Book Review: The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir

The Secret Garden on 81st Street
by Ivy Noelle Weir (jPB (Series) Weir)

I remember being enchanted with the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett when I read it as a child. I figured I would give the retelling, The Secret Garden on 81st Street, a shot to see if it was any good. I was pleasantly surprised to find this new graphic novel version was a beautiful retelling, but with a fun modern twist.

 

Mary Lennox of Silicon Valley, California lives a very secluded life connecting to the world online. She eats ordering Uber Eats or smoothies, attends charter online school, and fills her days with video games and social media. When her parents die in an accident, she is taken to New York City to live with her Uncle Archie. There’s no television, no video games, no Uber Eats, no smoothies and nothing to do. Uncle Archie is never home, traveling for work, and Mary has to learn to fill her time in the real world. She discovers museums, local restaurants, and Central Park.

 

She also fills her time exploring her new home. That’s when she discovers a secret roof-top garden, once cultivated and loved by Uncle Archie’s late husband Masahiro. She also discovers a room with a cousin she never knew she had, Colin Craven. Colin suffers from anxiety and other mental health issues that makes him fear the outside world. Along with Colin, and a new friend Dickon, she discovers a love for gardening and connecting to people that she has never experienced before.

 

The graphic novel is beautifully illustrated by Amber Padilla. I was pleased to discover it is actually second in a graphic novel series called Classic Graphic Remix. The first copy was entitled Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy (based on Little Women), but was written by a different author and illustrator. All in all, The Secret Garden on 81st Street is an engaging book that puts the children’s classic in a relatable tale for kids today. I highly recommend it to children and adults alike.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy by Rey Terciero, or Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden.)

 

( publisher’s official The Secret Garden on 81st Street web page ) | ( official Ivy Noelle Weir web site )

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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