Book · 1911 · Fiction, general
The Secret Garden
- mentions
- 2
- people
- 2
- podcasts
- 2
- episodes
- 2
- recommendations
- 0
I think I remember a teacher reading maybe Island of the Lost, Island of the Lost, Blue Dolphins, Island of the Blue Dolphins, or The Secret Garden.
The best things said about it
There's so many childhood narratives that are really about this. I mean, The Secret Garden, all of the Narnia books, you know, about passing through a membrane or a border or a door or jumping into a pool and being in another world.
Why people recommend it
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a classic children's novel about an orphaned girl who discovers a hidden, neglected garden on a Yorkshire estate and helps restore it to life alongside her cousin. The book was referenced in two distinct podcast conversations exploring literature and creativity. On an episode of The Book Review in 2025, host Gilbert Cruz reflected on his school days, recalling teachers reading classic stories aloud in the fourth grade, including this enduring novel. Separately, on an episode of Freakonomics Radio in 2018, author Jennifer Egan brought up the book during a discussion on the origins of creativity and childhood narratives. Egan cited the work, alongside the Narnia series, to illustrate common narrative tropes centered around characters passing through a boundary, membrane, door, or portal into an entirely different world. Both mentions highlighted the powerful hold the novel maintains in cultural memory, serving as a prime example of imaginative literature that captures the universal childhood longing for discovery, transformation, and secret spaces.
Every mention
Gilbert Cruz I think I remember a teacher reading maybe Island of the Lost, Island of the Lost, Blue Dolphins, Island of… 1
“I think I remember a teacher reading maybe Island of the Lost, Island of the Lost, Blue Dolphins, Island of the Blue Dolphins, or The Secret Garden.”
Jennifer Egan There's so many childhood narratives that are really about this. I mean, The Secret Garden, all of the Narn… 1
“There's so many childhood narratives that are really about this. I mean, The Secret Garden, all of the Narnia books, you know, about passing through a membrane or a border or a door or jumping into a pool and being in another world.”
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Like if you were sick, they would say, Well, you need to hide in a room alone. Like, don't go outside. Stay in this like quiet, dark, dank room, and never leave for years. Um, which you might recognize as bad for people. Look, I've seen The Secret Garden, and I know that that's not how that works.”
“the plot against America Secret Garden”