The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Summary:
MISTRESS MARY Lennox was born and lived in India with her ayah who took care of her and gave her everything she wanted. Her British parents kept her away, not wanting her to interfere with their lives. When an outburst of cholera kills everyone in her household, Mary is sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven in Yorkshire, England. A disagreeable child, Mary is unhappy with all of her surroundings-the moor, the large, empty house, the gardens, and the people. Then Martha, the maid who is assigned to “wait on her a bit” tells her about the secret garden hidden for ten years after her aunt died. Mr. Craven then shut the door and buried the key, letting no one enter her garden. This idea interests Mary and she begins to search for the key. Soon she’s no longer the unhappy, sickly child she once was, but instead a happy healthy child.
In her quest to discover the Secret Garden, Mary meets Dickon, one of Martha’s many younger siblings. Dickon is a friend to all animals, and people as well. One day when it’s raining and she can’t go outside to play with Dickon, Mary hears something-it sounds like crying. Martha nervously dismisses it as the wind, but Mistress Mary doesn’t quite believe her, and finds out what it is on her own. She discovers the source of the crying: Colin-Mr. Craven’s son! She soon learns who he is and why he is crying: because he is a bed-ridden invalid, whom everyone assumes will be a hunchback like his father, and was born shortly before his mother’s death. Mr. Craven hates to see him because he looks so strikingly similar to his mother, yet dissimilar with the grief and pain he experiences everyday.
Mary and Colin get on very well, and as they’re both used to having their own way, tame each other. Mary is quite excited to introduce Colin and Dickon to each other, and they become fast friends. The stories Dickon and Mary tell of the springtime excite Colin, and they convince him to go outside with them [a feat tried many times by the other household staff] to see a surprise Mary has for him. Did they find the secret garden? And how will Colin surprise his father?
Review:
Sorry if the wording was a bit strange, I’m really tired. I thought this was a very interesting book, though very very similar to A Little Princess. Both girls came from India, their parents had both died, they both had two close friends and a friend who was a servant, they both had a “special” animal, etc. The capitalization of the word “magic” still annoys me, as I think it puts too much weight on the word and indicates that it’s a proper noun with physical aspects. The plot was a tad linear, lacking in some places, though very descriptive. The mannerisms and speech of the children are believable and appropriate for their age group. A good “mystery” novel for the younger set, the book puts forth many questions, which are all answered at the end. The Secret Garden gets a 7/10 for plot, though planing in areas, though interesting storyline. Recommended for ages 9+
A Little Princess
A Little Princess
by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Illustrated by Tasha Tudor
Summary:
EMILY IS a doll. Sarah Crewe and her father find her one dreary day in a London toyshop, staring at them through the glass window. They’ve traveled very far from India to send Sarah to boarding school away from the heat of the east. Captain Crewe, her father, is very sad to send her to Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies, but is determined that is “Little Missus” shall have the best education away from conditions that could harm her health. He buys her and her doll an extravagant wardrobe of expensive furs, handmade lace, and beautiful frocks, all ready and waiting to be worn. Miss Minchin is a wordly woman with a cold heart who is ready to do anything-like giving Sarah her own richly furnished room as well as a playroom, french maid, and a pony with a carriage- for her father’s money.
Of course, Captain Crewe writes to Sarah twice a week to ensure her happiness, and as Miss Minchin and sister Miss Amelia figure, a girl who is continually praised for everything she does, allowed to do whatever she wishes, and in addition to that the head of the class should be happy and complaint-free. If Sarah was more self-centered she would have become extraordinarily spoilt, but being a wise-beyond-her-years motherly ten-year-old, she understands her teacher’s reasons for treating her differently. Then, the day of her extravagant birthday party, she -as well as Miss Minchin- receives a terrible blow. The news that Captain Crewe has died, leaving his daughter penniless after investing all the money he had in diamond mines that seem to not have existed. Infuriated, Miss Minchin takes all her presents back [she paid for them, relying as always on Sarah's father's payment at the end of the month for all her luxuries], as well as her wardrobe and all her worldly goods, demoting her to an under-servant.
This life is something that Sarah’s only ‘pretended’ about, making up plays when she was warm and clothed properly, though now she realizes how bad life really can be. Friends with the scullery girl in the other side of the attic, Sarah manages to get through each day being sustained by visits from two of her friends and Becky, who never being a student, sees Sarah as almost a goddess.
