Summary
Mary Lennox is born in India to English parents. Her
mother isn’t interested in her and she is looked after by
an Indian servant. Mary is a spoilt, ill-tempered and
unhealthy child. When she is nine, her parents die and
she goes to live with her reclusive uncle in a big old manor
house in Yorkshire. Here, Mary meets the housekeeper,
Mrs Medlock, and a friendly maid called Martha, who
helps to look after her. Mary spends her time in the
gardens and meets the gardener and a cheerful robin. One
day she finds a secret garden. It has walls all around it
and she cannot find a door. For once in her life, Mary is
interested in something. The gardener tells her the garden
belonged to her uncle’s wife, and has been locked since
she died ten years before. With the help of the robin,
Mary finds a key and the door to the garden. At first,
everything looks dead in the garden, but when she finds
some little green plants, she decides to make the garden
green and beautiful again. Martha’s brother, Dickon, an
animal lover, brings Mary a spade and some seeds and she
shares her secret with him. Together they begin to work
on the garden. Mary grows happier and healthier. One
night she hears someone crying. She follows the noise
and finds Colin, a sickly child, who is her cousin. Colin
thinks he is going to be a hunchback, so he stays in bed all
the time. Mary and Colin soon become friends and Mary
tells him there is nothing wrong with his back. Mary and
Dickon decide to take Colin to the garden. Colin begins
to help look after the garden and soon he is able to walk
again. Mr Craven comes home and is very happy to see his
healthy son. The magic of the garden has healed Colin and
brought happiness to Mary.
Chapters 1–3: Mary Lennox is born in India. Her mother
doesn’t like children, so she gives Mary to a servant. Then
her parents die and the servants run away. Mary is sent
to live in England with her uncle, Mr Archibald Craven.
She is met in London by Mrs Medlock, who travels with
Mary to the house in Yorkshire. Mrs Medlock tells Mary
that Mr Craven is strange and a hunchback and his wife is
dead. Martha Sowerby, a servant, comes the next morning
and tells Mary about her twelve-year-old brother, Dickon,
who likes animals. Mary is interested. Martha then tells
Mary that she can’t go into one of the gardens because
Mr Craven closed it when his wife died many years ago.
Chapters 4–5: Mary walks around the gardens and meets
Ben Weatherstaff, the gardener, and a friendly robin. Ben
is not very nice and Mary wonders if she is as horrible and
unfriendly as him. Mary starts going to the gardens every
day and she begins to look stronger. One day, Martha
tells Mary how Mr Craven’s wife died. Then, Mary hearsrying and tries to find out where it is coming from, but
Mrs Medlock sees her and sends her back to her room.
Chapters 6–8: Mary goes to the gardens and meets Ben
Weatherstaff and the robin. While she is in the garden, she
decides that she likes Martha, Dickon, Martha’s mother
and the robin. The robin shows Mary a key on the ground
and the next day Mary finds a door to the secret garden.
She enters the secret garden excitedly and starts to work.
One day, Mary meets Dickon and together they go to the
secret garden and do some gardening. Mrs Medlock takes
Mary to see Mr Craven and Mary asks for a small part of
the gardens to plant seeds and grow things.
Chapters 9–10: Mary hears the crying again and she goes
into a room where Colin Craven is in bed. They talk and
Colin tells Mary he is sick and is going to be a hunchback.
The next day, Mary tells Martha that she has met Colin.
Then Mary and Colin talk about the secret garden, Ben
Weatherstaff and the robin. Mrs Medlock and the doctor
discover Mary with Colin.
Chapters 11–13: Mary goes to the garden with Dickon
and Colin is angry because she hasn’t visited him. They
shout at each other and Mary leaves. During the night,
Colin is crying and Martha asks Mary to go to see him.
Mary goes to Colin’s room and she tells him that he is
not going to be a hunchback. Then, Mary tells Colin
about the secret garden and offers to take him there
with Dickon. The next day, a servant puts Colin in his
wheelchair and they all visit the secret garden together.
Ben Weatherstaff discovers the children there and at first
he is angry. Then, Colin walks a few steps with Dickon’s
help.
Chapters 14–15: The children go to the garden nearly
every day during the spring and summer. Colin works
and gets stronger. Dickon’s mother visits the children in
the garden and Colin likes her. Then, Mr Craven returns
to Yorkshire and he asks Mrs Medlock about Colin. She
tells him that Colin has changed and is out in the gardens.
Mr Craven goes outside to the secret garden and Mary
and Colin come running out. Mr Craven is shocked and
happy to see his healthy son.
