A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnettliterary work· published 1905
Shop for this title via the links below.
Throughout her long and successful career, Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) had a reputation for delighting readers with stories about people whose desperate situations always seemed to improve by the last chapter. This charming piece of fiction, first published nearly a century ago — and more recently the basis of an acclaimed motion picture — follows that pattern. Its young heroine, Sara Crewe, falls upon hard times at an English boarding school when her father suddenly dies. Left penniless and at the mercy of a vindictive headmistress, Sara manages — despite a multitude of adversities — to maintain her optimistic outlook and usual goodness, qualities that do not go unnoticed by a mysterious benefactor who eventually transforms her life.
Adaptations (12)
A Little Princess has been adapted 12 times, across film, miniseries, and television series, from 1917 to 2024. The most recent is A Caverna Encantada (2024).
A Little Princess1917 · film · 62 min · dir. Marshall Neilan · IMDb ↗IMDb6.1Little Sara Crewe is placed in a boarding school by her father when he goes off to war, but he does not understand that the headmistress is a cruel, spiteful woman who makes life miserable for Sara.
A Little Princess1973 · miniseries · 25 min · IMDb ↗IMDb8.1Based upon the novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Princess Sara1985 · television series · 24 min · IMDb ↗IMDb7.8Sarah Crewe, the young daughter of a wealthy Englishman in India, starts attending a prestigious boarding school in London. However after a series of unexpected tragic events, she is forced to become a maid at the school.
A Little Princess1986 · television series · 163 min · IMDb ↗IMDb8.4Sara Crewe is the pampered daughter of an army colonel in a Victorian London girls' school. But when her father dies, penniless, Sara becomes a skivvy in Miss Michin's school, befriended only by the scullery maid, Becky, her friends Ermengarde and Lottie, a little monkey, a lascar, and the mysterious man next door. Based upon the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
A Little Princess1995 · film · 97 min · dir. Alfonso Cuarón · IMDb ↗When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth.
Sarah... Ang Munting Prinsesa1995 · film · 90 min · dir. Romy Suzara · IMDb ↗IMDb7.8Sarah Crewe is the only daughter of the wealthy Capt. Crewe. They are based in India. However, Sarah is sent by her father to a boarding school in England. He gives her a doll named Emily and a young horse. Because of Sarah’s charm and innate kindness, she instantly earns popularity in school. She is also an excellent student and a good friend to everyone, including Becky, a maid. However on Sarah's birthday, she learns that her father gets killed in the war. Suddenly, Miss Minchin’s fondness to her turns into meanness. She takes all of Sarah’s possession and throws her out of her room to join Becky in the attic. From being a princess, Sarah turns into a maid. Despite the tragedy that happens to her Sarah, maintains her good girl disposition and keeps her positive outlook in life. But will someone save her from her miseries?
A Little Princess1997 · film · 88 min · dir. Vladimir Grammatikov · IMDb ↗IMDb7.1The film is set in 1890s London. Sarah lived happily in India with her father, but when he was drafted into military service he placed Sarah in a boarding school in London. Sarah was lonely, but she made some good friends at school. Suddenly her father was announced dead in a mine accident and Sarah became an orphan. Now she goes on a long and dangerous journey to find her father, who loved her and called her a "little princess".
Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry2006 · television series · IMDb ↗IMDb6.3In the distant future, mankind is divided into two factions: Union and Deague. They have waged a war against each other for so long that no one remembers when it first began. Sara Werec, the daughter of a respectable family, is a 16-year old girl who attends a Space Academy where she is training to become a pilot. Her brother, Ralph Werec, had been sent to the frontline to accomplish a special mission when she was 11 years old. The two of them had lost their parents when they were young and the bond between the two is very close. It is Sara’s dearest wish to be reunited with her brother. To do that, she must travel to the battlefield where he is. One day, Sara’s planet is suddenly assaulted by Deague forces. To her surprise, her brother, Ralph, turns out to be one of the raiders who successfully kidnap a mysterious girl sleeping in a capsule.
Princess Sarah2007 · television series · IMDb ↗IMDb7.1Princess Sarah was an ABS-CBN teleserye which premiered November 12, 2007 on primetime bida. The location of the series was shot in Camp John Hay in Baguio City and The Coconut Palace in Manila. The said series is a remake of the animated series Princess Sarah, produced by Nippon Animation, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel, A Little Princess.
- Shōkōjo Seira2009 · television series · IMDb ↗IMDb7.0
Seira was raised in India, but she is sent back to Japan to continue her education at an affluent boarding high school. Although she has lived in luxury, the well-bred Seira is kind and generous, earning her many friends at the school. One person who dislikes Seira is the school's director, though she treats Seira well due to the father's fortune. Then, during Seira's 16th birthday party, the director informs her that her father has died, leaving her penniless. As a result, she is forced to work as a servant in order to pay off her school bills.
A Caverna Encantada2024 · television series · IMDb ↗A Caverna Encantada is a Brazilian children's telenovela produced by SBT in partnership with Disney and originally broadcast from July 29, 2024, to September 5, 2025. Created by Íris Abravanel, with collaboration from Andreza Porto, Denise Barbosa, Fany Higuera, Gustavo Braga, and Luiz Felipe Pereira Santos, and directed by Ricardo Mantoanelli, the telenovela is an adaptation of the books A Little Princess and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The story follows Anna, a seven-year-old girl whose father, Paulo, a missionary doctor, leaves her at the Rosa dos Ventos boarding school before going on a dangerous mission. When he mysteriously fails to return, Anna begins searching for answers about his disappearance and discovers secrets about her past. At the boarding school, she forms friendships, faces challenges, and experiences adventures filled with mystery, fantasy, and hope.
