FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT
A LITTLE PRINCESS
About the Book
1 This story is a classic piece of English-language children’s literature.
2 There are some surprises, both happy and sad.
3 The story is about being positive and strong even when life is difficult.
4 You’ll enjoy reading about friendship, kindness and dreams.
5 You can see what life was like for rich and poor girls at the beginning of the 20th century.
About the Author
Early Life
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born on 24th November 1849 in Manchester, England. Her father died when she was young. After that, her mother couldn’t manage the family business and they started to have financial problems. In 1865, when Frances was 15, the family moved to Tennessee in the USA. Life was difficult and Frances didn’t have much formal education at school, but she liked reading and nature. She started writing stories for magazines so she was able to earn some money to help the family.
Family Life
In 1873 Frances married Swann Burnett, a doctor, and together they travelled around Europe and lived in Paris, before returning to the USA. They had two sons, Lionel and Vivian, but Lionel sadly died at the age of 15. After the death of her son, Frances was often depressed. In 1898, the couple divorced and Frances returned to England. In 1900, she
married Stephen Townesend, an actor and theatre producer, but the marriage only lasted a couple of years.
Writing
Frances’ first stories were published in parts every week or month in ladies’ magazines. The stories were about the lives of poor, working-class women with romance and love interests. In 1876, she published her first novel, That Lass O’Lowries, about a young girl who worked in a coal mine in the north of England.
In her lifetime, Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote over 40 plays, novels and short stories for both adults and children, but she is most famous for her novels for children, including Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), which was based on her son Vivian, A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911) where one of the characters, a sick child called Colin, was based on her son Lionel who died of tuberculosis. These novels are about children, families and their problems, as well as friendship, kindness and nature.
Later Life
After her second marriage ended, Frances lived in Kent, England, where she continued writing. She then spent several years travelling between the USA and England, before permanently moving to Long Island, New York. She died on 29th October 1924.
Today her books are still popular with children and adults. Many of her novels became successful plays at the theatre and were also made into films. They teach us about the importance of being kind and always continuing to believe, even when life is difficult.
OOKMARKS
Bookmarks is an innovative series of graded readers for curious students who want to enjoy reading in English. It is divided into six levels from beginner to advanced.
Don’t miss Bookmarks Readers, the series where every reader finds their place.
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Adaptation and activities by Alison Smith Illustrated by Nico189
Bookmarks
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© 2026 ELI s.r.l. P.O. Box 6 62019 Recanati MC Italy support@elipublishing.com www.elipublishing.com
Typeset in 12 / 15 pt Monotype Dante
Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Recanati – EBM201.01
ISBN 978-88-536-4858-7 First edition: February 2026
Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess
Retold by Alison Smith Illustrated by Nico189
About the Story
In 1887, Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote a short story called Sara Crewe. It was about a young English girl, Sara, who was born in India and lived there with her father. In that period of time, India was part of the British Empire, so many English people lived and worked in the country. It was common for children to leave their parents and return to England for their education, so when Sara was seven, she left India to go to school in England.
Sara Crewe was published in three parts in a magazine. It was very popular, so Frances decided to write a novel. She used the same basic storyline, but she added more details, characters and events to the story. It was called A Little Princess and it was published in 1905.
After a long journey by boat, Sara and her father arrive in London. They spend a few days together, then Sara is left alone at her new school, Miss Minchin’s School for Girls. Sara’s very lucky and has lots of nice clothes, toys and books. She’s kind and imaginative and soon she makes friends with different people at the school. The years pass, but then, on her eleventh birthday, Sara gets some news, and her life suddenly changes.
A Little Princess is a classic of English-language children’s literature and it explores the ideas of friendship, imagination and the different classes that existed at the beginning of the 20th century.
Main Characters
Sara
The protagonist and ‘princess’ of the story. She’s a new student at Miss Minchin’s school.
Captain Crewe
Sara’s father. He lives and works in India.
Ermengarde
A student at the school. She becomes Sara’s friend.
Miss Minchin
Carrisford
A rich man who lives next door to the school.
She’s got a school for rich girls in London.
Becky
She’s a servant* at the school and she has to work very hard.
Ram Dass
A kind, Indian servant who looks after Mr Carrisford.
Mr
Chapter 1 A New School
Sara looked out of the carriage* window. It was a winter’s day and they were driving through the foggy streets of London. For Sara, everything looked very strange.
‘Is this the place, Papa?’ she asked when she saw a tall, dark building.
