Three Complete Books: The Secret Garden / A Little Princess / Little Lord Fauntleroy

Library of America #323

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Three beloved classic works share the stories of a cross young girl who discovers a magical world behind a stone wall, a gentle-hearted girl who suffers at the hands of a cruel headmistress, and an endearing boy who wins his grandfather's love.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Anthologies, Kids

484 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1978

About the author

Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.

Reviews

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't figure out how the nerdy, book-obsessed child that I was managed to miss these three books. Despite being probably 40 years past the target audience age, this was my experience reading them as a nerdy, book-obsessed adult:

The Secret Garden: “OMG, that was the best book EVER!!!”

A Little Princess: “Wait, maybe THIS was the best book ever!!! And the ending was so different from the Shirley Temple movie!! But both were great!!”

Little Lord Fauntleroy: “Holy Cow, I can't decide if may this was the best one of ALL of them! I don't know, because they were all so sweet and wonderful!!”

To sum up, all three of these made me so happy.

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, yes, yes, having with The Secret Garden / A Little Princess / Little Lord Fauntleroy all three novels appear unabridged in one single volume is already absolutely lovely in and of itself (and that I am going to totally and utterly enjoy reading and rereading and to not have to look where I have managed to hide my single copies of The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy away in my overstuffed bookshelves). But indeed, the icing on the cake for me regarding The Secret Garden / A Little Princess / Little Lord Fauntleroy is that editor Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina has also included original illustrations (black and white as well as colour), a chronology of Frances Hodgson Burnett's life, annotations and equally so three supplemental writings, namely How Fauntleroy Occurred and a Very Real Boy Became an Ideal One (Hodgson Burnett using her son Vivian as the role model for Cedric Errol, and how as Vivian grew older, this kind of began to drag and to make Cedric too much of an ideal to have to live up to all the time), Sara Crewe, or What happened at Miss Minchin's (the short novella on which A Little Princess is based) and My Robin (a memoir essay where Frances Hodgson Burnett tells about befriending an English Robin and how she later used said robin as the role model for the robin of The Secret Garden). Five stars for a totally wonderful omnibus (and that finding The Secret Garden / A Little Princess / Little Lord Fauntleroy at my local independent bookstore this afternoon, this definitely ands truly makes my day and also really makes me hugely smile).

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY

Calling a child (and of course, this is most usually and generally a young boy) a Little Lord Fauntleroy often tends to be more than a bit derogatory and it can even insinuate that one thinks, that one believes the youngster in question to be supposedly rather spoiled, precocious and given to sometimes annoyingly prim and proper, rather arrogant airs and graces. But actually and truly, this is an unfortunate labelling which is in fact and indeed pretty well a majorly and strangely ironic misnomer, as little Cedric Eroll, the main protagonist of Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1886 novel Little Lord Fauntleroy is for all intents and purposes anything BUT spoiled (for far from being the latter, far from from acting and behaving in an arrogantly entitled fashion, Cedric in fact shows a wonderful and much enviable combination of British nobility and American spirit, a sense of justice, an appreciation and support of opportunity for all). And with her novel, with Little Lord Fauntleroy, Hodgson Burnett (who was born in England and then immigrated to the United States of America with her family as a child) draws heavily and most appreciatively on her own personal experiences in both England and the USA, examining in a gentle but nevertheless critical manner the prejudices of both the Americans and the English (not only towards each other, but actually also in a more general and global manner of depiction and description), analysing concepts of class, social structure, nobility, presenting the importances of family, filial love and affection (and how young and American born Cedric, with his exuberance, his gentle determinedness, his willingness to love and be loved, is able to win over his aristocratic English grandfather and his rigid, stodgy and often even nastily uncompromising ideals of class and social structure, always remaining staunchly American to a point, but also easily and joyfully adopting the best and most worthwhile tenets of Britishness, of aristocratic tradition, emerging as a wonderful and in all things grand and good combination of both).

