A Little Princess Paperback – January 10, 2015

When I started reading this book to my three boys (ages 10, 9 and 6) there were many groans. They didn't want to read this "girl" book. Just a few chapters in they were hooked, begging to read one more chapter. This is a wonderful story about overcoming adversity and keeping hope alive through harsh circumstances. I couldn't put it down myself and often had to read ahead to see what happened next. I can't recommend this book enough. Wonderful book for children and adults.

The death of Shirley Temple inspired me to download the movie“The Little Princess” from Amazon Instant movies. And that inspired me to order this unabridged version (but the original edition was called “Sara Crewe or what happened at Miss Minchin's.”) I had not read Princess for three quarters of a century (I am now well over 80) but I never forgot the charming book which I read many times as a child and thoroughly identified with the plucky little Sara, absorbing the atmosphere of foggy London and Sara's dismal attic, being happy with her when things were going well, shedding a tear or two when things were not. One of the scenes that haunted me most as a child was when Sara, cold and hungry, throws Emily, her beloved doll, on the floor and cries “You are nothing but a doll!” She is almost at the end of her tether, but not quite. Also, her giving a beggar child five of six rolls a kindly baker had given the half-starved Sara made a huge impression on me as a little girl. Children immerse themselves in books more thoroughly than an adult, they really live inside the plot, they can and do smell the roses. When Sara was hungry, so was I.Princess is a whacking good story which allows the tale to rise above being a lesson in morals. Kids don't want to be preached to but given a good story and interesting characters they'll get the point subtly. But that is also true with adults.Some reviewers have criticized the book because at the end of the story Becky went home with Sara as her maid. Author Burnett, however, is being true to 1899 London. The Cockney Becky could never be the equal of Sara Crewe the heiress. It's the way things were and to some extent the way things still are. Other reviewers have complained that Sara is too perfect. She is, however, too spunky to be insipid and she is certainly not goody-goody like Pollyanna. As a child reader I didn't regard her as too perfect nor do I now.You will laugh at an old lady reading a children's book she hasn't read in 75 years But now I read as a literary critic and Princess is not wanting in the quality of its writing and the deft originality of the plot. Ms. Burnett can write with beautifully apt descriptions and a taut, quickly moving plot. She in no way dumbs down her prose when writing for children. She puts you into foggy London right away, and introduces Sara and her father to Miss Minchin's Seminary “where the very armchairs seemed to have hard bones in them” and Miss Minchin herself had “large cold fishy eyes and a large cold fishy smile.”If you have any little girl in your family who has not read “The Little Princess” do pop the book into her Christmas stocking. She'll love it, trust me! And so will you!

I remember when I first saw this book. I was burned out from all the required high school reading of all the typical Shakespearean BS. I started reading this book and I couldn't put it down. I think it's such a sweet classical read. Then I found out Shirley Temple had done a live musical adaptation and I had to check that out as well. I would like to read it to my nieces one day when they are old enough. I love old books like this that give you different perspective of what life was like for people during the industrial era. Only I guess this is more from Sara's perspective but it's very inclusive of other character's POV and does a good job putting them all together to make this one fairy tale-ish yet poignant picture of industrial life.

I was enjoying the book, but reading gave me a headache, because no matter what device I read it on, every tenth word or so is missing the space between it and the next word. It made my eyes cross.It's not a display issue--selecting the words onscreen reveals the spaces are just missing. I wonder if the rights were obtained legally since the publication is so shoddy. I should have fled at the sight of the generic cover.I'm glad it was free, and sorry I wasted my time on it.

I read this book as a child and was thinking about it recently so was happy to see it available to get on my kindle. It's a sweet story of a little girl that does her best to act as if she were a princess no matter her circumstances, much to the chagrin of those that would love to see her despair. Since it was written a long time ago, some of the wording may seem odd to someone reading it for the first time - but the storyline itself is interesting, and you cannot help but root for this little girl to come out on top.

Great keepsake of this classic heirloom story. I would highly recommend getting the Puffin in Bloom’s book. It makes a great gift! The print was good size and not too tiny to read. The illustrations in this book are a terrible quality, still, I’m happy enough with the quality of the rest of the book to recommend it. Read the book, watch the movie.

God alone knows what is going on with this version. The language is so convoluted it is virtually impossible to understand. I presume it's a translation of a translation and, sadly, the translator is rubbish.Here's the first paragraph:"Once on a darkish iciness's day, while the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps have been lighted and the store home windows blazed with gasoline as they do at night, an ordinary-searching little lady sat in a cab along with her father and became driven alternatively slowly via the massive thoroughfares." Here is the beginning of that paragraph from my old copy from Puffin: "Once on a dark winter's day, when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted and the shop windows blazed with gas as they do at night..."It gets much worse. Don't buy this! I don't know why Amazon has such a substandard version for sale.

I only read a few pages. It read as if it had been translated from Chinese by someone who only spoke Russian. Get your act together, guys. There's no excuse for charging actual money, however low a fee, for a piece of badly edited crap like this.The story, which I've read before, is fab. It is a great novel of its kind. But do not buy this edition.

Reading this aloud to my ten year old daughter was a real treat. It truly is a timeless classic, perhaps Burnett's finest work. Emotions such as grief are delicately wrought while the horror of being a poverty stricken orphan in the 19th century is well brought out, with this section of the book lasting a lot longer than I expected it would. Despite concerted efforts to humiliate and break the spirit of our heroine, she retains her sense of self worth and so who could resist the ending she undoubtedly deserves. My little girl had no idea about the story and so met each unfolding episode with shock, tears, wonder and delight: finally declaring (and she's a tough one to please!), that it was the best story she'd ever read or heard. I didn't read it myself as a child, but as an adult I was surprised at how well the author controlled the potential for over-sentimentality: Sara remains believable and likeable throughout. As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Their are errors on every page throughout the book. It made this book difficult to read hence only one star, it deserves 5 for the childrens story . Some of the errors include things likeCoronary heart .She he , used togetherebook (which did not exist at the time of writing )Human beings , instead of peopleSadly Their were loads more.The story is about a rich child who becomes a penniless orphan and the trials and tribulations she endures at the hands of others.

I have read this book repeatedly over many years, from my childhood and now in my fifties! It is a timeless piece and always always makes me feel warm and renewed when I read it. Francis Hodgson Burnett is my favourite children’s author.... from the Secret Garden to The Little Prince to this children’s novel.....read it to your children and then re read it yourself, you will so glad you did. A Timeless and rare jewel.