‘Yes, darling,’ answered her father, Captain Crewe. ‘This is your new school.’
Sara sighed*. She thought about their life in India and the long journey by boat to England. ‘It’s all so different here. London’s dark and cold. In India, it’s sunny and beautiful,’ she said.
‘You can't stay in India with me, dearest Sara. You’re seven years old now and you have to go to school here in England.’
‘I know,’ she said, ‘but I don’t want to leave you.’
‘Your school years will go quickly. Then you’ll be old enough to look after me in India.’
Captain Crewe held his daughter’s hand. He felt very sad too. He didn’t want to leave Sara and return to India and his job without her. He loved his daughter very much. His wife, Sara’s mother, died when Sara
was born. They only had each other, and he had to be strong for her.
‘Don't worry. I can stay with you here for a few days. We’re going to go shopping and buy a new doll.’
‘Thank you. I’d like a new, special doll,’ said Sara, trying very hard to smile*.
The carriage stopped, and Sara and Captain Crewe got out. The sign on the wall said, “Miss Minchin’s School for Girls”.
‘It’s a really good school,’ said Captain Crewe, ‘and they say that Miss Minchin is very nice.’
The door opened, and a woman came out. Sara looked at her. She doesn’t look very nice, she thought. Miss Minchin was tall and ugly*, with dark, cold eyes. She certainly didn’t look friendly.
‘Good afternoon, Miss Minchin. I’m Captain Crewe and this is my daughter, Sara.’
‘Welcome to your new school, Sara.’ Miss Minchin smiled, but it was a cold smile.
‘I want Sara to have the best things at your school,’ said Captain Crewe. ‘She likes reading and is very clever.’
This was true. Sara loved books more than anything else. She read books about adventures, history, famous people and lots of other things. She also loved making up beautiful stories, which she told to her father.
‘Money isn’t a problem,’ continued Captain Crewe. ‘She must have the biggest bedroom and the nicest food. You must buy everything she wants: clothes, toys, books, even a pony*.’
Excellent, thought Miss Minchin. Money was very important for her, so she loved rich people. She tried to give a warm smile and said ‘I can see that you’re very clever, Sara, and also very pretty.’
Sara didn’t say a word. Why is she telling a lie*? she thought. I’m not pretty. I’m the ugliest child I’ve ever seen.
This wasn’t true. Perhaps Sara wasn’t the prettiest girl in the world, but she was tall, with long black hair, a sweet face and big, green and grey eyes.
Sara and her father spent the next few days together in an expensive hotel. They went shopping, and Captain Crewe bought Sara lots of new clothes. He bought beautiful dresses and coats, warm hats and gloves, new shoes and boots. They went to lots of toy shops too, but Sara couldn’t find a doll that she liked. On their last day together, they were walking past a small shop when she saw it. The perfect doll. It was quite big, with black eyes and long hair, and it was wearing a beautiful dress. ‘Her name’s Emily,’ said Sara. She can be my friend, she thought. I’ll need a friend in this new place.
That afternoon, Captain Crewe had to leave for India. When he and Sara arrived at the school, Miss Minchin, with her usual cold smile, was waiting for them. Sara was very sad: she held Emily tightly* in one hand and her father’s jacket with the other. Captain Crewe hugged* and kissed his daughter for the last time.
Sara says goodbye to her father.
‘Remember to buy Sara everything that she wants!’ he said to Miss Minchin as he got into his carriage.
Miss Minchin looked at Sara and thought, More things? She has so many clothes already! Does she think she’s a princess? Well, she’ll always look nice when other parents visit, which will be good for me and my school.
That night was Sara’s first time alone, away from her father, and her first night in her new bedroom. It was a very beautiful room, with a soft bed, a comfortable armchair and a rug* on the floor. There was a lovely desk with lots of books and things from India, and a big fireplace*. Sara felt very sad but she didn’t want to cry: I must be strong. I have Emily, my doll. Things will be okay. But I miss Papa!
The next morning, Sara’s first lesson at Miss Minchin’s School for Girls was French.
‘Did you study French in India?’ Miss Minchin asked.
‘No, I didn’t have French lessons, but…’
‘Well, you’ll have to learn French here. Sit down and look at this book before the French teacher arrives.’
‘But...’ Sara tried to speak.
‘You mustn’t say but when I tell you to do things!’ shouted Miss Minchin.
