We are reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hidgson Burnett. This is a delightful story about friendship, hope, and family. This is an old story, so many elements will seem strange or unacceptable. These elements were a part of the world in which this story was written, and provide an excellent foundation for discussion of how we learn, grow, and change as humans. The lessons of the human spirit found in the story, however, are timeless. In this first chapter, we are introduced to Mary Lennox, a lonely and spoiled little girl, and find out how her adventure begins.