Now while at first, in Little Lord Fauntleroy young Cedric with his lovable and emotionally overflowing demeanour, his affectionate means and ways (inherited mostly from his beloved American mother, a woman utterly and vehemently despised by the grandfather, by the Earl of Dorincourt, simply for being an American and a co-called commoner) does have a strained and a trifle strange relationship with his grandfather (who had never been in any way close to his own three sons and thus does not really know what to make of Cedric, and how to act in his presence, how to approach him), slowly and sweetly, the two manage to forge a mutual understanding and appreciation of one another, with the Earl of Dorincourt increasingly allowing himself to love Cedric, to show and react with affection and tenderness, and Cedric also begins to understand his own, his British aristocratic background a bit more, becoming a bit more subdued and thoughtful, but still never losing sight of who he is, of his American inheritance and culture (with Frances Hodgson Burnett presenting in Cedric her wished for ideals of what the British aristocracy should be and should strive for, namely compassionate, understanding and responsible privilege, a caring and yes even a loving attitude towards all, but especially towards tenants, domestic help, those working underneath and for the earls, the barons, the landed gentry, a trifle paternalistic perhaps at times, but still an attitude to be feted and an attitude much more acceptable and in all ways superior to the attitude that Cedric's grandfather, that the Earl of Dorincourt had shown in the beginning, in the opening chapters of Little Lord Fauntleroy.

And now finally, while if I were to read Little Lord Fauntleroy simply as a story by itself and in and of itself, I would most probably be ranking the novel with a low to medium four stars, compared to my two favourite Frances Hodgson Burnett classics, compared to both The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, Little Lord Fauntleroy while definitely a lovely and engaging tale, a sweet enough and readable story, is still not quite yet equally magical and spectacular, and thus, a highly rated (and perhaps even a bit guiltily so) three stars is the maximum ranking I am able and willing to choose, and do indeed stand by having chosen (for sometimes, Cedric really is just a wee bit too good to be true, a bit too perfect, an adorable little boy, no doubt, but also someone of an at times rather too obvious perfection, as even Sara Crewe in A Little Princess has her episodes of despair and silently endured angry frustration, not to mention how increasingly nuanced with both negativity and positiveness, the majority of the main characters of The Secret Garden are generally presented by Frances Hodgson Burnett as both acting and being).

A LITTLE PRINCESS

Now as much as Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess is and remains both a childhood and adulthood favourite for me, in some if not actually many ways, main protagonist Sara Crewe and her entire demeanour do at times appear as being simply and frustratingly just a bit too good to be true. And while I have indeed always liked Sara's story tremendously, I also must admit that I have never loved A Little Princess as much as, say, The Secret Garden (also, of course, by Frances Hodgson Burnett) or the Anne of Green Gables and the Emily of New Moon series (Lucy Maud Montgomery). For in all of these here novels, the main characters are presented as having their share of faults (and at times even seriously problematic and major ones), while in A Little Princess, Sara Crewe seemingly has little or no such peccadilloes (except perhaps that she does at times appear almost patronising in her goodness and her feelings for the populace, but I think that the author, that Frances Hodgson Burnett actually does not mean this to be considered as a fault, and it is just our more modern sensibilities which tend to make us consider this kind of noblesse oblige feeling to be not entirely, not altogether praiseworthy anymore).

And actually, one important consideration to keep in mind is that A Little Princess was published quite a few years before The Secret Garden (the fomer was published in 1905, I believe, and I think The Secret Garden was not published until 1911 or so, and the novella on which A Little Princess is based, Sara Crewe, Or What Happened At Miss Minchin's was actually published even earlier, around 1888). And thus, perhaps Frances Hodgson Burnett's attitude towards children had matured by the time she penned The Secret Garden, and she might have by then realised that it would be better to have main characters who are not perfect, but also have their share of not so stellar character traits. But on the other hand, I also have to wonder whether the author, whether Frances Hodgson Burnett might not have deliberately portrayed Sara as a faultless princess-like character because she wanted to portray her as some kind of magical, fairy tale like entity (a child-goddess of compassion, helpful, patient, accepting, but ultimately too good to be true, a bit like the type of character Dickon Sowerby represents in The Secret Garden, similarly godlike and unrealistic, but then, Dickon is also a supporting character and not the main character, like Sara is in A Little Princess). Still, A Little Princess truly is and always will be a lovely and sweet tale (somewhat of an upside down fairy tale, a riches to rags and then back to riches story) and a novel that although written more than a century ago, is still enjoyable, readable and for most children, sufficiently approachable (and I bet many adults are like me, having not just fond childhood memories of A little Princess, but also of repeated rereads).

