Books Like The Secret Garden

Philippa Pearce

Like Mary discovering the hidden garden, Tom slips into a secret outdoor world that only he can enter. Pearce builds a quiet, atmospheric story about wonder, loneliness and friendship that will suit fans of Burnett's gardens.

Mary Norton

A tiny family lives unseen beneath an old English house, much as Mary uncovers a concealed world on the estate. Its careful domestic detail and sense of a hidden place echo the secret garden's charm.

Edith Nesbit

Three siblings are uprooted to the countryside and make the most of their new surroundings. Nesbit's fresh, lively voice and the joy of discovering a new place mirror the spirit of Mary's gradual awakening.

L. M. Montgomery

An imaginative orphan arrives in a rural community and gradually wins a place in it. Anne's vivid inner life and love of landscape will appeal to readers who connected with Mary's journey from loneliness to belonging.

Eleanor Hodgman Porter, Porter

A cheerful orphan sent to live with a stern relative changes the people around her. Its warmth and gentle emotional turns resemble the way Mary's presence reshapes the household at Misselthwaite.

Spyri, Johanna

A young orphan is sent to live with a gruff grandfather in the Swiss mountains, where nature heals and transforms those around her. Its rural setting and tender focus on health and kindness echo the moorland restoration in The Secret Garden.

Roald Dahl

A neglected, clever child with unkind adults at home finds her own strength. Dahl's sharp humour and sympathy for an overlooked girl will appeal to readers who enjoyed Mary's prickly, self-absorbed beginnings.

Katherine Paterson

Two lonely children build a magical world in the woods, and it changes how they see themselves. Paterson's honest, emotional handling of friendship and grief suits readers moved by the bond that grows in Burnett's book.

Louis Sachar

A boy sent to a harsh camp slowly discovers resilience and a sense of purpose. Sachar's sharp, witty storytelling and interlocking threads reward the same attentive reader who followed Mary's gradual change.

E. B. White, Kate DiCamillo

A barnyard friendship unfolds with warmth, humour and a deep respect for the natural world. Its gentle pace and tender sense of life's cycles will appeal to readers who loved the garden's quiet renewal.

Kenneth Grahame

Mole, Rat and their friends enjoy the English countryside through the changing seasons. Grahame's lyrical descriptions of riverbank and meadow share the sense of place that makes The Secret Garden so memorable.

Anna Sewell

A horse recounts a life of hardship and kindness in rural England. Sewell's compassionate narration and careful attention to how creatures are treated will resonate with readers who valued the tenderness in Burnett's story.