Life is tough for the Winter family in London, with little money and Dad out of work. Luckily Aunt Cora comes to the rescue with an invitation to live in California. From that moment on, talented Rachel and Tim dream of stardom in America. The family couldn't be more surprised when a movie producer picks plain peevish Jane for the lead part of Mary in "The Secret Garden". No one's ever noticed Jane before. Could this be the chance of a lifetime?

I have always loved Noel Streatfeild's books and as a child I got my library to ILL them for me or hunted through second hand book stores to find all of them. She tells the perfect "girls stories". I was always able to find one character in each book that was my favorite. They definitely stand up to re-reads. ( )

60 years ago I liked this book. It hasn't aged as well as I have and that isn't good. Middle child plain Jane, literally, staying in Santa Monica with her family for her father to recover from PTSD, is recruited to play Mary Lennox. Difficulties happen and are met and I wanted to strangle Peaseblossom every time she opened her mouth. What sort of family has an unrelated grownup living with them doing their work for no wages post WWII. ( )

A typical Streatfeild family feature in this book: a gifted ballet dancer, a talented musician, and an irritable un-artistic middle child. The family have the chance to spend the winter with a relative in California, and the middle child gets a chance to shine. Family dynamics push this book forward; a lovely gentle read with humour and moving moments. ( )

This book is one of the most "well-loved" (to put it euphemistically) books in my library, second only to The Princess at Chalet. The story seems simple, being a spin on the well-loved classic "The Secret Garden".

The story revolves around Jane Winter, literally the plain Jane of her family. She feels hemmed in by her brilliant pianist younger brother, and her talented ballet older sister, with only her dog that understands her. As a result, when her family has to move to California, she's understandably upset and doesn't plan to enjoy herself, until she's unexpectedly cast in the role of the lead for the movie The Secret Garden.

What I loved about the book were it's depictions of America. Being weaned on British stories, such as books by Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, I loved how the America was depicted using a British "lens". The life on the boat, the ice-cream sodas in New York and how all the children struggle to adapt to a different lifestyle was brilliantly portrayed.

If you're a fan of British writing, you should give this book a try. ( )