THE SECRET GARDEN

I first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden around the age of twelve (and it was likely one of the first longer novels I read entirely in English, not counting those books read entirely for school). And I simply adored The Secret Garden when I read it as a young teenager (or rather, a tween), I continued to love it when I reread it multiple times while at university, and I still massively loved the novel when I reread the story for the Children's Literature Group in 2011 (and I much continue to love it, having reread it at least four times or so since then). And indeed I honestly do think that I have actually enjoyed The Secret Garden even more as an adult than the times I read the novel when I was younger (and that is definitely saying an awful lot). For when I first read The Secret Garden as a young teenager, I was certainly much enchanted by the garden (and of course, the robin), and really liked and enjoyed reading about the Sowerbys, but I did kind of consider both Mary Lennox and Colin Craven as somewhat too spoiled and selfish (I understood their problems and indeed felt empathy, but I also felt more than a bit annoyed at and by them, something that I certainly did not experience as much during my adult rereads). Because as an adult reader, I actually and firmly do believe that most, if not even all of both Mary's and Colin's problems and behavioural quirks (be they emotional or physical) were and are the result of parental abandonment and emotional neglect (maybe even abuse). They act and react towards the world the way the world (or at least how most of the world) has always acted and reacted towards them. And without the garden, but also without characters like Martha, Susan and Dickon Sowerby, without Ben Weatherstaff and the Robin, there would never have been any change in and for Mary Lennox (or at least not ever enough change), and by extension, there would never have been any change in and for Colin Craven and for his father either for that matter.

Now one interesting and thought-provoking fact presented in The Secret Garden is that there actually seems to be a real and almost palpable absence of nurturing father figures throughout (except maybe Dickon, but he is just a boy and in many ways resembles more a Pan-like nature deity, and Ben Weatherstaff really is too old and curmudgeonly to be considered nurturing and fatherly). We do have quite a number of nurturing mother figures portrayed who aid Mary Lennox and later Colin Craven in their recovery (Susan and Martha Sowerby, and even Mary later becomes somewhat of a motherly and nurturing figure towards Colin), but we never see or hear much about a Mr. Sowerby (he is a complete nonentity). And while indeed much is made of the fact that Mary Lennox' mother did not seem to want her child (a fact that is rightfully criticised), that Mr. Lennox did not trouble himself much about his daughter either, while mentioned briefly, is also seemingly accepted as an excusable societal given. Also that Mr. Craven has spiritually and emotionally totally abandoned Colin, and cannot stand to even see him when he is awake just because his son's eyes supposedly remind him of the boy's dead mother, while this is indeed noted in The Secret Garden, his rather vile and nasty attitude and behaviour towards Colin, towards his son is not (at least in my humble opinion) subject to nearly the same amount of harsh criticisms that Mary's emotional and spiritual abandonment by her mother is. And while I do realise and even understand that the death of Mr. Craven's wife was traumatic for him, both Mr. Carven's and Mrs. Lennox' actions, or rather their lack of love and acceptance towards their children have had the same horrible psychological (and psychosomatic) consequences, basically turning both of them, both Mary and Colin into emotional cripples, and Colin also into a hysterical hypochondriac who thinks he has a crooked back.

And The Secret Garden clearly and lastingly demonstrates that children (that anyone) can only show love, can only be lovable, if they have experienced love themselves. In the beginning of the novel, Mary is described as tyrannical, unpleasant, thoroughly "unlovable" and also as somewhat odd. But how can Mary know anything about love, if she has never experienced love? Her parents certainly do not seem to want her, and she has basically been abandoned to the care of servants, who have also been instructed to keep Mary out of the way as much as possible (and in her innermost soul, Mary likely also realises this and much and rightly so resents this). Mary's temper tantrums towards her Ayah and other servants, her desire to always get her own way, are not merely Mary imitating the behaviour she witnesses among the ex-pat community in India (although that likely also has a major part to play), no, I believe that in many ways, the servants also act as representatives of her absent parents, and by lashing out at the servants, Mary Lennox is also lashing out at her careless, unloving, absent parents by proxy so to speak.

