This book was a favorite of mine in my childhood, and, when I returned as an adult to re-read it to my own daughter, I discovered it all over again.

This is a story about a different kind of princess than one might imagine; a princess that is an orphan - lonely, cold, hungry and abused. Sara Crewe begins life as the beloved, pampered daughter of a rich man. When he dies a pauper, she is thrown on the non-existent mercy of her small-minded, mercenary boarding school mistress. Stripped of all her belongings but for one set of clothes and a doll, Sara becomes a servant of the household. Hated by the schoolmistress for her independent spirit, Sara becomes a pariah in the household, with only a few secretly loyal friends. But through her inner integrity and strength of will, Sara Crewe maintains the deportment, inner nobility and generous spirit of a "real" princess.

It is a fabulous story of the triumph of human will, and good over evil.

This story is a real classic, and needs no re-writing to be as enjoyable and readable today as it ever was. Ask my 8-year-old daughter, who has already re-read it twice. Accept no substitutes, re-writes, abridgements or copies! This is a work of art, and should not be tampered with.

I first read this book when I was ten years old. I still remember being transported from my Boise, Idaho sunroom, circa summer vacation 1976, back to the foggy gaslit streets of Victorian London. I don't believe that I moved off that sunroom couch until I had devoured this entire book. I loved the whole idea of A Little Princess -- the beautiful clothes (watered silk and petticoats!), the food (gruel!), and Sara's suffering in the garrett. Sara's life was so different from mine. Reading this book was like travelling to a different continent.

In some ways, this is a formula book for girls -- although it might be fair to say that this book invented the formula: plucky, mistreated orphan (mysteriously stripped of her fortune), who never loses hope and remains truly good transformed through a mysterious benefactor into a girl rich beyond her wildest dreams (see also: the Boxcar Children; Little Orphan Annie, etc).

Sara is an extremely engaging character. She is almost too good to be true -- kind to the servants, smarter than the headmistress, and able to tell stories that ensnare her listeners. Sara's stories enable her, first to make friends, and then later, to cope with the rather significant blows that life (and the author) deal her.

And, in the best of tradition of this type of story, Sara is rescued, her wealth is restored, she remains a perfectly lovely little girl, and the horrible headmistress who mistreated her gets her comeuppance. All is right with the world once again.

Title: A Little Princess
By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reviewed By: ...
Period: 4

There is a young girl named Sara. She is a very smart, kind and clever girl. Sara likes to read books and imagine things. Her father had to go off in India for a job so he left Sara at a school. They were a very rich family. Sara always wore the fancy clothes and she got everything she desired. At the school, everyone always looked at her. She made some friends but very few. A few Years later, her father dies. She becomes a poor, dirty maid who cleans at the school. She still has contact with her friends but very few. She met a neighbor that just moved in. It turns out that he is looking for her because he was a close friend of her dad. The neighbor doesn't know that Sara is the girl at the school next door.
Later on they meet, and Sara's life becomes a lot better.
I liked this book because it kept making me want to read on. I didn't want to stop. It was such a interesting book. I've never read a book like this one. It's so fun how she is very happy at first and then sad later on. " Nobody but Sara herself ever knew what had happened in her room after she had ran upstairs and locked the door. In fact, she herself scarcely remembered anything but that she walked up and down, saying over and over again to herself in a voice which did not seem her own: 'My Papa is dead! My papa is dead!'" That was the sad part.
This book always made me think about how nice of a girl Sara was and what a kind heart she had. I was crying when she had become a poor, maid after her father died and left no money. She always cared for others and was an excellent student at school. "'Ah, Madam, ' he said, ' there is not much I can teach her. She has not learned french; she IS french. He accent is exquisite." That is what her french teacher told The head mistress.(She is very smart)
My favorite part of the book is when she meets friends. Although she had kind ways to talk to people, she always met people in a strange way. For instance, when she met one of her friends, Lottie,it was when Lottie was crying. Lottie was screaming out that she had no mother. Sara never really met her mother. Then, Sara offered to be her adopted mother.I thought that was strange but nice of her. It stopped Lottie from crying so hard and she became very close friends with her. That is what I liked about the book.

This is a book containing both of the stories of The Little Princess and The Secret Garden. It begins with the classic story of a girl in a mysterious mansion with a mysterious uncle and a mysterious secret garden. The second part of the book is about a girl who comes to an girls school during the world war who suddenly falls from a beautiful lifestyle to one of pverty and servant-hood. Overall it was a good story but would have been better if they were told seperatly like other books of their kind.

The two novels in this book, Burnett's best and most famous, keep much more than the category 'children's book' promises. I had first read both as a teenager and was then truely enchanted, but I only came to fully appreciate especially 'The Secret Garden' when I had to reread both novels in order to write a paper on Burnett. There is so much more to Burnett than the average child or teenager can fathom... I really recommend some adults to consider reading this book (even if they already have in their childhood - it's truely worth a revisitation); they might learn how to dream again!

