TT - A Little Princess

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post to Learning All the Time Favourite Resource Link Up. 



This week ...

 A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
• Language: English
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 336
• Vendor:  HarperCollins (December 9, 1998)
• Publication Date:
• ISBN-10: 0064401871:
• ISBN-13: 978-0064401876 
• Author : Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Illustrator: 

 This is such a beautiful book.  I can remember my children begging Paul to please read the next chapter.  They would stand at the door waiting for him to come home from work so they could hear what happened next .

A Little Princess was originally written in 1888 and revised and expanded into it's present form in 1905. I almost think of Cinderella with a twist when I think of this book.
Sara Crew is a beautiful intelligent young daughter of a wealthy soldier stationed in India.  She is sent to London to receive a formal education. Miss Minchin dislikes Sara from the start but tries to be on her side because of her fathers money.
During her stay at the school she celebrates her birthday and it is during this celebration that Miss Minchin is informed that Sara's father has died and there is no money in his estate.  Sara is immediately stripped of all her possessions and sent to live in the atic with another young girl.  The two become fast friends and work to keep the school clean.  At night they share stories and vivid imaginary games become their comfort.
The story takes an interesting turn when the neighbour's butler takes an interest in the two little orphans living in the attic and blesses them with food, clothes etc.
By the end of the book Sara and her father are reunited and Sara's true character that of a Princess is revealed.

I love the romantic nature of this book and even more the depth of character revealed in Sara.  Ms Burnett weaves a story of character and sit on the edge what's going to happen next book.  Her wonderful vocabulary is enriching and so pleasant to read, but not so high that you need a dictionary to understand what you are reading. She is better known for her book The Secret Garden.

On a side note once we had read a couple of her books we were definitely spoilt and no longer could pallet reading "twaddle".

“Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess 

Blessings

Available for purchase from: Amazon, Kindle,Christian Book, Fishpond, Fishpond,
For Free: Classic Reader,