So even when Mary first arrives at Misselthwaite, there is still a real and ever-present danger that she will never be able to change, to emerge out of her shell (or to change enough, for at least in England, Mary has the opportunity to go outside and play/run, which was not possible in India due to the hot, stiflingly humid climate), since many of the inhabitants of the manor, but especially Mrs. Medlock and even Mr. Craven regard Mary, or seem to regard Mary the same way that her parents did, either not at all, or as a cumbersome, even loathsome burden. And without Martha, Dickon, and the influence of Martha's mother (Mrs. Sowerby), and of course, Ben Weatherstaff and the Robin (who is a bird, but might just represent the spirit of Colin's deceased mother), not much would likely have ever changed for Mary or within Mary. There might well have been some physical improvement of her health, but her mental health, her soul, would likely have remained for the most part sour, disagreeable and stagnated.

Finally, I do have to admit that I have a bit of a problem with the fact that oh so many of the adults portrayed in The Secret Garden (and even inherently positive individuals like Martha and Susan Sowerby) keep bringing up the fact that Mary Lennox' mother was supposedly very physically attractive, and that in many ways, Mary is often judged negatively because she is plain, while her mother was considered very beautiful. However, Mary's mother does not in any way care about or for her daughter, and had, in fact, never wanted a daughter, and in my opinion, her careless, unloving attitude (and that of her husband as well) is reflected in Mary's countenance, her whole being. Thus, even though Mrs. Lennox might have been physically sweet looking, she basically has a careless and unloving and massively sour (read nastily ugly) soul, which is in my opinion reflected in her daughter (both spiritually and at the same time physically as well).

[Carol Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. I know these are Children's books. Yes. I know I am nearly 62 years old! And YES! I thoroughly enjoyed these books! I had never read any of them before but had seen the movies of the Little Princess and The Secret Garden. Actually when I was reading the Little Princess, I could almost hear Shirley Temple saying some of the lines! The ending of the Little Princess was not at all like the ending to the movie. No surprise there! Both books were, of course, better than the movies. I have heard of Little Lord Fauntleroy all my life, but was totally unfamiliar with the story. It is the story of a little boy, Cedric, who was to inherit his grandfather's fortune in England. But he had to leave New York and live in the castle with his grandfather. However, his mother was not invited! She was invited to live in a house nearby and could be visited by her son so they weren't totally separated. I loved the story. It was charmingly told and I highly recommend any of these books by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She is a captivating storyteller. These three books are available on Amazon in one free download. Makes them even better!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Little Lord Fauntleory, and it was perfect! It captures the beauty of childhood and the innocence of children. I loved the wording, the character, and how it inspired me to become a better mother.

My sister just finished reading Secret Garden to her 5-year-old today. They read for 3 hours straight! They loved it, and I look forward to reading all of these books aloud to my children.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful old classics that are still as great and as charming as the first time I read them as a child!

I have always loved The Secret Garden and The Little Princess since I read them so many years ago. I had never gotten around to reading Little Lord Flountleroy, but I am glad I finally had the opportunity! It is a wonderful book no matter if you are a child of a senior citizen!

[E.D. Baker]

I've never read Little Lord Fauntleroy,but I love the other two stories.

