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Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix

By Cherie Dimaline
Series: Remixed Classics
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3.73 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,111 ratings, 242 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Mary Lennox, orphaned at fifteen, is sent to live with a mysterious uncle in the Georgian Bay wilderness. Initially isolated and guarded, she gradually opens her heart to this new home, discovering a vibrant community of Indigenous self-named "halfbreeds" and a place that might finally feel like family.
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Format: Hardback
$3799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for young adult readers interested in contemporary retellings of classics, diverse Indigenous perspectives, and inclusive queer romance.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

In this YA remix of The Secret Garden, an orphaned girl is sent to live in the Georgian Bay wilds and discovers family secrets both wonderful and horrifying.

In this YA remix of The Secret Garden, an orphaned girl is sent to live in the Georgian Bay wilds and discovers family secrets both wonderful and horrifying.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Mary Lennox didn't think about death until the day it knocked politely on her bedroom door and invited itself in. When a terrible accident leaves her orphaned at fifteen, she is sent to the wilderness of the Georgian Bay to live with an uncle she's never met.

At first, the impassive, calculating girl believes this new manor will be just like the one she left in Toronto: cold, isolating, and anything but cheerful, where staff is treated as staff and never like family. But as she slowly allows her heart to open like the first blooms of spring, Mary comes to find that this strange place and its strange people—most of whom are Indigenous self-named "halfbreeds"—may be what she can finally call home.

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline is an inviting and heartwarming tale of unexpected resilience and the search for belonging.

Series: Remixed Classics

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  • Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
    Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
    Mary Lennox didn't think about death until the day it knocked politely on her bedroom door and invited itself in. When a terrible accident leaves her orphaned at fifteen, she is sent to the wilderness of the Georgian Bay to live with an uncle she's never met. At first, the impassive, calculating girl believes this new manor will be just...
    By Cherie Dimaline
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praise for Into the Bright Open:

"Racism, colonization, and a love of nature are central themes gracefully woven into the story. An aching and emotionally immersive queer romance, unhampered by homophobia, unfolds through lush imagery blended with poignant and elegant prose. A rich and verdant revival of a classic." – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Dimaline's adaptation of the classic novel The Secret Garden ages up the protagonist and adds a sinister twist, but it still pays homage to its inspiration. ... Dimaline's subtle, absorbing prose will surely draw readers in and introduce a new generation to the story of a lonely young girl finding her place in the world." – BCCB

"Into the Bright Open subverts many of the racist, heteronormative, and ableist tropes found in The Secret Garden, and its strengths lie in what Dimaline adds to the story – Mary's romance with Sophie, Olive's Métis identity, the white stepmother, and the complex power and racial dynamics that underlie all the relationships in the story."

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250842657

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 September 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Feiwel and Friends

Audience: Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 29.0mm

Width: 148.0mm

Height: 220.0mm

Weight: 382g

Pages: 288

Collections

Cherie Dimaline Children's Historical Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Classic Fiction Fiction Historical Fiction Series: Remixed Classics Young Adult

About the Author

Cherie Dimaline's 2017 book, The Marrow Thieves, won the Governor General's Award and the prestigious Kirkus Prize for Young Readers, was a finalist for the White Pine Award, and was the fan favorite for CBC's 2018 Canada Reads. Her novel Empire of Wild became an instant Canadian bestseller and was named Indigo's #1 Best Book of 2019. Cherie spent many years working in and for Indigenous communities and now lives in her home territory where she is a registered and active member of the Georgian Bay Metis Community. cheriedimaline.com

Also by Cherie Dimaline

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  • Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
    Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
    In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalised backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This queer YA reimagining of The Secret Garden subverts the cishet and white status quo of the original in a tale of family secrets wonderful and horrifying. Mary Lennox didn't think about death until...
    By Cherie Dimaline
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