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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
By Katie Bernet
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Table of Contents
About the Book
Mary Lennox returns to the manor she once loved—and the garden where she witnessed her aunt’s murder—in this gothic reimagining of The Secret Garden from the New York Times bestselling author of Beth Is Dead, Katie Bernet.
Mary Lennox is lucky to be alive.
As a child, she witnessed the murder of her Aunt Lily—a tragedy that tore the family apart and ended her annual visits to Misselthwaite Manor.
Mary was immediately rushed back to America and hidden from the police, the press—even her uncle and cousin—with no answers, no goodbyes, and only fragments of memory from the night her childhood ended.
Eight years later, newly orphaned, Mary is back. She’s determined to make a home in Yorkshire, especially once she’s reunited with her childhood best friend, the local boy who seems to understand every living thing.
But Misselthwaite has changed. The once-grand manor has fallen into disrepair. Her uncle has become distant and secretive. Her cousin rarely leaves his room. And the walled garden where Aunt Lily died is overgrown, rotting, and off-limits.
When Mary finds a way into the garden, old questions refuse to stay buried. But the closer she comes to remembering what happened that night, the more the truth threatens the home and family she came back to find.
Mary Lennox is lucky to be alive.
As a child, she witnessed the murder of her Aunt Lily—a tragedy that tore the family apart and ended her annual visits to Misselthwaite Manor.
Mary was immediately rushed back to America and hidden from the police, the press—even her uncle and cousin—with no answers, no goodbyes, and only fragments of memory from the night her childhood ended.
Eight years later, newly orphaned, Mary is back. She’s determined to make a home in Yorkshire, especially once she’s reunited with her childhood best friend, the local boy who seems to understand every living thing.
But Misselthwaite has changed. The once-grand manor has fallen into disrepair. Her uncle has become distant and secretive. Her cousin rarely leaves his room. And the walled garden where Aunt Lily died is overgrown, rotting, and off-limits.
When Mary finds a way into the garden, old questions refuse to stay buried. But the closer she comes to remembering what happened that night, the more the truth threatens the home and family she came back to find.
Appearances
OCT 24
2:00PM
Mattapoisett Free Public Library
7 Barstow St
Mattapoisett, MA 02739
NOV 14
1:00PM
In Person
Katie Bernet
Author Palooza
Barnes & Noble
1009 E Interstate 30
Rockwall, TX 75087
About the Author
Mae Haines
Katie Bernet is the author of the New York Times bestseller Beth Is Dead, which has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. She lives in Dallas, Texas, where she’s a proud member of the DFW Writer’s Workshop. Visit her online at KatieBernet.com, on Instagram @KatieBernet, and on TikTok @KatieBernetAuthor.
Product Details
- Publisher: Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (May 4, 2027)
- Length: 368 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665988728
- Grades: 7 and up
- Ages: 12 - 99
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Raves and Reviews
PRAISE FOR BETH IS DEAD
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND #1 INDIE BESTSELLER!
Five starred reviews!
Sunnie Reads’ Inaugural Book Club Pick—Sunnie Select!
“A killer good time . . . to die for.”
—Cosmopolitan
“You’ll want to keep reading not only to see whodunnit—but also to check out the clever ways the author weaves details from the classic into this thoroughly modern tale.”
—Real Simple
“If he didn’t like the kind of lurid story Jo was turning out for the Volcano tabloid, chances are Bhaer also wouldn’t have much use for the recently published Beth Is Dead, in which Katie Bernet reimagines Little Women as a young-adult murder mystery. It would be his loss.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Even teens who don’t know Little Women will be engaged by this fast-paced and suspense-filled page turner. A thrilling take on a beloved story that will keep readers riveted.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Readers will be hooked from the first gripping, bloody chapter . . . This simmering page turner is a multilayered novel about sisterhood, dreams, independence and the pressures of modern culture, not to mention a superb tribute to the original.”
—BookPage, starred review
“Katie Bernet’s audacious and astonishingly successful debut novel reimagines Little Women as a metafictional murder mystery.”
—Shelf Awareness, starred review
“One need not be familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s work to appreciate debut author Bernet’s brilliantly snappy contemporary riff on Little Women . . . The cozy domesticity of the inspiration material is apparent throughout, and the girls’ closely held—sometimes conflicting—desires and ambitions both honor Alcott’s vision and add fuel to the fire of this electrifying whodunit.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Bernet merges a beloved 19th-century family story with today’s culture of fandoms and social media while staying true to Alcott’s characters’ personalities, making this accessible to fans of the original version as well as those meeting the March sisters for the first time.”
—CCBC, starred review
“A delightful reboot of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women . . . well imagined and well executed.”
—SLJ
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