden when Mary finds it and at the end of the story.