The Misselthwaite Archives is Awesome

Confession time: I love The Secret Garden!!!!

I just do, it's one of my favorite stories and I'm kind of sad I don't re-read the book more often. I love the movie, in fact, it's currently playing on my TV. I just love the story - and in my head, Mary and Dickon end up together, you can't tell me they don't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!- and, so, I was super happy when I discovered The Misselthwaite Archives a few weeks ago. 

And after the painful disappointments I have suffered at the hands of Frankenstein M.D. - Victoria gives us women of science such a bad rep! - and The March Family Letters - Urgh, no, just NO - I'm so happy to say that, in my book, Misselthwaite Archives is getting it right. 

We meet Mary Lennox as a 17 year old who is forced to move to her absentee's uncle Art's place after her mom and dad die in a car crash (her Mom was a beautiful model, by the way), and we get to see her in all of her snarky glory as she sends video-letters to her former therapist Dr. Burnett. 

But that's only part of the story, the self-aware part per se, where Mary talks straight to the camera; but we also get the other part, where we are looking into her life without her knowing (like you would do with a movie) and I LOVE those parts, they add so much dimension to the story, giving it a sense of time and place.

Another thing I love? Even though this is also a trans-media story (with tumblr posts and twitter involved), we are not asked to interact with the characters the way we did with Emma or Lizzie, like they are Real People. 

Mary talks straight to the camera sometimes, but she's not 'posting the videos to youtube', they are personal letters to the only adult she trusts. She is not catering to a fan base and we are not expected to act like we don't know what's coming next. I LOVE this. Seriously. 

With other trans-media stories I often feel like I'm faking it each time I have to pretend I don't know exactly who the characters are and what's going to happen. But maybe that's just me. 

Anyway, don't miss The Misselthwaite Archives (by Pencil Ink Productions) which updates Wednesdays and Fridays.  And yes, this is a Personal Favorite already   (because I know y'all had missed Kissy Bear)