Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Author Frances Hodgson Burnett was born November 24, 1849, in Manchester, England. She immigrated to the United States with her family in 1865, living near Knoxville, Tennessee. To help with her family's finances Frances started to submit stories to women's magazines, which lead to her publishing children's books, novels, and even plays.

In honor of her birthday, here are some materials in our collection you may want to check out. For the books, the years in parenthesis denote the original publication date.

The Secret Garden (1911)
Norton Critical Edition:
PB CLASSIC BURNETT (other versions also located in JUV FICTION BURNETT)
Find it in the catalog!

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite books. Mary Lennox, a spoiled, bratty girl, is sent to live at her reclusive uncle's Yorkshire estate in England after her parents die of cholera in India. Mary is transformed into an independent, active girl through her time spent out in nature in the gardens and develops close friendships with Martha, Dickon, and her cousin Colin.

We have two movie adaptations at the library. I love the 1993 movie adaptation, starring Kate Mabley and Maggie Smith:

The Secret Garden (1993)
J-DVD FICTION SECRET
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The Secret Garden (1975 TV adaptation)
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Other books by Frances Hodgson Burnett:

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886)
JUV FICTION BURNETT
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A Little Princess (1905)
PB CLASSIC BURNETT
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The Lost Prince (1915)
JUV FICTION BURNETT
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Sara Crewe: Or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's (1888)
JUV FICTION BURNETT
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Biography:
Frances Hodgson Burnett: Beyond the Secret Garden
by Angelica Shirley Carpenter
JUV BIOGRAPHY BURNETT
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