A Little Princess

Rating:
Summary: Leads you into another world!
Review: A Little Princess is the enchanting story of little Sara Crewe. She is her father, Captain Crewe's, only child. Captain Crewe loves Sara very much and gives her whatever she wants. But Sara is sent to horrible Miss Minchin's boarding school at a young age and left there. Her father goes on important work, but she still has all the luxuries she wants and gets everything she needs. But on her birthday, she recieves the sad news of her father's death. Sara is in shock, but Miss Minchin is in more shock; there is no one to pay Sara's bills! Miss Minchin sends her to live in the attic and work as a maid. Sara faces great hardship, but she keeps her presence of mind and bears it. Sara shows great courage and deals well with her father's death and post happenings. Things come right at last and Sara proves to the world that she is her father's little princess.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic for all time!
Review: A Little Princess is truly a classic novel that will forever be popular. Mothers read it to their daughters and their daughters read it with their daughters, and so on. Sara Crewe and her triumphant story of overcoming poverty and despair by pretending that she is a princess is comforting to readers. Frances Hodgson-Burnett has a way of writing to relate to her readers. Her use of imagery is spectacular. She describes even the simplest of things, allowing the reader to get a vivid image in their minds of what Sara and her "cell-mate" Becky had to go through at Miss Minchins Seminary. Also, the characterization is extraordinary! Every time that a new character is introduced, the description that Burnett uses, makes one feel as if they are a student at the seminary, meeting Sara Crewe for the first time as well.

I recommend this novel to young girls and their mothers. This storyline has a way of bringing people of all ages together. The combination of courage, strength, despair and joy force the reader to empathize with Sara as she embarks on her journey from wealth to penniless. I definitely suggest reading this book, as it will make you laugh and cry at the same time!!!

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring Story!
Review: A Little Princess, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett was an inspiring story teaching a valuable lesson. Sara Crewe had everything she ever wanted when she went off to boarding school in London. Her fashionable dresses, high quality jewelery, and numerous accessories made her one of the elite. Sara's life was almost perfect, until her eleventh birthday, when a devastating tragedy occurred changing her life forever. Sara received news very abruptly that her father had died, leaving her "penniless". Sara's teacher, Ms. Minchin despised her because she had become poor, and treated her cruely. Now Sara must face her troubles and prove to everyone that she can be strong and perservere through her difficult times.
This book's moral states that everyone can be a princess when they put their minds to it. Being a princess is not about the fame and fortune, but about how you act in the situation into which you have been placed. You can be kind, or you can be mean; you can be content, or you can be greedy; you can be upset, or you can be optimistic. The book really relates to people who are going thruogh tough times in their lives and need reasurance and confidence.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Princess
Review: A Little Princess
By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reviewed By: J. Lee
Period: P.1

This book is about a girl named Sara Crewe. Her father is a captain, and he is very rich. Sara Crewe is sent to a school so she will be educated, while her father goes on a journey. At first, no one likes her, because she is so rich, but she makes a friend named Ermengarde. There is also a young girl named Lottie, who has no mother like Sara, herself. Sara becomes close with her as well and acts like a mother to her. Sara tells many stories to little children, and they all become to like her. However, Miss Minchin and her sister are not very welcoming. All they care is for Sara's money and inheritance. But on Sara's 11th birthday, a tragic thing happens. Sara finds out that her father died from a fever and his friend lost all of their money. Sara becomes poor and is immediately put into rags. She starts to dwell in the attic, and she runs errands on the worst days. The cooks don't feed her well, and she is tired, however, Sara still has her warm, caring heart. She makes friends with a mouse up in the attic and she provides him and his family with crumbs. Sara now knows how it feels to be hungry and cold, but what she doesn't know is that her father's friend is looking for her. He never actually lost their fortune. It was that he just thought he did. So, he looked and looked for the girl, not knowing how she looked like or even her name. But he found her right next door, at the school, in the attic. He of course, handed her the fortune, and decided to take care of her. When Miss Minchin found out that there actually were diamond mines and that it belonged to Sara Crewe, she was in shock. Miss Minchin acted as she never treated Sara badly, and suggested her to stay at her school. But of course, Sara knew better, and she refused. Sara decided to help the hungry, and the needy, because she knew how it felt to be in that situation.
I liked this book because it had much description in the chapters that I could actually imagine and feel what the author was thinking and writing about. I could feel as if I was in the character's shoes and it was an experience reading this book. The first sentence of this book got me interested in reading this book. "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 glazed as they do at night, an odd-looking girl sat in a cab with her father and was rather driven slowly through the big thoroughfares." I was able to imagine this scene, and it made the story livelier. Towards the end of the story, Sara Crewe says,
"You know much more why I wouldn't stay at your school." I was shocked when she said this, but I was pleased at the same time. I realized that Miss Minchin got what she deserved. She treated Sara badly, so in return, Miss Minchin didn't get Sara's money. I learned that you should truly act to others as you would want to be treated.
My favorite part of the book was when Sara woke up in the middle of the night and found great things. A warm bed, cozy fire, delicious food, and everything she could think of. I liked this part because Sara believed that it was magical. This is what she really needed, and that night, her wish got granted. Also, I like it when people keep their hopes up high. I realized that those who keep wishing and those who believe that things can come true somehow end up getting what they've needed or wanted. As for the people who just laugh and say, "That'll never come true," never receive anything. Sara kept her hopes high even though she was in a rough situation. She believed that things could really happen and it did.

