This is most certainly a Burnett book, with its theme of pure, innocent goodness overcoming greed and maliciousness (not to mention the theme of beauty being associated with goodness). For the first couple of chapters, I really thought that I wasn't going to like this one. I still don't think it holds a candle to "The Secret Garden," or even "A Little Princess," but it did grow on me a bit. I have a couple of complaints:

1. Maybe this is my own sexism rearing its ugly head, but I did not enjoy reading about a boy as much as I enjoyed reading the girl stories. I know its the point of the story, but I really felt like he was just TOO good. I put up with the same kind of irritating perfection from Sara Crewe in "A Little Princess," but for some reason it grated on me more here. Something about the way he always calls his mother "Dearest." Maybe it's the modern "Mommy Dearest" reference.

2. I did not care for the way Burnett wrote the American dialect. I don't usually have trouble getting a voice to speak clearly in my head, but I couldn't get my mind wrapped around this one. It kept feeling more British to me than New York. Perhaps those are my own limitations, but for me it was ultimately a distraction from the narrative.