Synopsis
Sara Crewe, ten years old, leads a delightful life. Her father, a British officer, provides her with all of the comfort his wealth and charm allow. When he dies, a cold-hearted schoolmistress turns Sara into a drudge. How does she cope?
Children's Literature
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was born in England but spent most of her life in the United States capitalizing on her British background with highly successful children's books, such as Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden. Her Princess novel began life as Sara Crewe, a story she wrote for serialization in 1888 in the St. Nicholas Magazine. As this reprint of the ensuing 1905 novel proves, her very precious, very Victorian orphan tale still has legs. What child or adult could resist following the rise, fall, and resurrection of young Sara as, fresh from India, she is dumped under the thumb of a villainess worthy of Dickens: the greedy headmistress, Miss Minchin? Sara is, indeed, the perfect child. She befriends the friendless, regardless of social class or species. By using her vivid imagination, she turns garrets into palaces. Fortunately Burnett was skilled enough as a writer to make Sara's perfection believable rather than saccharine. Fresh readers of the book will be in for a great treat. To add to the pleasure, author information and a glossary are appended to the story. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr