The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A spoiled brat girl lives in India. Cholera breaks out and her parents die and the servants leave. She was initially forgotten. When finally found, she goes with foster parents before being shipped back to relatives in England. There she needs to finally learn to do some things for herself (like getting dressed.) She explores the gardens and learns of some dark history. She finds a secret garden. She also meets up with a cripple boy. They become friends and he turns out to just be a hypochondriac. They find joy in the secret garden and things cme forward to a happy ending.

The Railway Children

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit

The railway children spend a lot of time by the railway. They help wake up a conductor to help prevent an accident. They also experience some challenges with foreigners. A Russian appears - others think he is French, but they help befriend him. Their dad gets hauled away, and then near the end finally returns. He had been falsely accused and then was exonerated. I had thought this book would be like Boxcar children, but it is almost totally different. I did have some trouble with the narration. Why is it that old books seem to have harder to understand narration?