[William Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read The Little Princess so far. Having read a good bit of 19th century women’s novels (like the bestselling, now forgotten The Lamplighter), this book’s sentimentality and reliance on coincidence didn’t really phase me. The heroine’s downturn could have been darker, admittedly. Unlike many novels of its time and ilk, LP doesn’t invoke religion in its heroine’s trials or quest to be good, which I appreciated. A smash hit in its time, and Burnett is skilled at what she does. Appreciated it mostly for historic interest and, yes, a little bit of camp sensibility (which makes the treacle more survivable sometimes). If you’re looking for an adult version of the young, sometimes orphaned heroine 19th century novel, I’d recommend EDEN Southworth’s The Hidden Hand (which is more irreverent and addictive), Cummins’ The Lamplighter (which though schmaltzy is well plotted and engaging), or Teh Wide Wide World (author deserts me right now—this is longer, a bit more dour, and at times tiresomely earnest…but a huge bestseller also).

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since these are very old storys beware of racism and classism.

The storys have a very fascinating and strange kind of charme. There is not a lot happening at times yet it keeps one wanting to know more.

A lot of slang and dialects which make for a difficult read at times. Especially if english is not ones mothertounge.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three classics that are all a re-read. I have always loved A Little Princess, and it was actually the book club choice this month for an in-person book club. Re-reading these is like a literary hug from the past. I must admit I had forgotten much about Little Lord Fauntleroy. It is a shame he grew up and changed his name to Dorian Gray...just kidding!

[Elise Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

My ratings

I really liked how this book had a lot of detail especially the little Lord faunteroy it really inspired me I loved the way it has good
Pictures to go along with the story I loved all of these stories very much I hope I can read them again sometime

[Iliana Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for children of all ages

I enjoy this better than The Secret Garden. It is a simple, entertaining story that shares positive values. This is the tenth or so time I have read it - it never gets old!

[Mills College Library]

Fiction B964a 2019

[Janek · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much love and kindness in one book... What else to say?

Thank you, thank you my Dear friend for recommending this book

[Camilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this collection!! The books are so clean and wholesome.

[nicola-jo randle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful stories

[SoccerReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I read A Little Princess, then The Secret Garden, then Little Lord Fauntleroy. I love these books!

[Monaca Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

No illustrations and the binding is rather poorly done so you have trouble reading it. Buy a nicer edition if you can.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always liked this story, I still have a copy from my youth. It captures imagination and makes a person believe that there are good endings to look forward to. A Classic!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like this book , the english are very easy (the secret garden)

[Haya Najma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cerita tentang Mary, anak dari India yang ditinggal mati orangtuanya. Mukanya murung dan anaknya jelek. Ia dibawa ke London, ke rumah pamannya yang sudah ditinggal mati istrinya. Pamannya bungkuk, istrinya meninggal karena jatuh dari dahan pohon di taman kesukaannya, sejak saat itu taman itu dikunci dan kuncinya dikubur. Sudah 10 tahun berlalu.

Mary yang tinggal berkecukupan di sana, tapi kesepian, berjalan2 di sekeliling taman. Sampai berkenalan dengan tukang kebun bernama Ben, dan burung berdada merah robin. Burung robin menunjukkan kunci taman itu. Dan sejak saat itu, taman yang 10 tahun terkunci dan hampir mati, dihidupkan kembali oleh Mary.

Mary yang galak dan kasar berubah jadi menyenangkan dan makin gemuk karena nafsu makannya bertambah seiring kelelahannya berkebun. Ia juga berteman dengan Dickon, seorang anak laki-laki yang amat mengerti dunia hewan.

Sementara itu beberapa malam Mary mendengar suara jeritan dan tangisan. Akhirnya di kali ketiga, ia menyambangi asal suara. Dan ternyata dia adalah sepupunya, Colin! Anak dari pamannya, Craven, pemilik rumah tua itu. Colin sakit, tepatnya merasa dirinya sakit dan akan mati. Dia takut seperti ayahnya, bungkuk. Dan ayahnya juga tidak akrab dengannya, karena matanya begitu mirip ibunya. Ia seumur hidup berada di kamar. Kadang mengamuk, dan kemauannya harus dituruti.

Colin yang keras, bertemu dengan Mary yang sama-sama keras, malah menjadi teman baik. Mereka sering mengobrol. Mary sering bercerita tentang taman, Dickon, dan menyanyikan lagu india. Akhirnya Colin menjad bersemangat, ia ikut ke taman rahasia, dan berkata ia ingin hidup selamanya. Dari yang tadinya tidak bisa berjalan karena tidak pernah berjalan, Colin bisa melakukannya. Ia ingin menunjukkan bahwa sebenarnya ia sesehat anak laki-laki lainnya. Ia tidak akan mati!

