When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle， everybody said she was the ugliest child they had ever seen. She always looked angry. Her face was yellow， because she had been born in India， and had always been ill in one way or another. Her father was very busy with his work in the Army， and her mother had been a great beauty who only liked to go to parties. Her mother had not wanted a little girl at all. When Mary was born， her mother handed her over to the care of an Ayah-an Indian woman whose job was to look after her. The Ayah was made to understand that if she wished to please the mother， she must keep the child out of sight as much as possible. So when Mary was a sick， fretful little baby， she was kept out of sight. Later， when she became a sick， fretful young child， she was still kept out of sight. 性格孤僻的小姑娘玛丽在父母双亡之后被送到一座笼罩着神秘气氛的庄园。空旷的庄园里有一个关闭了十年之久、连门也找不到了的秘密花园。小说就是以这座庄园为背景，描写了三个出身不同，性格迥异的孩子如何寻找秘密花园并使之复活，同时自己也在大自然的怀抱中摆脱了病态心理，变得生气勃勃了。小说充满童趣，悬念丛生，富有教益，是世界儿童文学史上的一部经典之作。