"The Secret Garden" - Classic Teens Project

     I read "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the first time when I was ten years old. I re-read it over the summer, and was reminded why I loved that story so much. Even if it is meant for children its still beautiful and meaningful. It is certainly my favorite children's tale. :D I have this copy (below) in hardcover.

     "The Secret Garden" is about a little girl who moves to the moors in Yorkshire, England after her family and caretakers die from a cholera outburst in India. Being neglected most of her life by her parents, Mary didn't know how to love or how to be friendly or how to be a regular child. She is frail, thin, sour and ugly. After meeting Martha, her new maid and first friend, Mary begins to play outside and absorb the life that the moors have to offer. She grows strong enough to venture out, and soon a robin leads her to a hidden door and a buried key. She then discovers a neglected and wild, but beautiful, garden. Mary's life blooms from there. She meets Martha's younger brother Dickon, who has a marvelous affinity to animals and nature, and her sickly cousin Colin, and introduces them both to the garden. Together, the trio heals the garden and renews its beauty with their growing friendship, and Mary and Colin learn to be children and grow strong and lovely. The secret garden is revealed to the adults at the end, but revealing how would ruin the plot for you. :D

     As I said before, this is my favorite children's story! I love how the garden represents Mary's and Colin's growth; it blooms and grows as they do. I also love how Dickon is the wise-man of the story (He's only twelve!). The flower imagery used throughout the story really brings the theme of growth to life, and highlights the connection between the garden and the children. All of the characters are lovable and generally good people; I can't name a real villain in the story. This is certainly a book to read if you want your heart to be nice and toasty. :D

Rating for an adult audience: 4/5

Any adult would love reminiscing about this book while re-reading it. Most adults either read "The Secret Garden" as a child or heard the story from their parents. However, they won't appreciate it as much as a younger individual because they have finished growing already and they can't connect to the children as well as a younger person might.

Rating for a teenage audience: 4.5/5

This book will probably create feelings of nostaligia for teens as well as for adults, but for different reasons. We can remember our childhood better than an adult, and therefore the message of this story will hit closer to home. You never know, perhaps this story can still teach us a few things about life (it did for me!). Some young adults or older teens might have a hard time understanding the characters and connecting with them, though.

Story: 4.5/5

"The Secret Garden" has a story like any other children's story: when remembered, it makes you sigh and smile. It is heart-warming and impactful. It's message is clear and so elegantly simple, yet it is one of the most important messges one can learn.

Characters: 3.5/5

The characters in this story are whimsical and pure; they are easy to understand and relate to, and are a joy to read. However, because these characters are meant for children to understand, they are a bit simple. The main characters are round and dynamic, but they aren't very deep, especially for an older reader.

Difficulty: 3/5

This book is a pretty easy read. The vocabulary is easy and there isn't much difference from today's language. This was published quite a while ago, though, so the writing is flowery and there are some longer sentences than we are used to. The Yorkshire dialect used isn't too confusing, but might pose a challenge for some.

"The Secret Garden" is a beautiful story that everyone should be able to recognize and enjoy. It can bring joy to even the most sour heart.

Happy reading!

"A Tale of Two Cities" - Classic Teens Project

     Okay, so I've finished reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, and I thought it was fantastic! I got my copy in Barnes and Noble (from their "Barnes and Noble Classics" collection) for around five bucks for a paperback. The collectible leather-bound copies would look fantastic on a bookshelf too, though. Its pretty short at a little under 400 pages, but it could take a while to read if you're not used to the language.

     "A Tale of Two Cities" is the story of Paris and London and its citizens during the French Revolution. The main conflict in the book is caused by the distrust between the people of these tow cities; no one is ever sure if their own neighbor is a spy or a patriot. The main focus is the Manette family and their common friend Sydney Carton, who incorporate the best qualities of both the English and the French. Their family grows ever stronger with union, marriage, kidnap, arrest and death.
     The brutality of the French Revolution and its supporters is highlighted in the book with its two villains: "La Guillotine" and Madame Defarge. Both are truly sinister. A lot of lives are taken at the hands of both together.
     Dickens is criticizing mob behavior in this work, and beautifully so. I've never visualized such an angry, rabid, crazed group of people. Like always, Dickens makes a strong political statement with his work.

      Review time! I absolutely adored this book. The prose is rich and poetic and fantastic, just like all of Dickens's other works. Although I'm not a particularly political person, I still loved the observations of basic human nature when cornered, our inhumane bloodlust, and our determination to fight tooth and nail for what we believe. The characters were real and vivid; I don't think there is anyone I could love more than Sydney Carton. Ever. And Madame Defarge is just so palpably evil. Oh, the knitting! Scary stuff. I loved the dynamic of the Manette family, they are almost the perfect family (almost). This book is so quotable. I have an entire page in my book journal dedicated to quotes, and in tiny writing!


Rating for an adult audience: 5/5

Any adult reader would love this book, especially if they've read other Dickens works. Its a relatively short read, and the insight into society is really interesting. The historical aspect of the book would be great for those who love history.

Rating for a teenage audience: 3.5/5

As much as it hurts me to say it, an average teenager would find this book boring at parts. It can be a bit slow in the middle, and the language might be an obstacle for some. If anyone read it to the end, though, I'm sure they would be pleased with all the action and excitement that closes the book.

Story: 4.5/5

The story for this book is awesome, as it incorporates a little bit of everything: there's action, mystery, politics, history, and even romance. The story is dynamic and complex, but moves a bit slowly at parts like I mentioned above.

Characters: 5/5

Only Dickens can create a cast of characters so satisfying and profound and familiar. There isn't a character I don't like in this book, and I'm a tough critic when it comes to characters. Sydney Carton steals the show. Although he doesn't really have that much screen time, you're always waiting for him to pop up when your reading and when he finally does he comes and goes with a bang.

Difficulty: 4/5

If you've never read a novel from the Victorian era before, this book is not the one to start with. This was my first Victorian novel, and it honestly took me quite a while to get used to the language and those pesky long sentences. After the first fifty pages, though, reading went a bit quicker. Even still, I had to make sure I was paying attention, or else I would have one of those " re-read the entire page again because you absorbed nothing of what you just read" moments.


"A Tale of Two Cities" is a fantastic classic novel, and definitely a good read for older teens. It will surely prepare you for those harder-to-read books, if anything!

Happy reading!

The Classic Teens Project

     Hi guys! Okay, so after a lot of thinking and planning, I've decided to create a new project to (hopefully) influence teens and young adults to jump into classical literature and poetry. It's called the "Classic Teens Project".
     This project will involve us embarking on a journey to read the classics together; in other words, I am as much of a newbie as the rest of you. Every time I read a new book, I'll post a brief summary and then review it based on my preferences. I'll then rate it for adults, for teens, for story, characters and difficulty (probably on a scale of five). Maybe different books can have unique rating categories. :D

     The first book I'll probably post for the project is "A Tale of Two Cities". After that might come "The Importance of Being Ernest" or "The Inferno".
     Happy reading!