‘Maybe this new girl isn’t perfect after all,’ said one of the pupils. Her name was Lavinia and, actually, she was jealous*. She knew that Sara had lots of pretty clothes, and that her room was the nicest in the school,
so Lavinia was worried about losing her place as Miss Minchin’s favourite pupil.
‘Ah! A new student!’ said Monsieur Dufarge when he walked into the classroom a few moments later. Sara knew she had to explain, so she stood up and spoke to him in perfect French. You see, Sara’s mother was French, and her father loved the language. He often spoke French with Sara, so she learned the language without studying it. Miss Minchin looked surprised and angry. Some of the girls started laughing.
‘Silence,’ she shouted. Money or not, I really don’t like this girl very much, she thought.
During the rest of the day’s lessons, Sara noticed one girl who was about her own age. She was a bit plump and had long hair in two pigtails*. She looked really worried all the time, and when the teachers asked her a question, she put her pigtails in her mouth and didn’t know what to say. Sara felt sorry for her and decided she wanted to be her friend.
‘What's your name?’ she asked.
‘I’m Ermengarde,’ answered the girl, very surprised that Sara wanted to talk to her. Ermengarde didn’t have any friends and she wasn’t a good student. She learned things and then forgot them. Or she remembered things, but she didn’t understand them.
‘Your name’s very pretty. It’s like a story. Have you ever invented* stories?’ asked Sara.
‘No, I’ve never… I can’t…’ Poor Ermengarde didn’t know what to say.
‘Shall we go and see Emily, my doll? I like inventing stories and telling them to her.’
‘You are clever, aren’t you?’ Ermengarde said, looking at Sara with big, round eyes.
The two girls sat down on the rug in Sara’s bedroom, and Sara told Ermengarde and Emily a wonderful story. Ermengarde couldn't believe that she finally had a friend.
Over the next few months, Sara continued telling stories to Ermengarde. When she received letters from her father in India, she read them to her and told her all about life in India. She missed her father a lot, but this helped her feel less sad. Soon, many of the other girls started listening to the exciting tales* of India.
There was also someone else who was interested in Sara’s stories: Becky. She was a servant in the school and she worked very hard every day. She had to help in the kitchen, wash the floors and carry coal* for the fires. She was very thin and always hungry. She never spoke to Sara, but she tried to listen to her stories while she was doing her work.
One afternoon, after her dance lesson, Sara returned to her room, dancing and spinning* round and round. Her pretty dress and long hair, with a circle of flowers, were flying around her like a cloud, so she didn’t immediately see someone in her armchair.
She stopped and looked. It was Becky, and she was sleeping. Her hat wasn’t straight, and her face was dirty with coal.
Poor girl, thought Sara, she looks very tired.
Suddenly* Becky woke up. ‘Sorry, Miss,’ she said quickly. ‘I came to prepare the fire. I only sat down for a moment. I didn’t want to sleep.’
‘It’s okay,’ said Sara, ‘I don’t mind. You were tired.’
Becky couldn’t believe it. Someone was talking to her, and they weren’t giving her orders or shouting.
‘Aren’t you angry?’ she asked.
‘Of course not. We’re the same. We’re both young girls. It’s just an accident that I’m not you and you aren’t me,’ answered Sara. ‘Would you like some cake?’
Becky didn’t understand everything that Sara was saying, but she certainly understood the offer of a piece of cake.
‘You look like a princess,’ she said while she was eating the cake as quickly as possible.
‘Thank you. I’d like to be a princess,’ said Sara. ‘I think I’ll start to pretend* that I’m a princess.’
While Sara was getting ready for bed that evening, she thought more about being a princess. I’m obviously not a real princess but as a pretend princess I can still help people. I’ll do little things for people so they can be happy. From then on, Sara always found a way to be nice to people and help them. She continued to see Becky as often as possible. Becky sometimes went to Sara’s room
after her work, but they had to be careful because Miss Minchin didn’t want the pupils to talk to the servants. Sara always had some nice food and an interesting story for her. Sara also helped the younger pupils with their homework. For example, she told stories to help them remember important people and dates in history. Her stories were so interesting and fun that even Ermengarde could remember some of her lessons. Lavinia was the only one who didn’t like Sara’s stories and her game of pretending to be a princess.
One day a letter arrived from Captain Crewe with some exciting news*. I’ve just become a partner in a diamond* mine* with an old school friend, he wrote. He’s sure that there are lots of diamonds, and we’re going to be rich, really rich! Everyone was very happy for Sara, and they talked about nothing else for weeks. Everyone except Lavinia.
‘I don’t believe in diamond mines,’ she said.