One day the “Princess Sarah” sees a man from India moving into the flat next door, and later in the day meets his servant when his monkey runs across the slates to Sarah. He and his master concoct a plan to transform Sarah’s life in a very unexpected way, for he is unhappy in his search for another little girl. When Sarah wakes up to his surprise, she realizes that life has changed, finally, for the better.
Review:
I really like this book, and have read and re-read it ever since my friend Janet gave it to me for my tenth birthday. Looking through the children’s section of a bookstore, you probably won’t find many stories with this sort of plot line, partly why I enjoy this book. The way the characters interact with each other is also a point of interest, Sarah acting as a child and adult, I assume trying to bridge the [fairly large] age and maturity gap between herself and her elders. Burnett’s tale of the little heroine is a little too idealistic for my taste- to create a ten-year-old with perfect manners and good in every way seems just a tad ridiculous. I have never met a child like this, and even if I did, I doubt they would be as normal as Sarah is portrayed, but more like a thirty-year-old. The way she spells “Magic” always with a capital “M” also tends to get on my nerves, using it as almost a person, a physical being that influences events. This may sound nitpicky, but I think it’s unnecessary and esteems this power too highly. A Little Princess earns a 7/10 for character interaction, some realistic aspects, though unrealistic circumstances. Recommended for ages 9+
Ella Enchanted
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
Summary:
ELLA IS obedient. Though this would be a desireable quality in most children, Ella detests it for one reason-she has no choice. Whatever anyone commands her to do, knowingly or unknowingly, she must do because she’s under a fairy’s spell. Ella desperately wishes she could make her own choices, but whenever she tries she’s subjected to dizziness, nausea, and a number of other symptoms.
When her mother dies, she’s distraught-her mother was her best friend, sliding down banisters, hitting people with acorns, and mocking people with her. At the funeral, she meets Prince Charmont, who consoles her and becomes her friend. But when her usually-absent father sends her off to finishing school with two new acquaintances whom she hates, Ella knows she’s in trouble without her faithful cook and fairy godmother, Mandy, and when they find out how her curse works.
After she runs away from finishing school, she runs into all sorts of creatures-elves, ogres, giants, faries, her family, and of course, Prince Char. And along the way she finds courage, hope, strength…and just maybe she might find love.
Review:
Levine’s Ella is an interesting spin on the old classic, Cinderella. Designed for the pre-teen set, it’s a more feministic point of view, where the heroine rescues herself instead of needing princely aid. I enjoyed many aspects of this book including the fresh view on the famed children’s story, teaching the importance of independence but stressing he importance of love and family and being true to oneself. The one thing I didn’t really like was the abruptness with which the extremely short chapters ended and began with. The plot was fair, though setting the story in the magical land of Frell gives the author many mystical and mythical creatures with which to work with. Ella Enchanted earns a 7/10 for unique plot and setting, though it falls short because though unique, Gail Carson Levine could have done a much better job creatively.
The Little Prince
The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
Summary:
THE DESERT is literally devoid of all human life, or so Antoine de Saint Exupéry thinks, as his plane crashes in the Sahara Desert. To his great surprise he encounters the Little Prince who implores him, not to save him from the sand and heat and lack of water, but to draw him a sheep. This book is an endearing recollection of the short time he spent with his little friend, and the planet [or rather, Asteroid] where the Prince came from, the trouble with Baobabs, roses, and grown ups, while reiterating the importance of sunsets, sheep, raking out your volcanoes, and having a little faith in yourself.
Review:
This book is full of such wisdom that it’s disproportionate to its small size. I enjoy reading the life lessons that a prince from Asteroid B-612 can teach us all. From kings to drunkards, from businessmen to foxes, roses to baobabs, there’s meaning and depth to it all. The Little Prince gets a 10/10 because, although written for children, we can all learn a lesson from the simple and sweet stories from the desert. Recommended for all ages.
