** spoiler alert ** 
 "I'm so happy I could shit." -Chip Sutphin from Serial Mom. That about sums up the feeling I had while reading a lot of this book. And although Beverly Sutphin doesn't like the brown word, I can't think of another phrase that describes it better. This is another feel-good children's book that leaves me in a good mood after I'm done reading it, but it isn't sickeningly sweet (like Pollyanna). It's rather tastefully done. 
 I've seen three movie adaptations and an off-Broadway play version, and none of them get it quite right, or at least they took some liberties with the book. I can understand though. There was a lack of tension in the book, and while that can work just fine with literature, it never translates well to a two hour show. 
 Everyone knows the story: Mary Lennox is a spoiled little ten year old bitch who lives in India. Her parents die, she moves to England to live with her Uncle who wants nothing to do with her. Neither does Mrs. Medlock the housekeeper or any of the other staff. Bored, Mary pokes around, finds an abandoned hidden garden, meets a boy named Dickon who is good with animals and plants, and together they plant stuff and make it all gardeny again. At night Mary hears crying, and discovers her Uncle's son Colin who is also ten. He's a hypochondriac with authority, he can't walk, throws tantrums, hates everything, etc. Colin and Mary start to hang out, and fight sometimes, and they help each other become better people. Eventually she wheels him out to the Garden which they keep secret from the staff, he gets better, starts to learn to walk, they do chanting voodoo stuff, and eventually his father comes home, sees him walking, everyone does happy crying, and that's the end. I may have left out a few things, but what's the point in telling all; you wouldn't want to read the book, and I highly recommend it. 
 One thing I liked about the book is one of the last chapters where the point of view is from the Robin that lives in the garden. He doesn't understand the silly stuff that humans do, and comments on it. Nothing spectacular there, just a nice touch. 
 Some things that surprised me: Mrs. Medlock is nowhere near as mean in the book as she is in every movie version I've seen, but I wouldn't change Maggie Smith's interpretation of her at all. (I'm a Maggie Smith fan). Dickon is much more happy-go-lucky than his Hallmark movie version. The fight between Mary and Colin is nowhere near as dramatic as the 1949 version of the movie where they're throwing tables and chairs, and anything else they can get their hands on, all over the room. In fact, the tantrum scene is rather dull in the book. Colin is brought up short quick, and we find some other things that make sense. The nurse/doctor/staff members/etc. didn't know of Colin's private fears that he was going to turn into a hunchback like his father; he kept that and some other things to himself. In the movies everyone knows that he thinks this, and they indulge him no matter how stupid it is. This adds an element of internal fear for the character, and I can buy that much better than the alternative. Another nice touch. 
 The play and the 1993 movie contain a couple of very weird mumbo jumbo voodoo chanting scenes, and I just thought it was Broadway and Hollywood being all frou-frou the way they get sometimes, but it turns out that that kind of thing is in the book too. Who knew? It wasn't as weird in the book as it was in the play, but I'm glad to know that scene had a basis from which to draw and wasn't just made up for the sake of making it up. 
 This book made me want to get back out into the garden, and grow things, but it's hot and humid where I live, so fuck that. Perhaps if it had been a five star book I'd feel more inclined to go play in the dirt, but alas, I'm giving it only four (which is still a very good rating).