‘So where do diamonds come from?’ a girl asked.
Lavinia didn’t have an answer to that, so she said something mean*: ‘Well, if your daddy’s going to be really rich, the pretend princess can be a real princess!’
Sara didn't usually get angry, but Lavinia’s words made her mad. Her princess game wasn’t funny; it was important. Her face became red and she wanted to hit Lavinia. Then, suddenly, she remembered that princesses don’t hit other people.
Instead, she quietly* said, ‘I pretend that I’m a princess so that I can behave* like one.’
GLOSSARY
Characters
servant a person who works in another person’s house
Chapter 1
carriage an old type of taxi with horses sigh to make a sound when you’re tired or sad smile to make the corners of your mouth go up when you’re happy
ugly not beautiful pony a small horse lie something that isn’t true tightly in a close, strong way hug to put your arms around another person rug a small carpet
fireplace the place for a fire in a room
jealous angry because someone has something you want pigtails see the picture of Ermengarde’s hair on page 8 invent to make up
tales stories
coal hard, black material for a fire spinning turning in circles suddenly quickly and when you don’t know something will happen
pretend to say or think something is true for a game
news new information
diamond
mine a place deep under the ground mean not kind, not pleasant quietly in a quiet way behave to do things in a particular way
Chapter 2 fever a high temperature delicious really nice, very good silent not noisy
attic the space at the top of a house under the roof stool a small chair with no back or arms lonely alone and sad, without other people prison a place for people who do bad things prisoner a person in a prison find out to get or learn new information exhausted very, very tired angrily in an angry way turban a type of hat often worn in India salaam a polite action to say hello, often used in Muslim countries
Chapter 3 sadly in a sad way coin a small, round piece of money uncomfortable not comfortable cosy warm and comfortable punishment something bad that happens if you do something wrong relative a person like an aunt, uncle or grandparent appearance the way a person looks exist to be real knock to make a noise on a door with your hand so someone will open it trust to believe someone is good and will do the right thing guardian an adult who looks after a child when the parents can’t unhappy sad bedtime the time you go to bed
ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1 Complete the sentences with the name of the person from the box.
Sara Captain Crewe Mr Carrisford Ermengarde
Lavinia Miss Minchin Ram Dass Becky
Miss Minchin doesn’t like all her pupils.
1 __________ lived in India but went to England after he became ill.
2 __________ isn’t very clever, but she’s very kind.
3 __________ invents wonderful stories.
4 __________ died in India because of a fever.
5 __________ takes food and other things to Sara’s attic room.
6 __________ was Miss Minchin's favourite pupil before Sara arrived.
7 __________ works very hard and is usually hungry and tired.
2 Put these events in the correct order they happen in the story.
Chapter 1
A Sara’s father returns to India.
B 1 Sara goes to London with her father.
C The pupils are excited about Captain Crewe’s diamond mines.
D Ermengarde and Sara become friends.
E Captain Crewe buys a new doll for Sara.
F Sara speaks to Becky for the first time.
Chapter 2
A Sara meets Ram Dass and the monkey.
B Sara has a party for her birthday.
C Mr Carrisford and his servant arrive at the house next door.
D Sara has to start work as a servant in the school.
E Captain Crewe is ill.
F Miss Minchin gives Sara some bad news.
Chapter 3
A Sara helps a poor girl in the street.
B Miss Minchin finds Ermengarde and Becky in Sara’s room.
C Mr Carrisford and Sara meet for the first time.
D Sara learns about the diamond mines and that she is rich.
E Sara wakes up and finds lots of food and nice things in her room.
F Sara starts pretending to be a princess again.
3 Choose the correct option, A, B or C, for these questions.
When did Sara and her father arrive in London?
A in summer B in winter C in spring
1 What is very important for Miss Minchin?
A clever pupils
B nice families C money
2 Where did Becky fall asleep?
A in Sara’s armchair B on Sara’s bed C on Sara’s rug
3 How old was Sara when her father died?
A 7
B 10 C 11
4 What did Sara give to the poor girl in the street?
A some money
B some bread C some shoes
5 When did the first magic happen?
A in the morning B in the afternoon C at night
6 What does Sara want to do with her money?
A give it to Miss Minchin B help other people
C buy new clothes for herself
Vocabulary
4A Match the adjectives to their opposites.
1 happy A mean
2 beautiful B 1 unhappy
3 comfortable C hard
4 kind D uncomfortable
5 horrible E ugly
6 easy F delicious
4B Complete these sentences with the adjectives from the second column.