[Originally written in French]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J. K. Rowling
Summary:
It’s time for the third years to go back to Hogwarts, and Harry is looking forward to seeing his friends. There’s not much time of summer vacation left, but what is left looks bleak-his Aunt Marge is coming to visit. This is particularly awful because Marge loves bringing her vicious dog Ripper, and has a nasty habit of criticizing Harry and his parents. On the last day of her stay, she pushes him over the edge, and he blows her up-not in a BOOM! way, but in an expanding-like-a-balloon way. Knowing that the Ministry will be very angry because he’s an underage wizard using magic over the holidays [which he's not allowed to do] Harry runs for it. He accidentally hails the Knight Bus-a bus which provides transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. When he arrives at the Leaky Cauldron, he’s astounded to see Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic waiting for him. Fudge appears relieved at Harry’s arrival [though he has no idea why], and tells him that he’s not going to Azkaban [the wizard prison] for merely blowing up is aunt, and no harm’s done. Soon Harry, Ron and Hermione are reunited and off to school. On the Hogwarts Express, their journey is interrupted by a dementor-a hooded soul-sucking creature that feeds off of the emotions of humans and drains all hope and good feeling from a room, and Harry passes out. Thankfully the new DADA [Defense Against the Dark Arts] teacher, Professor R. J. Lupin is in their compartment, and makes it go away.
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, the students are told that the dementors will be at every Hogwart’s enterance until serial killer and Voldemort-supporter Sirius Black is captured after his escape [the first one ever] from Azkaban. Harry’s demonstrated an especially strong reaction to the dementors, and asks Professor Lupin for lessons to help ward them off, which he readily grants. As the year goes on, the third years are allowed to go to Hogsmeade, one of the only all-magical towns in Great Britain, except for Harry because his uncle didn’t sign the permission slip. Fred and George give Harry the Marauder’s Map-a map of Hogwarts showing every secret passageway in and out of the castle, a map of the grounds, and all the people as they move around- which allows him to go in and out of Hogsmeade. There after locating his friends, they go to the Three Broomsticks [the Hogsmeade pub] to have a drink of butterbeer, and Harry finds out why he wasn’t in trouble with the Minister after running off-Sirius Black is after him. He’d been muttering “He’s at Hogwarts” over and over in prison, and is also…Harry’s godfather [not in the The Godfather movie way].
At the end of the year, Ron, after thinking his rat Scabbers had been killed by Hermione’s cat Crookshanks, finds him in Hagrid’s cabin. He is then attacked by a giant black dog and dragged into a space under the Whomping Willow, and when Hermione and Harry follow they discover it’s a secret passage to the Shrieking Shack [in Hogsmeade, suppossedly one of the most haunted houses in England]. The dog turns out to be Sirius Black, who is an animagus [a wizard who can turn into an animal at will]. Not long after comes Remus Lupin, then Severus Snape [who is knocked out by Harry Hermione and Ron's simultaneous Disarming Charms]. Remus and Sirius explain that Sirius never killed anyone-and Hary’s in for the surprise of his thirteen-year-old life.
Review:
This was really long too, sorry everyone! I know that sometime I’m extremely thorough and other times very vague, and again, I apologize. Anyway…this book was very interesting, especially the end. I’ve already read this series multiple times but I’m still always intrigued. Fans around the world have been shocked by this ending, and I daresay that if you haven’t read it you will too. This deals with the puzzle of time [I'll give you no more than that] bringing up the space/time conundrum that still gives me a headache to think about. Very fresh, even apart from the first two books, and is possibly one of my favorite Harry Potter books, as it doesn’t come from other sources such as myths, movies, etc. [to my knowledge]. Though I do find the first three very similar and in some ways monotonous, I liked the change that this book brought. I also find that with all the excitement happening to Harry, it gets out of hand and every scene is wilder than the next, though after all, that’s what this book is based on. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban gets a 9/10 for originality, surprise and for being well thought out, though very similar to the first two books [except the ending...]. Recommended for ages 11+
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J. K. Rowling
Summary:
Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione are entering their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Ron’s younger sister Ginny is excitedly joining them for her first year. After a strange visit by a house elf named Dobby warning him not to go to school, Harry is rescued from his aunt and uncle’s house by Ron and his older twin brothers Fred and George in a flying car. When the time comes to go to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express, Ron and Harry find that the barrier separating the Muggle [or non-magical folk's] world and the wizarding train won’t let them in. They solve this problem by flying the car to school, and crash it into the Whomping Willow-the only tree that could hit them back [after all it is a Whomping Willow!] and getting into trouble with the Potions master [Professor Snape] who hates Harry [and anyone not in his House, but especially Harry because Harry's father, James Potter, had saved his life] and their head of house, Professor McGonagall. There’s also been a new addition to the school, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, the famed author of multiple books about himself doing wonderous feats to protect innocent people from harm by hags, trolls, vampires…you name it. He sounds wonderful, right? Wrong. He’s a self-centered git who seems to know nothing about the Dark Arts, though extremely self-promoting and a braggart about his great feats.
