The Secret Garden Rewilded
Age 9+
Family & Home Stories
Spoilt Mia learns to love nature when she discovers a door to an abandoned garden in her uncle's house in this modern retelling of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic The Secret Garden.
Spoilt rich-kid Mia’s world is turned upside-down when she is orphaned and whisked away to Mis Tor Manor on the edge of Dartmoor to live with her uncle and cousin Christopher. Mia is appalled to find herself in the remote countryside, in a freezing, crumbling manor. Grieving and missing her old life, she takes an instant dislike to Christopher, who never leaves his bedroom due to illness.
Yet little by little, Mia starts to discover the beauty of this wintry world, and befriends local boy Daniel, who loves animals and teaches her how to ride a Dartmoor pony. One day she discovers a hidden door, covered in brambles and ivy, which leads to a walled garden … A special, secret place which needs someone’s care to bring it to life once again so nature can flourish.
Cover art by Rachael Dean.
Creators
Anthea Simmons lives in Devon with her polydactyl cat, Caramac. After a successful career in the City and a spell of teaching, she finally knuckled down to write at the insistence of her son, Henry. She is the author of Share, The Best Best Baby, I’m Big Now and Lightning Mary and Burning Sunlight. She campaigns for European values and a fairer democracy.
Reviews
An exciting adventure that will ignite an interest in nature in the least green-fingered reader
The Bookseller Editor’s Choice
Five stars… An ingenious retelling
BOOKS FOR KEEPS
A book that inspires children to put their phones down and connect with wild nature
GUY SHRUBSOLE, author of The Lost Rainforests of Britain
A fine update of a much-loved classic… The rewilding element, so paramount in this story, adds something new and very pertinent
Malachy Doyle
