Parents' Guide to

A Little Princess

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Girl's vivid imagination, kindness enrich all-time classic.

A Little Princess Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 10+

A Lesson In Good Naturedness

A book with a message that inspires goodness in children up to 100 years.

This title has:

Great messages
age 9+
Parents need to know that this novel is a "beautiful, old-fashioned story with a complicated heroine," according to the site's expert review. The book is fine throughout, but Sara does lose her parents and is mistreated by Miss Minchin, which could upset younger children. This classic novel also has some outdated attitudes. Becky asks Sara if a new neighbor is a "Chinee" because, as the book says, his skin is "yellow." Sara remembers her time living in India, where she had an "ayah who adored her" and "servants bowed to her." These passages use racial stereotypes, ranging from fine to slightly racist.

This title has:

Educational value
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (17):

A LITTLE PRINCESS is a beautifully crafted novel that celebrates the power of imagination. Sara Crewe is a bright, inventive, and generous young heroine, and female readers will connect with her strongly despite the book's old-fashioned language and setting. In fact, there is something wonderfully compelling about Sarah's attic room, which is transformed from cold blankness to a magical place via Sara's -- and author Frances Hodgson Burnett's -- stories.

The book is almost exclusively populated with girls and women, with the exception of Crewe's briefly seen father and her kind neighbors, so it may not appeal to boys as much as it does to girls. (Boys may enjoy Burnett's The Secret Garden, however, which features great boy characters.)

Book Details

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