As the school year progresses, Nearly Headless Nick [or Sir Nicolas de Mimsey-Porpington, his full name] invites Harry, Ron and Hermione to his deathday party-like a birthday party, but celebrating the day he died, October 31st. They agree, and when the day comes, attend as the only live guests. On their way back from the dungeon that it was held in, Harry hears a voice that his friend’s can’t-one wanting to find and kill someone. He has heard this only once before, and still doesn’t know what it is. They stumble upon Mrs. Norris, Filtch the caretaker’s cat, hanging upside-down from a torch, Petrified. This begins a series of stunnings-Collin Creevy, Nearly Headless Nick, Justin Flinch-Flenchy… all while Harry along with the rest of the school finds out that he’s a Parselmouth-a person who can speak to snakes. Salazar Slytherin was one of the most famed Parselmouth in wizarding history and as one of the messages made by the attacker clearly stated that the attacks are being performed by the Heir of Slytherin, this puts Harry under suspicion.
The Heir supposedly has legendary powers to open the “Chamber of Secrets,” a chamber that Slytherin made in Hogwarts after being driven out by the other three founders. The Chamber has never been found [though not because of lack of searching] but is rumored to have a vicious monster only the Heir can control inside of it. Harry and his friends have no idea who the Heir is, but think it’s Draco Malfoy-their enemy from Slytherin House from last year. They make a complicated potion to sneak into the Slytherin common room, and figure out that he has no idea either.
Later Professor McGonagall approaches Harry and Ron with news of something shocking-Hermione’s been Petrified by the monster. A few days after they found Hermione, Harry and Ron realize that she’s holding something in her hand-a piece of a page out of a book, leading them to the Chamber, Lord Voldemort, and Professor Lockhart’s secret.
Review:
This was a really long summary, I apologize. I thought my summary of the first book was inadequate, so I made this one longer-much, much longer. I enjoyed this book, and was completely drawn into the plot-who wouldn’t love a secret chamber within an old castle? Gilderoy Lockart was portrayed amazingly, but that’s not to say that he’s not a self-centered git. He is. His character is so self-centered and well portrayed I felt myself hating him within minutes. As for the rest of the plot, I felt it was very similar to the first book [as it is a series, and takes place in the same school for most of the books] yet still fresh and original in it’s own ways [for the un-original part, see the Sorcerer's Stone review]. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets gets a 8/10 for well-developed character and plot, originality, but it still has the “borrowed” parts which irk me [probably from hanging out with CeCe too much]. Recommended for ages 11+
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 
by J. K. Rowling
Summary:
YOU-KNOW-WHO? NO, Harry doesn’t know, actually. After his parents died in a car accident, Harry’s lived with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and his cousin Dudley Dursely. They all hate him, and when Harry receives a mysterious letter [which his uncle immediately rips into pieces] they’re positively terrified-and Harry has no idea why. He soon finds out from a half-giant who comes to deliver the letter [because they've been continuously destroyed by Uncle Vernon]-it’s because Harry Potter is a wizard.
Hagrid [Reubius Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where Harry has been invited to attend] explains the Potter’s mysterious deaths. Unlike what the Dursely’s have been saying, they didn’t die from a car crash at all. Hagrid tells Harry of a wizard who was obsessed with the Dark Arts and started to gather followers. His name was Voldemort, but he was [and continues to be] referred to as “You-Know-Who” or “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” because people are still scared. Hagrid then goes on to tell Harry about his parent’s death, a great mystery in the wizarding world:
“You-Know-Who killed ‘em. An’ then-an’ this is the real myst’ry of the thing- he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin’ by then. But he couldn’t do it. Never wonder how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That’s what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh-took care of yer mum an’ dad an’ yer house, even- but it didn’t work on you, an’ that’s why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill ‘em, no one except you, an’ he’d killed some o’ the best witches an’ wizards of the age -the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts- an’ you was only a baby an’ you lived.”
From there, Harry is introduced to a hidden world -his world- that he never knew existed, full of witches, wizards, goblins, vampires, hags, unicorns, dragons, ghosts, and even more than his wildest dreams could have invented. Upon arriving at Hogwarts, he, along with the other first year students, is sorted into one of the school houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Each is named after one of the founders of the school, and Harry is chosen to be in Gryffindor. Along the way he meets the Weasley family and Ron Weasley who soon becomes his best friend, and Hermione Granger whose [after the rescue her from a twelve foot mountain troll they accidentally locked in the bathroom with her] friendship and homework help is tremendously helpful, as is her wide knowledge of spells. In such a large school, one can only imagine the kinds of secrets the walls could hold. Harry and his friends uncover interesting and dangerous information, not to be viewed by students. Of course after uncovering this, life isn’t all fun and games [like Quidditch, the ever-popular wizarding sport], and Lord Voldemort finds Harry-or rather, Harry with help from his friends, finds him.