Rating:
Summary: MAGICAL AND ENCHANTING!
Review: A movie based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is an enchanting masterpiece, that will take you to another place only by listenig to it, this movie is magical, an teachs valueble lessons to everyone, not just children, that money isn't all in this life, how can you have all a loose it in a minute. Sara the little princes is a wealthy kid, orphan only my mother, his father has to go to the war and sents her to an exclusive school in New York City, were she's treated like a princess, until her dad supposedly dies in action, everything changes, she becomes a servant in the school, but she never stop believing in magic, and telling her wonderful stories about "India", great movie, magnificent scenary, great movie for you to own.....magical....

Rating:
Summary: 6 stars
Review: A really touching story about Sara. COuldn't stop crying at the end. Really woth watching. Sara's voice is so soft and sweet, a real princess indeed.

Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: A truly great movie that I have watched over and over again, both with and without my own children. What I liked most about just watching the movie was the way it blended visually rich scenes with charming and sometimes hauntingly beautiful music that literally sent shivers down my spine. The cinematography was so carefully and skillfully done that at times one seemed to almost be transported back in time, into the movie itself. What I wanted most to say about the movie is that it is a good one for children who have experienced the loss of a parent in their lives. There is a scene where Sara seems to have lost almost everything, and has no one left in the world to care about her. Then in the morning, the window blows open and she is inspired to dance in the falling snow, seeming to realize that life still is worth living. To me that was one of the most powerful, moving, and uplifting scenes I think I've ever seen in a movie.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Movie of All Time!!
Review: After all the times I have viewed this movie, it still makes me laugh and cry! Parts of this movie have some of the best and most beautiful filming techniques I have ever seen and the colors and richness of the sets are magnificent. The weaving together of the Indian, shall I say, myth/tale and English boardinghouse storyline is wonderful. When I think of our battered world, I wish it was really so, that all girls are princesses (and all boys, princes). Worth seeing over and over again!!! Liesel Matthews is great!

Rating:
Summary: an under-appreciated jewel of a film
Review: After watching this again recently w/ a friend, its status as a sheer masterpiece of cinema has been cemented in my mind. All of the elements are flawless - it has great tech stuff like music, production design, & editing as well as an excellent script, a heart-warming/breaking story and amazing performances (Liesel Matthews makes the best debut for a pre-teen actress this side of Natale Portman in 'Leon').

I know many people have pointed this out, but the imagery in this film is incredibly, incredibly gorgeous. Every scene is glorious to look at, esp. Sarah's b-day party and the 'breakfast' surprise, as well as all the 'India' sequences... Cuaron has a great eye and I'm dying to see his next film, Y Tu Mama Tambien, as well as his Great Expectations.

Even if you don't have kids or aren't much into these types of films, I would still recommend taking a look @ this one.

Rating:
Summary: a truly magical movie
Review: Although those who have read and loved the original book may be dissapointed by some of the liberties taken in this movie, it is lovely to watch and the ending is enchanting.

Sara Crewe, played by Leisel Matthews, is more real than the Sara of the book - she has a mischievious side that makes the movie more fun to watch. The movie is very family friendly...for example, the fact that the school has a young black servant is glossed over, and the adults and girls show no racial prejudice. A few details, including Miss Minchin's final, comic, fate, Amelia's elopement, and the fact that sara is strong enough to pull herself up onto a ledge with only her finger tips to detract from the movie, but other parts more than make up for these. The visual imagery in the movie is beautiful, if somewhat unrealistic in cases, and the soundtrack, especially the song "Kindle My Heart" suits the movie exactly. The plot is enhanced with sara's telling of the story of rama and sita- a detail that is not in the book but makes the movie more poignant by paralleling the events in sara's own life. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves happy endings. It has been one of my favorite movies since I saw it 7 years ago.