Becky’s bed in the attic was uncomfortable.
1 Sara’s birthday cake was __________.
2 Lavinia was often __________ to Sara and the other girls.
3 Sara was very __________ when her father died.
4 It was sometimes __________ for Sara to pretend to be a princess.
5 Miss Minchin was __________, with dark, cold eyes.
5 Choose the correct alternative.
Captain Crewe and Sara arrive in a carriage / boat.
1 Becky is a prisoner / servant in the school.
2 Ermengarde sits on the rug / fireplace to listen to Sara.
3 Captain Crewe’s last letter has some bad news / tales.
4 Sara pretends her room is a prison / diamond mine.
5 Sara finds a coin / some coal in the street.
6 Ram Dass has got pigtails / a turban.
7 Sara stands on a roof / stool to look out of her window.
8 Mr Carrisford wants to be Sara’s relative / guardian.
Reading and Writing
6 For each question, choose the correct option, A, B or C.
Dearest Sara, I hope you’re well. It’s quiet here in India and I’m lonely without
you, but the servants look (1) me very well. I’ve got some (2) news. I’ve just become a partner in a diamond mine with an old school friend. He’s sure that there are lots of diamonds and we’re going to be really (3) !
Next week I’m going to visit the mine to (4) out how they look for the diamonds. Maybe I’ll find a big one and send it to you! Your friends will be (5) ! Do you still (6) lots of stories? Tell me one about princesses and diamonds in your next letter. I (7) you!
Your loving father
A single B lonely C my own
1 A like B for C after
2 A exciting B excite C excited
3 A expensive B money C rich
4 A find B look C come
5 A cosy B jealous C exhausted
6 A pretend B invent C behave
7 A lose B forget C miss
Creative Writing
7 Create your own story.
Sara loved inventing stories for herself and for others. Invent a short story using no more than 50 words.
Reading and Matching
8 Match Ermengarde’s questions to Sara’s answers.
C Who is Mr Carrisford?
1 What happened with the diamond mines?
2 Are you rich now?
3 How are you going to spend your money?
4 Who are you going to live with?
5 Did you tell Miss Minchin?
6 Do you think Miss Minchin is angry?
7 What’s Becky going to do?
8 Can I come and see you?
A I’m going to live with Mr Carrisford as my guardian.
B They were real and they found a lot of diamonds.
C He was my father’s friend and partner in the diamond mines.
D Yes, because she never liked me.
E Of course. You can come every day.
F Yes, because half of the money from the diamonds is mine.
G No, I didn’t. Mr Carrisford spoke to her.
H She’s going to work in Mr Carrisford’s house.
I I want to help poor people.
Writing
9 Write the letter that Sara sent to Ermengarde at the end of the story. Use the information in exercise 8 to help you.
Dear Ermengarde, I’ve got some amazing news for you. The diamond mines were real! ___________________________ __________________________________________________
Lots of love, Sara
Character Building
10 Sara pretended she was a princess. Which character would you like to be in a story? Write a description of this character, using the following details:
• physical description – tall, short, age, hair, eye colour, clothes
• type of personality – shy, friendly, serious, happy, sad
• daily life – where you live, what you do, what you like
Personal Opinion
11 What do you think about each of the following characters? Do you like them? Why? /Why not?
Sara I like Sara because she is kind.
Ermengarde
Lavinia
Becky __________________________________________________
Miss Minchin
• Level 1
OOKMARKS
Oscar Wilde, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime
• Level 2
Frances H. Burnett, A Little Princess
• Level 3
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Level 4
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
A Little Princess 48
Sara Crewe, a seven year old girl, arrives in London from India to start school at Miss Minchin’s School for Girls. She’s alone for the first time in her life. Can she make friends with the other pupils? Sara is clever and kind and soon the other girls love her and her exciting stories. But not everyone is nice to Sara, especially when she gets some news that changes her life completely.
EXTENSIVE READING SERIES
LEVEL 1 BEGINNER
(400 HEADWORDS) A1
LEVEL 2 ELEMENTARY (700 HEADWORDS) A2
LEVEL 3 PRE-INTERMEDIATE (100 HEADWORDS) A2/B1
LEVEL 4 INTERMEDIATE (1400 HEADWORDS) B1
LEVEL 5 UPPER INTERMEDIATE (1800 HEADWORDS) B2
LEVEL 6 ADVANCED (2500 HEADWORDS) C1
Classic
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