The Secret Garden
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 10+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Mary is a grumpy, lonely girl who is sent to live in a big house in England. She finds a locked garden and a sick cousin, and with her friend Dickon she helps both grow strong again. It is a slow, lovely story, good for kids about nine and up with a parent's help on one part. The part is the Magic. Colin gets well by chanting that the Magic is in him, and a wise mother says it does not matter what name you give the Big Good Thing. That is not the faith. God is personal, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he loves us. He is not a force we switch on by thinking. The friendship, the hard work and the change in two selfish children are all good and worth the read.
For parents
Read aloud from seven or eight. Independent reading from ten, since the Yorkshire dialect is slow going. Before the last third, tell your child that the author believed in a popular idea of her day that right thoughts can heal the body. Ask: who made the garden grow, Colin's chanting or God who made seeds and sun? Ask why we pray to a Father and do not just say words to a power. Point out the good moment when the children sing the Doxology and thank God. Talk about the unkind way the book speaks of people in India, and say plainly that it is wrong.