Finished: The Secret Garden (Burnett) A lovely book about how love, companionship, kindness and nature can help children overcome abandonment, low self-worth, and selfishness. The story of spoiled, loveless orphan, Mary who comes to live with her uncle at his mansion. The uncle, Mr. Craven, having lost his beloved wife ten years ago, lives in sorrow and pays no attention to his bedridden ten year old son, whose eyes look just like his mothers. Mary, because she has never learned any manners herself, is the only person to stand up to the sickly, demanding, equally spoiled, Colin. Both children are victims of their awful circumstances, in which their parents had all the money in the world, but basically ignored the children as if they didn't exist their entire lives. :-( They find kindred spirits in each other, and in Dickon, the younger brother of one of the housemaids. Dickon is kind, compassionate, a natural with animals, a nature lover, and an all-around good human being. Through example, Dickon teaches first Mary, and then Colin, how to love themselves, how to love others, how to appreciate the world around them, how to play, how to enjoy life, how to laugh, etc. And...all this is done in the setting of the "secret garden". The secret garden is the garden which has been closed down by orders of Mr. Craven for the past ten years....ever since his wife died there. His wife loved the garden, and everything planted in it, including her precious roses. However, after her death, Mr. Craven locks the only door to the garden, lets the ivy grow over the door, and buries the key. Mary discovers the key to the door one day after hearing about the secret garden from the old gardener, Ben. Then, Ben's friend, the little robin, chirps his way over to the door and shows Mary how to get in. And, the rest is history...Mary becomes healthy and lovable, as does Colin. Dickon makes two lifelong friends. And, Mr. Craven, who has been off on another months-long trip, has a weird dream about the garden. He begins to have a smidgen of hope and even second guess himself as to how he's treated his own son. He high-tails it home just in time to see Colin come bursting on two healthy legs out of the door to the secret garden. Thrilled with the story, and so happy to see his son healthy, the book ends...but we know the tale must surely go on. I would love to see the musical version of this now that I've read the book! It was one of my brother's favorite musicals when he was alive.