The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the Class 5 reader at Army Public Schools & Colleges. This is the Top Readers Level 2 edition from MM Publications, adapted for APSACS by H. Q. Mitchell and Marileni Malkogianni. The cover shows a girl in a red hat and a dark dress walking through an arch in a hedge towards a hidden garden, with a robin on the wall, and it is marked ‘SRM, supplementary reading material’. Available to order now for the 2027-28 session.
It is the second adapted classic in the Army Public School reading ladder, after The Railway Children in Class 4, and it is the story of a lonely girl who finds a locked garden and, with it, friendship and health.
About the author and the story (from the book’s own introduction)
The introduction on page 2 explains that The Secret Garden first appeared in parts in The American Magazine in 1910, and the whole book was published the following year. The main characters are Mary, a ten-year-old girl who moves to her uncle’s house on the Yorkshire Moors after her parents die in India; Colin, Mary’s cousin, a boy who is often ill and stays in bed for most of the day; and Dickon, a cheerful Yorkshire boy who brings joy and happiness to the lives of others. Throughout the book we follow how their lives change as they discover and transform a secret garden.
The introduction adds that Frances Hodgson Burnett lived at Great Maytham Hall in Kent from 1898 to 1907, where she loved to write and relax in the extensive gardens and planted hundreds of roses, her favourite flowers; the place was probably the inspiration for her book. She is also known for Little Lord Fauntleroy (1885 to 1886) and A Little Princess (1905), which were even more successful in their time. The Secret Garden is a classic of English literature, with many adaptations for the theatre, cinema and television.
Why this book suits Class 5
The Secret Garden is about change: a sulky, lonely child becomes kind and curious, a sickly boy grows strong, and a neglected place comes back to life. Ten- and eleven-year-olds relate to Mary’s feelings, and the story teaches, without lecturing, that fresh air, friendship and caring for living things heal people. The adapted Level 2 text keeps the language approachable, so the child can finish a real novel and feel proud of it.
Where this reader sits at Army Public Schools
The Secret Garden is the Class 5 reader. Last year’s reader was The Railway Children (Class 4), and next year’s is Swiss Family Robinson (Class 6). Both The Railway Children and The Secret Garden are Top Readers Level 2 editions, so the language level stays the same while the stories grow in depth.
Who, when and how
Whom: Class 5 students at Army Public Schools. When: as home reading through the year; a chapter a night is a good pace. How: ask your child to describe the garden in their own words, and to say which character they like best. Where: at home, in the garden, or on a journey.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the author?
Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote the original story; this edition is adapted by H. Q. Mitchell and Marileni Malkogianni.
Is it the full original novel?
No. It is an adapted Top Readers Level 2 edition for APSACS.
Is it a textbook?
No. It is Supplementary Reading Material (SRM).
We deliver The Secret Garden for APSACS to every city in Pakistan with Cash on Delivery, and you are welcome to collect it from our Lahore shop. If your school sent a book list, send it to us on WhatsApp and we will put the whole set together.
