Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

The Secret Garden: Classic for a Reason

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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I continue my read-aloud campaign with The Secret Garden; in fact, we read the exact same copy that I read as a child. Charming! I’m sure you are familiar with the story: in 1900 or so, Mary Lennox is a sickly, neglected, self-centered, unpleasant 10-year-old in India; her British parents die of cholera. Not great! She is sent to her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire Moors, where she continues to be unpleasant and selfish until forced to GO OUTSIDE. This is, I am […]

The healing power of nature

The secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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I picked up this classic children’s book because I had a vague memory of reading something similar as a kid – some girl who had discovered a secret garden (which I now believe was Mandy by Julie Andrews) – and loving it. I wanted to find that book again and re-read it to see if it held up. This was not the right book, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. Probably because I’ve always found nature to be full of wonder. Most likely, it is […]

The garden itself isn’t magic, positive thinking and determination are what brings the change: cbr12 bingo “Green”

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor

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I did not intend for The Secret Garden to  be my “Green” book for Cannonball bingo but when I finished reading it to my 8 year old last night, it seemed silly to not take advantage of it fitting the green square.  This is my beloved copy from childhood.  I can’t recall how many times it has been read over the years and with this re-read it has now been shared with both my children.  The Secret Garden captured my imagination as a child with its […]

I don’t enjoy being a hater, but I wish this book had remained a secret

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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CBR11bingo: Listicle (Goodread’s Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once) The introductory blurb to The Secret Garden on Amazon reads, “Opening the door into the innermost places of the heart, The Secret Garden is a timeless classic that has left generations of readers with warm, lifelong memories of its magical charms.” I must be a much more cold-hearted bastard than anyone ever suspected and am likely to be doomed to the same circle of Hell as people who didn’t cry at the opening sequence of Up, because […]

Do you believe in Magic?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Cbr11bingo Youths I’m not sure I ever read this century-old classic of children’s literature when I was a kid, but I can understand why readers have loved it over the decades. It’s got everything: orphans, woodland creatures, an immense mansion on the moors of Yorkshire, and lots of secrets! And the overall message is a timeless one that really can’t be repeated enough — mental health and physical health are closely related and spending time in the natural world is good for the soul. The […]

I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics.

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I’m surprised that I made it through my childhood without reading A Little Princess (1905) by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I did remember watching the 1995 movie when I was babysitting, and I cried like a baby at the end. I guess it never occurred to me to read the book until I saw it on my List of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40, which will be dominating my reading for the next four months or so. Sara Crewe is a precocious and imaginative […]



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