A Little Princess

By Frances Hodgson Burnett, Anna Bond (Illustrator)

A wealthy girl becomes a pauper at boarding school. Can kindness be her true wealth?

5.0/7 Bookroo expert·4.2/5 Goodreads · 334,329 ratings

294 pages· 66,117 words· Est. 9 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

Sara Crewe's world shatters when she loses her father, transforming her from a privileged student to a penniless orphan at Miss Minchin's boarding school. Stripped of luxury, she faces a harsh new reality in the attic. As she navigates this challenging life, Sara must discover if kindness and generosity can be her true riches. Will her spirit endure, or will adversity break her? Dive into a tale of resilience and hope, where the heart's wealth is tested against life's trials.

"If Nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that—warm things, kind things, sweet things—help and comfort and laughter—and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all."

— from the book

From the publisher

A Little Princess is a 1905 children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is a revised and expanded version of Burnett’s 1888 serialised novel entitled Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin’s Boarding School, which was published in St. Nicholas Magazine. According to Burnett, she had been composing a play based on the story when she found out a lot of characters she had missed. The publisher asked her to publish a new, revised story of the novella, producing the novel. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.” It was one of the “Top 100 Chapter Books” of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.

At a glance

Format
Pages: 294
Words: 66,117
Reading age: 8–12
Audience: Middle Grade
Lexile: 320L

Themes & topics

Books about princesses Books about school Books about self-reliant princesses Books about boarding schools Books about poverty

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.0

out of 7

5.0

“A Little Princess is a great book for kids who are confident readers ready to tackle classic chapter books. Sara Crewe's unfortunate adventures seem tragic from a parent's point of view, but to elementary school children, she just seems bright and plucky. All in all, I highly recommend this book: I love a good princess who gets herself out of (and sometimes into) trouble.”

Lauren Hancock

Trusted reviewer

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