Originally published: 1905

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Set in: Victorian London

Genre: Children’s Classic

Page count: 294

Reading dates: 24-26 January 2018

One of my bookish new year resolutions was to read some of the children’s classics I’ve accumulated over the last few years, mostly bought because I like the covers! Many I have never read or if I’ve had them read to me I don’t remember
So in January I decided to read A Little Princess. Sara Crewe is sent from her home in India by her loving, widowed father to a school in London. She is a bright and friendly child and has many luxuries afforded to her at the school and although the headmistress, Miss Minchin is jealous of her wealth, she treats her well.
Then one day a letter arrives which tells Sara that not only is her father dead, but he has lost all his wealth by investing in diamond mines. With many school bills unpaid, Miss Minchin takes away all Sara’s possession’s and forces her to live in the attic and to earn her keep by working as an errand girl. Despite being hungry and cold, Sara is still a positive little girl and likes to imagine she is a princess to see her through the hard times.
I loved this book so much – Sara is a lovely, imaginative and kind little girl and when things are bad for her, I was routing for her to be happy again and for the evil Miss Minchin to get her comeuppance! Its a interesting social study of Victorian England – how many children were cold, hungry and sometimes homeless.