Friday Favorites: The Secret Garden

On Fridays I post a little shout out to one of my favorite books and explain why I love it so much. It gives me the chance to fangirl over books I never reviewed on this blog and lets me post about some non-YA books I love.

Which book?
The Secret Garden, by Francis Hodgson Burnett

Genre?
Classic

Summary? (From GoodReads)
This timeless classic is a poignant tale of Mary, a lonely orphaned girl sent to a Yorkshire mansion at the edge of a vast lonely moor. At first, she is frightened by this gloomy place until she meets a local boy, Dickon, who's earned the trust of the moor's wild animals, the invalid Colin, an unhappy boy terrified of life, and a mysterious, abandoned garden...

When did I first read it?
Elementary school

Why did I first read it?
I have no idea. I have a vague memory of it being a book that one of my older sisters liked, and thus I wanted to read it too--but that could be a total lie because I don’t actually remember. I do remember that I read it before I ever saw the movie, because I remember thinking that the book and movie were totally different.

What did I think about it then?
I thought the beginning was boring and that Mary and Colin were slightly annoying. But the mystery of it all more than made up for it--what was the cry in the night? why was the garden walled up? what happened to Colin’s mother? Plus, I though Dickon was the BEST. He’s super friendly, and he’s BFFs with tons of animals, and I totally remember wishing I could have a moor pony as a pet. Also, the book made me want to start a garden and get a robin as a friend.

What do I think about it now?
Well, I still adore Dickon. And I love the Yorkshire (I think?) accent that Dickon and his whole family have--if I could have any accent, I think I’d pick that one cuz it’s just so ridiculously awesome. I haven’t reread it in a WHILE, but I still consider it one of my favorite books just because I read it so often when I was growing up.

Have you read The Secret Garden? What did you think?