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Sara lives in India with her rich father who dotes on her. Somehow, though, Sara has managed to not become selfish, spoiled, or self-centered even though she has been denied nothing in her short life. When taken to stay at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary in London, Sara is heartbroken at being separated from her father (her mother having previously passed on at Sara's birth). However, Sara tells herself that she must be a brave soldier and not complain.
Miss Minchin could be described in many different ways: mercenary, grouchy, condescending, arrogant, mean, and even weak. Sara is not well liked by Miss Minchin, but Miss Minchin tolerates her because Sara is immensely rich and also because Sara is bright pupil, which is good for the school.
After a few years, Sara's father dies a penniless man due to some bad investments. Sara suddenly finds herself living in the attic and running errands for the cook and Miss Minchin. Her position as prize pupil is gone. She no longer has money to pay for lessons, nor her room and board. Miss Minchin allows Sara to stay on as an errand girl and tutor. This might not be so bad, but Sara is treated as less than a person. She is starved, poorly clothed and made to sleep in a rat-infested, unheated attic room. After about two years, there is relief for Sara, but I won't spoil the ending for you.
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Another interesting trait of Sara is her intense imagination. It's amusing how she uses it to entertain the other students at the boarding school in the early parts of the book. Later, when her fortunes change, she uses her imagination to help her cope with her own reality, which is desperate. You've got to admire Sara for not going a bit batty. I would have never thought that someone could use their imagination to keep them from losing grip on reality, but Sara does.
While we enjoyed this book, at times I thought the author expressed herself in language that was way too flowery. When Sara described the beauty of the sky out her little skylight, I found myself thinking, "Blah, blah, blah, blah, it's too bad I'm reading this aloud or I could skip this verbose description of the sky. I get the point already; get on with the story, please, Miss Frances." This book was written around the turn of the 20th century (1900) so its language is slightly more flowery than I'm used to, but it's only now and then that the floweriness crops up.
If you would have a difficult time reading a story about a girl that seems just too good to be true, don't read this story. If I were a little more cynical, I think that A Little Princess would rather annoy me. Sara, now that I think about it, is a little like Melanie ("Kindness" incarnate) in Gone With the Wind. This type of heroine is more often found in books of long ago. It seems like a different type of heroine is more popular today. This is something that should be taken into consideration when trying to decide what age range would enjoy this book. It's probably written at nothing less than a fourth grade reading level, but more likely a fifth or sixth grade level. If you're reading it aloud, a 7 year old would probably understand it quite well. I don't know what the upper limits would be for this book. As an adult, I enjoyed reading it to my children. My 11 year old daughter enjoyed the book a lot, but not all children would enjoy this book. I don't believe that many high school students would enjoy this book. There's a good chance that the author didn't intend it for that age, and I think that older teens might not care for (or be able to identify with) the main character.
Sara is good, kind, generous, thoughtful, pleasant, humble, creative, unique, loving, respectful, friendly, diligent, helpful, caring--the list is endless. This book at times has you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. I would describe this book as wholesome--without a doubt. It leaves you wanting more, and it was one of our favorite read-alouds.
Q: Would this book be a good addition to a unit study on Victorian London?
A: I don't think there are enough historical references in the book to make this book useful for history or even any type of social studies. India is barely touched upon, and there are better sources for information on Victorian England. So this book is purely beneficial as a bit of literature--definitely a good character study.
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Award Winners at Amazon
Children's Classics at Amazon
The Secret Garden
Cheaper by the Dozen
Iceberg Hermit
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Old Yeller
Where the Red Fern Grows
Owls in the Family
A Lion to Guard Us
Serpent's Children Read-alouds We've Not Enjoyed:
Phantom Tollbooth
Black Stallion and Flame
on Video
1995
version or DVD
Shirley
Temple version or DVD
We just
rented the 1995 version. It is very different from the book.
My daughter still enjoyed the movie, but my son and I were very disappointed.
We all agreed that the book was a lot better. :-) I would like
to see the 1987 and the Shirley Temple versions; I hear they followed the
book much more closely.
Quit reading
right now if you don't want the book spoiled for you. The movie is
different in these ways:
father lives
1914
horribly ugly beasts imagined
Large family absent
skylight absent
sparrows absent
Miss Amelia marries milkman
Sara isn't starving
bun/money episode changed
French class episode changed
Sara pours soot down chimney
Miss Minchin becomes chimney sweep
New York, not London
Emily is small
diamond mines absent
A
Little Princess-Dover
A
Little Princess-softcover
A
Little Princess-hardcover
A
Little Princess-audio book
Full text online