ImAgiNe...

If you could, a defining moment(or moments) you have experienced in your life.

[/pause for reflection]

As for me, at the tender age of eight, I had the privelage in being introduced, by a family friend, to a book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. THIS book is The Secret Garden.

The main character that drives the book is a girl by the name of Mary Lennox. Coming from wealth and living in India, Mary is a tempermental and apathetic(with reason, really) young girl that often is taken care of by a Ayah(a nanny), dressed, bathed, the whole nine yards. Her parents rarely play a key role in her life, so it was no surprise when both of her parents died from the plague that she was left feeling unaffected and underwhelmed, or so it seemed.

The newly orphaned girl is then sent to Yorkshire, England to live with her hunchbacked uncle at a manor called Mistlewaite.

It is here, that it is up to Mary to discover the many secrets of her new home; such as the source of a crying child at night, a secret garden that is left unmaintained as well as under lock and key, and also a key to the garden that is found in her uncle's desk. This is truly a book about Mary finding a key to her own heart and happiness, as well as for those around her.

It is a story about discovery,
of growing up,
making friends,
nature,
and above all....
"MAGIC", which is the very essence and fabric of life.

The visual empathy found in this book is so immense, that if you don't come away feeling as though you too played a role in planting flowers in the secret garden or even absorbing a spring breeze into your veins, then you are probably alot like Mary at the beginning.

A definite recommended read for "child" of any age!

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Now, this was a review that I created for work, but then after reading the intructions a bit more closely, I noticed we were only suppose to write up to 30 words, so I did just that:

The Secret Garden is about discovery, growing up, making friends, nature, and above all "magic", which is the very essence of life.

This book made me realize my own "magic".

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The movie for this book that was released in the 90s was also pretty good. In fact, I might watch that now!;-)

Here's a link...Secret Garden Movie

Of course, the story line is changed, with her parents perishing in an earthquake, etc. but it's similar to the overall idea.
I remember watching this when I was 11/12 years old and thinking that it was pretty close to the visual stuck in my head.