Once upon a time, a little girl found a book on a library shelf with an interesting title. She took it home and discovered a world where gardens are locked, a boy can talk to animals, and mysteries abound in every corner of Misselthwaite Manor. And friendship is forever. Okay, you guessed it. The little girl was me. The story of Mary quite Contrary, a little girl with no one to love and no one who loved her, Colin the invalid who has spent his entire life inside the manor, and Dickon the simple boy from the moors well deserves the title "classic". There is simply no other story like it. Frances Hodgson Burnett has written a wonderful story about love and friendship between three very different children, and the secret garden that brings them together.

I read The Secret Garden when I was in the fifth grade. The book was a combination of realistic fiction and mystery. I was always looking for clues to explain the next chapter .I was so engrossed in the book that I read 30 pages every half an hour!
The whole plot of The Secret Garden was about a girl named Mary Lennox, an orphaned, disagreeable looking, girl, who needed some action in her life. And she reached her goal. She was ten when she moved to her Uncle's house on a moor in Yorkshire. One of the housemaids, Martha, showed her around, and told Mary stories about her family that Mary enjoyed. On of Martha's brothers, Dickon, was an animal charmer and a nice, perfect boy who Mary fancyed that Mary finally met. He helped her uncover and bring to life a huge secret.This secret can not be shared with you, you'll have to find out yourself.Mean while, when Mary was sleeping at night, a childs cry woke her up. On day she investigated the noise. She found another secret on her way, a secret corrider. Will Mary find out who is screaming? If so, what should she do about it? Will Dickon and Mary succeed in bringing the secret alive?
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading exciting adventures. My opinion on The Secret Garden is that out of five stars I would give it 5 stars, because it was so fun to read, and I didn't want to stop! And those are the results of the good book The Secret Garden!

No movie version nor the Broadway musical effectively capture this book. On screen or on stage, it doesn't translate well because it doesn't show the wonderful transformations of the characters.

The Secret Garden is a fabulous story and wonderfully well-written. Orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live with her uncle. She is sickly (both physically and emotionally). She is spoiled, inactive, lazy and pale. When she discovers the secret garden, she decides to keep it for herself. But she can't remain alone, and she can't keep the garden to herself; Mary must learn to share, both the garden and her life. As the garden transforms from a lifeless, ugly place, Mary transforms, too. This slow, beautiful process (of the garden and Mary) coming to life is what makes the book so wonderful (and the movies not so good). The greatness of this book lies not in its plot (which almost everyone knows) but in the way the plot unfolds and the characters blossom.

Martha, Dickon, Colin and Archibald play their parts in Mary's transformation, and they, too, are changed by the wondrous things that happen.

I remember seeing this show when I was very young and was very disappointed to find it unavailable. If one every became available, I would purchase it immediately.

I have also seen this version of the movie and it is the best version I have seen. We enjoyed it with our children years ago and were hoping to purchase it for them as a Christmas Present. If it becomes available or someone knows where it can be purchased let us know.

A fine story is good enough to read several times, like good music or art. That is true of Little Lord Fauntleroy.

This is by far, in my opinion, the best version. While some license has been taken to compress this great story into the time available, many of the lines are word-for-word from the book.

Stories like this become classics because of the author's great style and skill in the art of storytelling. Directors would do well to accurately portray to original and not try to innovate too much.

This version actually lends to ones imagination when the book is read, even though there are some differences. Our family has watched this video several times and will, I'm sure, watch it again.

I have always loved the story of The Secret Garden. I have seen the 1949 Margaret O'Brien movie, the 1993 movie with Kate Maberly, and a version done for the BBC in the 70's or 80's. All were very good. This one, however, is not so good. It is the most faithful to Frances Hodgson Burnett's story, but it doesn't give you the uplifting feeling that the book and other movies do. Gennie James is downright annoying as Mary, and I hated that the writer and director portrayed Dickon as a mystic who knows the future. THe location filming is very well-done, the story is great, but most of the actors didn't do a good job. Not a version of this great story to be remembered.

Little spoiled Mary Lennox is orphaned in India and sent to live with a distant relative. Alone and scared she has to learn the English way of life. Martha her maid teaches her how to dress herself, and gives her a jump rope opening up a whole new world to Mary. The gardens of the 100 room mansion. Here she meets the head gardener and learns of the Secret Garden. Mary also finds that there are many other secrets in this house, her hunchback caretaker that seems so sad, and the crying at night.

The setting of Yorkshire England and the rich cast of characters including the maid Martha, Dicken, Martha's brother, and many others make this a wonderful book for all ages. I have read the secret garden hundreds of times and each time I get something new out of the book. It's a true classic.

This has to be one of my all time favorite Hallmark movies. I have seen other movie versions of "The Secret Garden," all of which seem much darker. I have to say, Hallmark has made the most enjoyable version of "The Secret Garden" to date. the childeren in this movie are wonderful.

Child characters: "Mary Lennox," spoiled, lonley, sad child. Taken from her home to live with a guardian in England after her parents death. "Dickon", Mesterious boy who communes with nature. "Colin," son of Mary's guardian, is hidden from society.

In the movie Mray sets out to find and unlock the secrets to the mesterious garden, making friends along the way.

The scenery in this movie is breath taking at times. One of Hallmarks best! A must have for any Hallmark Hall of Fame fan. Good to have in any movie collection!