Anna Preston is a sickly young girl from London who is temporarily sent to Norfolk. There, Anna befriends a mysterious girl named Marnie, who lives in a mansion overlooking a marsh.
In 2014, the book was adapted into an animated film by Studio Ghibli.
This book provides examples of:
- Free-Range Children: Anna goes from London to Norfolk on her own. She also spends a lot of her freetime alone in Norfolk.
- Foster Kid: Anna has been raised by her foster mother Mrs. Preston since she was a toddler.
- Long-Lost Relative: Marnie turns out to be the ghost of Anna's grandmother.
- Parental Title Characterization: Anna has recently begun calling her foster mother "Auntie" because she doesn't think Mrs. Preston loves her like a daughter. In the end, she switches to "Mum" after realizing otherwise.
- The Stoic: Anna's mother notes that Anna often has an "ordinary" face which she compares to a "wooden" face.