Dan benar saja... ia sebenarnya sehat. Berada di udara padang moor setiap hari, membuatnya makin kuat. Dan ayahnya, begitu bahagia... sementara taman yang selama ini tertutup, sudah berubah cantik karena tangan2 Mary, Colin, dan Dickon.

[Sarah Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The purpose for him to write this is for little kids to waant to seek adventure, and have fun outdoors. The lesson i learned by reading this book is to go outside, have fun and meet new friends.
The styles of the book are monologue and dialogue. The author put in a lot of descriptions and a lot of talking to one another. There is also a lot of narration in this book where the narrator tells you exactly what is happening. Then the dialogue comes in with the people talking.
The book is about this little girl who was always sick. She was also the little girl that was a myth, nobody knew she existed. If they did know about her they had to lie and say she didn't exist. HEr parents and the rest of the villagers died so she was sent to her uncle's house there she was sent outside everyday and hunted for the secret garden. At the end of the book she found the garden and made it look nice again. She had spent everyday outside which made it so she wasn't always sick anymore. After she found the garden she spent everyday in it with her cousin. She got really close to her uncle too.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

These three unrelated books are among the best-known books written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. They are easily among the 100 best novels for children. The unifying themes of the collection revolve around the heartbreak of loss, experiencing the trials consequent of that loss, and the ultimate gain that is the result of overcoming the vicissitudes of life. In all of the stories, adults play the deus ex machina which demonstrates the utter frailty and dependence that children have upon their parents and other responsible adults.

The novels are well-written, melodramas typical of the time-period (revolving around status and financial inequities). Burnett also wrote romances, so she was skilled at thoroughly plotting a story to its inevitable conclusion. Clearly, I consider Burnett's work worthy of being called classic, because these three individually fulfill my three criteria of longevity (the works are over 100 years old), paradigm altering, and exceptionalism. Let this serve as my #8 of 10 box sets for my 2023 reading goal.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Little Princess and The Secret Garden when I was a young girl. I never read Little Lord Fauntleroy until I was an adult, but I enjoyed that book as well.

I liked reading about Sarah Crewe's remarkably mature attitude as she went from riches to rags and back again. She never mistreated others when she was rich, but she also didn't have as much of an opportunity to show true compassion for others until her riches were taken away. Then you see her true grit and watch as her character develops into a remarkably mature young woman who gives her 'last mite' to the poorest of poor to help alleviate their suffering.

I loved The Secret Garden - especially witnessing Mary's transformation from a spoiled brat into a young girl who learns to care for others. And just like Heidi, I love seeing how playing outside in the fresh air and eating real food can make a sickly child healthy.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just finished "A Little Princess". This was the best paced of the three novels, and emotionally quite rich. The trials of the main character and the depiction of poverty and mistreatment are gripping and very sympathetic. The fact that British colonialism hovers over everything like an unpleasant London fog -- and is not questioned by the author the way class distinctions in England are -- complicates things.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

All delightful and moving. A Little Princess will always be my favorite that Burnett has written. I read this last year with my girls and by the time we were finished it had captured the whole family. We all were brought to tears and one point..(including Kameron). :) Sarah Crewe became a hero in our home and someone to discuss emulating.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost can't list my favourite books from when I was little, but this collection of three stories would be among them. I've always loved A Little Princess the best, but the other two are not far behind.
I said it before in my Secret Garden review, but they are all three of them charming and pretty, and have (if you care about that sort of thing) a good moral embedded in them.

[Sidney Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern fairy tales

Having already read Fauntleroy, this comment applies only to The Hidden Garden and The Little Princess. These stories are essentially modern fairy tales: short and sweet and pleasant to read, but artificial characters and scenes.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is three books in one all three are great books

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ive read them all. and they rock.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I have the book, But I really only read Little Princess so ya. I probably will read the whole thing just not now.