An absolutely gorgeous story. I first read it when I was ten or so and have had to replace my copy a couple times. It's a bit fairy-taleish in places, but there's room in life for fairy tales.

I loved this book as a child, the story of the orphan seeking her place in the world, and a little cottage where she can pretend she has a home all her own. I did not realize until recently that the author is "The" Julie Andrews, the Sound of Music actress. A lovely and timeless story for pre-teen girls.

great read!a story about an orphan girl who creates a beautiful garden as an escape, reminds me of secret garden, but witten by sound of musics julie andrews!!!

Ten year old orphan Mandy has lived in the old stone orphanage all her life; she loves the matron and the other orphans, but has felt all her life that something is missing.

One day she climbs over the wall between the orphanage and the woods and discovers a small, abandoned cottage. She decides to take it for her own and sets out to repair it and the garden. She keeps it a secret from the rest of the orphanage the entire time, sometimes being driven to lie and to "borrow" things necessary to keep up her little house. Soon Mandy discovers that she has a secret "Admirer," who leaves her small gifts and notes. It is only the Admirer who knows where to find her one stormy night when she becomes ill and nobody can find her anywhere.

I really wanted to read this because of who the author is. Also, I really like children's literature. It did not live up to my expectations.
This book reminded me of The Secret Garden, although not as beautifully written. It was a nice story and I imagine it would be a good read-aloud story to enjoy with your children. Sweet, with a satisfying ending.

One of my all-time favorite books. Mandy lives in an orphanage and finds a little cottage in the woods. She doesn't know who it belongs to, but she goes back often and makes it a place all her own. But Mandy gets very sick one day in the cottage and wishes she had told someone where she was going...

This book was the first "real" book I ever read as a child. I picked it up off my teacher's shelf in third grade when we had to do reading time in class. That was the first time I had ever truly enjoyed a book. It has been over 10 years and I still remember this book. It introduced me to a whole new world. I enjoyed it SO much. This has a similar feel to the book Heidi. I recommend any mother to buy it for their daughter who is a hesitant reader. I wonder where I would be if I hadn't discovered the joys of reading through this book... :]

Great book for girls!

different cover than the one above...

the cover is different, but it is the same book.

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This was one of Julie Andrews Edwards first attempts at writing and I found it charming. My 7 year old granddaughter loved it and in fact, has re-read it twice. The story is about a little, lonely girl who discovers a cottage tucked away in the woods, and its transformation, and hers, makes for a very entertaining story with a happy ending.

This is one of the books I remembered being totally lost in when I was a kid. I LOVED this book. It all seemed so real to me. I'm 40 now and can't wait to read it again.

Mandy has a wonderful secret....

"Beautifully written, sensitive. A joyus novel." -Language Arts

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