Mary’s main goal then becomes “find this secret garden.” She does end up finding the garden about halfway through the novel, at which point, the goal shifts slightly to become “bring the garden back to life.”Īnother tricky aspect of finding our novel’s main goal is ensuring that this goal is not arbitrary or random. But in this case, the goal is pretty clear: when Mary first arrives at her mysterious new home, she learns about a secret garden, one that has been locked up and the key hidden ever since its owner’s death over a decade earlier. ![]() This can be difficult to put our finger on, as characters often have many goals along the way, as well as deeper psychological and emotional needs, which we will get to in a bit. Probably the most important (and difficult) part of writing any novel is figuring out what the protagonist’s main goal will be. When Mary’s parents die and she is sent to live with her uncle, she must discover the secrets of his estate and bring a garden back to life in order to gain her own happiness and save the life of her cousin. "When A (inciting incident) happens, B (character) must do C (action) otherwise/before D (catastrophe)." (Screenwriters might call this a logline.) For an example, we can use Hannah Sheppard’s pitch test: Mary sets out to discover the secrets of Misselthwaite and bring the garden back to life.ĭespite the complexities of any novel, I think it’s useful when studying structure to see if a novel’s plot can be distilled into one line. She also hears rumors of a mysterious garden, locked up for over a decade after the death of her uncle’s wife. The manor is full of secrets, though, and Mary often hears the screams of a child echoing its halls at night, despite the servants’ insistence that it is only the wind. At Misselthwaite, she is mostly ignored and left to wander outside in the gardens. Mary is disagreeable, used to being waited on, and initially does not even know how to dress herself. After the death of her parents, she is sent to live at her mysterious uncle’s Yorkshire estate, Misselthwaite Manor. The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox, a spoiled young English girl being raised in India. Classic children’s novels are my favorite books to study and pick apart when I’m looking at structure, as they are concise enough to read in a single afternoon, and yet as complex as any adult novel. Long considered a classic, it’s still sometimes dismissed by scholars as “just a children’s book.” But children’s books can provide a master class in how to tell a complex story effectively in a short space. Her children's books, including the marvelous Secret Garden and Sara Crew (later rewritten to become: A Little Princess) are what she is best known for today, but her romance novels were very popular during her lifetime.The Secret Garden is arguably Frances Hodgson Burnett’s most famous work. In 1886 she published the Little Lord Fauntleroy, which was dramatized during her life and (now safely out of copyright) continues as videos and movies. ![]() A number of other works followed, with Through One Administration and A Lady of Quality as the most notable. Her reputation as a novelist was made with her story of Lancashire life, That Lass o' Lowrie's. ![]() Her first widely-known story appeared in "Scribner's Magazine" in 1872.įrances married Dr. Miss Hodgson began writing for magazines soon after. Her mother moved to Knoxville, Tenessee in 1865. The year’s outstanding debut authors for children: shortlist for the 2023 Branford Boase Award announcedįrances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was born in Manchester, England, on November 24, 1849.Celebrate Grandparents Day with 50 great kids books about grandparents.Anxiety & Wellbeing - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health.Jacqueline Wilson - our Guest Editor of the Month.Branford Boase 2023 – what the judges had to say about the shortlist.Read Hour returns for its third year in the UK with Moomin Characters.In its 20th year, the shortlist for CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) reflects the wealth of talent in children’s poetry.13 Children's Books Featuring Poverty and Homelessness. ![]()
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