And of course there's the magic transformation of the attic, which I'll always remember, but which has somehow made less of an impression on me this time than it did last. Hofstader, Beatrice (1971), "Burnett, Frances Hodgson", Notable American Women: 1607–1950, Cambridge: Harvard University Press

version: Shirley Temple as Sara and Mary Nash as Miss Minchin. This Technicolor adaptation notably differs from the original, in that Sara's father is wounded and missing in action in wartime, and later is reunited with his daughter with the help of Queen Victoria. Miss Minchin's younger sister Miss Amelia is replaced with "Mr Bertie", Miss Minchin's brother, a former music hall performer, who sings and dances with Temple. A substantial portion of the story is given over to Sara's abetting of an illicit romance between an under-teacher and the school's riding master, dramatized in an elaborate fairy-tale dream sequence. After 4 years at the school, during Sara's 12th birthday party, the owner found out that Sara's father had died and had lost all of his money. Since it would have looked badly to have turned this little girl out into the street she turned her into a servant. Sara now slept in an unheated attic, wore clothes that were too small for her, was out running errands in all weather and was given little food to eat.

A Little Princess

There's a lot of moral and reproach in the book, but the author manages to keep it lighthearted, and to make you yourself wish to become a better person. This book and 'The secret garden' are much better in that way than 'Little Lord Fauntleroy', which is absolutly awful, and which I haven't even been able to finish. Here, the people are not perfect, but each is good in his own way. For the next two years Miss Minchin starves and overworks Sara, turning her into a menial servant and unpaid tutor, with the prospect of turning her into an under-paid teacher when she is old enough. Most of the students take their tone from Miss Minchin, but Sara is consoled by her few friends and uses her imagination to cope with her bleak existence. She continues to be kind and polite to everyone, even her abusers, in the belief that conduct, not money, make a true princess. On one of the bleakest days when she herself is ravenous, she finds a coin and buys six buns, but gives a beggar-child five of them because the latter is starving. What an adorable, heartwarming little book !! I believe this is the second classic that I have read ever( yeah, not a huge fan of classics :-|).The plot is a very simple one .But, as an old wise man once stated “Mysteries and complexities have their own charm but sometimes the simplest stories are the nicest”. Best way to sum it up!

Princess Sarah, a Filipino 2007 remake, loosely based on the popular 1985 anime but with fantasy elements.You are nothing but a DOLL!” she cried. “Nothing but a doll—doll—doll! You care for nothing. You are stuffed with sawdust. You never had a heart. Nothing could ever make you feel. You are a DOLL!” Sometimes great story becomes lost or forgotten, or doesn't get the attention that it should. A Little Princess is one of those great stories that can transport the reader on a sentimental journey but is not as widely read and appreciated as it should be. The story follows Sara Crewe, who's enjoyment of the student life at a London private school is interrupted when her father dies and she is cast into poverty. It is a well written story that highlights a young girls character and courage. It is highly recommended reading and deserves as much attention as the more well known classic The Secret Garden.

I can’t bear this,” said the poor child, trembling. “I know I shall die. I’m cold; I’m wet; I’m starving to death. I’ve walked a thousand miles today, and they have done nothing but scold me from morning until night. And because I could not find that last thing the cook sent me for, they would not give me any supper." version: Amelia Shankley as Sara and Maureen Lipman as Miss Minchin. One of the most faithful adaptations, quoting many dialogues from the book and adding only a few new scenes, including a prologue set in India. The Line(s) - "Sara often thought afterward that the house was somehow exactly like Miss Minchin. It was respectable and well furnished, but everything in it was ugly; and the very armchairs seemed to have hard bones in them.” Yet another story I have to admit that I didn't read until my Children's and YA Lit class here at Ithaca College. Depressing, I know, but still the truth. Honestly, I'm not sure I could have made my way to the end of this one if it wasn't required. Still, I didn't come out hating it as much as I thought I would.A Little Princess, Princess Musicals – Book and Lyrics by Michael Hjort, Music by Camille Curtis. [15] Burnett first introduced Sara Crewe in 1888 in print. [8] She returned to the material in 1902, penning the three-act stage play A Little Un-fairy Princess, which ran in London over the autumn of that year. Around the time it transferred to New York City at the start of 1903 the title was shortened to A Little Princess. It was A Little Princess in London, but The Little Princess in New York. [ citation needed] The rest of the girls are introduced to Sara Crewe. Sara's first French lesson does not go as Miss Minchin planned. She returned to Maytham two years later in June 1904. [42] Maytham Hall had a series of walled gardens and in the rose garden she wrote several books; it was there she had the idea for The Secret Garden, mainly written at the manor house in Buile Hill Park while visiting Manchester. [43] In 1905 A Little Princess was published, after she had reworked the play into a novel. [2] Once again Burnett turned to writing to increase her income. She lived an extravagant lifestyle, spending money on expensive clothing. [14] It was reported in 1905 that Burnett was a semi-vegetarian. She had eliminated meat almost entirely from her diet. [44] Frances turned to writing to earn money. Her first story was published in Godey's Lady's Book in 1868. Soon after, she was being published regularly in Godey's Lady's Book, Scribner's Monthly, Peterson's Magazine and Harper's Bazaar. [2] She wanted to escape from the family's poverty and tended to overwork herself, later writing that she had been "a pen driving machine" during the early years of her career. For five years she wrote constantly, often not worrying about the quality of her work. [16] Once her first story was published, before she was 18, she spent the rest of her life as a working writer. [17] By 1869, she had earned enough to move the family into a better home in Knoxville. [18]

Princess Sara: a 1985 Japanese anime series, which was featured as part of Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater collection. The series spanned 46 episodes, including a few new characters and adventures along the way, while following pretty closely the original plot. Some of the new additions resembles the 1978 anime version: the addition of a street boy among Sara's friends, Sara's dangerous illness, her departure from the institute, her forgiveness for every mean character and her huge donation to the school. Similarly to the 1978 adaptation, this version focuses more on the saddest aspects of the story and on the bullying, although in a more mildly and less violent way. Furthermore, Sara's personality has been made significantly more obedient and kind than in the novel. Veteran Japanese voice actress Sumi Shimamoto voiced Sara Crewe. Ermengarde (aka Sara's best friend) is explicitly described as fat, stupid, not clever, having a slow little mind, vulgar, forgetful and forgettable. One night the monkey again visits Sara's attic, and she decides to return it to Mr. Carrisford next morning. He learns that Sara is Captain Crewe's daughter; Sara also learns that Mr. Carrisford was her father's friend – and The Magician. Sara Crewe is one of the characters I hold most dear, out of all the books I've ever read, she is one of the few that seems to have maintained a permanent residence in my heart and mind. I identified fiercely with her as child, and that feeling remains, even though I am now so much older than her. She is wonderful, dignified, and strange.This was just what I needed. This book was beautifully heart-warming, and I must confess, my heart is most certainly warmed. I remember loving the film of "A little Princess" many years ago, and it has remained a firm favourite with me. Even though the story in the film is slightly different to the original book, I enjoyed both, in a similar way. Actually, I now have a distinct urge to go and watch the film! The movie adaptation of this book was my beloved, childhood favourite, yet, for some reason, I had never read the book. I was pleasantly surprised to find how accurate my favourite film was to the classic text it originated from.