Review:
As I’ve just finished volunteering for a WRock for Darfur [Wizard Rock, a new type of music based on Harry Potter] I have some new perspectives on this. But before I get into it, let me voice one of my most interesting and crazy friend CeCe’s opinion: she HATES it. Cese is all for Greek mythology, and complains that J. K. Rowling steals ideas [like Harry's invisibility cloak, the three-headed dog in the castle, Argus Filtch's name, etc. -not mentioned in summary- ] from said myths. I totally agree that she got ideas there, but I still like the books.
Now obviously anyone at a Harry Potter music based fundraiser must like the books [one woman even named her dog Griff, short for Griffindor one of the houses in the book, whom she calls "Griffindog." He was almost named Quaffle, too.] And, of course, they love the books. I met Andrew Slack, the HP Alliance founder [www.thehpalliance.org] who used the ideas of acceptance and love to create this website and following to draw parallels with the world today and how the message of peace and love found in this series can be applied to life now and fixing problems with the world. This in itself is amazing, and I totally promote this, and it just goes to show you that books can change the world.
Okay, now for me. I like this book, but not overly so. It’s interesting in its own way, but I’m with CeCe, Rowling really uses a lot of ideas from Greek Myths [and possibly from the film "The Worst Witch"]. I’d give this an 8/10 because though interesting and with an original storyline, it does use a lot of ideas from various places, which I think is okay in moderation, but not in copious amounts. Recommended for ages 10+
Notice
Hey everyone,
I know that people are looking for book summaries and such, and that made me think that I needed to say this as school is fast approaching. What I type here is my work that I wrote and is absolutely not to be used in any way, shape, or form for anything school/work related [like book summaries for English or whatever] or anything other than a reference to help you choose books to read, or just for you to read my reviews online. If I find out [and I will] that anyone has taken my summaries or anything else from this site and used it for school or done anything else with it saying it’s their own work [PS, that's plagiarism people, which is 1-illegal and 2-not taken kindly to at schools], besides being extraordinarily angry, I will block you from the site and contact whomever I need to in order to expose you. I know this may sound harsh [especially coming from a book blogger] but I want to make it clear that you are not allowed to steal my work, as many people are sadly apt to do. So the general message is: Don’t steal Leigh’s work because bad things will follow. There are three places you’ll find this: Here, this post, on the right side of the main page, and on the “About” page so there’s really no way you can’t see it. I hope I won’t have to do this to anyone, and that you’ll keep reading!
Thanks, L.
Matilda
Matilda 
by Roal Dahl
Summary:
MATILDA WORMWOOD is an extremely percocious child, reading all her library’s children’s books at age four, then moving onto bigger more “grown up” books such as Great Expectations and The Grapes of Wrath. Her awful parents don’t seem to care, dismissing her as a mere annoyance and treat her like one as well. Things are going moderately well, as far as they could with these situations, until Matilda enters Crunchem Hall Primary School. It’s ruled by the headmistress Miss Truchbull, a woman so untterly and astoundingly terrifying that she’ll have you scared and hiding-and that’s before she holds you upsidown by your feet. Matilda’s class is led by Miss Honey, the polar opposite of the formidable headmistress, and when Matilda discovers a strange and unique power she alone has, she is determined to use it to help her teacher, whom she has grown close to. But in order to liberate Miss Honey from her troubled past, she has to face Miss Trunchbul.
Review:
One of my favorite children’s books, Dahl’s Matilda is probably number one on my list. This classic story isn’t a traditional talke by any means, but is a unique book that all children will love. Engaging and exciting, the six-year-old heroine teachers a brains-over-brawn message about doing good for others. I’ve fallen in love with the characters in this children’s novel over and over again-this is a delightful read that anyone will enjoy. The issustrations have a simple yet elegant spur of the moment beautiful feel to them, and kudos to Quentin Blake. Matilda earns a 9/10 for the amazing and unique plotline and character depth that are just light enough for childern while also being creative and imaginative and interesting enough for teens and adults. Recommended for ages 8+
