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A Little Princess  By  cover art

A Little Princess

By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
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Editorial reviews

Sara Crewe had a privileged life until her father died, and she went from princess to pauper. Listeners will experience the drastic changes in Sara's life as narrator Virginia Leishman captures the treatment she receives from those around her before and after she becomes penniless. Particularly nasty is schoolmistress Miss Minchin, whose voice drips with contempt. Sara herself acts and sounds like a real princess particularly when she gives up her precious hot buns to a cold, homeless child. Leishman's delivery changes yet again as Sara's fortunes are altered for the better. Listeners will be enriched by this riches to rags, and then back to riches, story.

Publisher's summary

Ten-year-old Sarah Crue lives life like a princess until tragedy strikes, taking away her fine clothes and privileges. Without her velvet and silk and French maids, she's no longer the envy of all the girls at Miss Minchin's London boarding school, and even has to live in the school's attic, working for the students who were once her friends. Will Sarah's spirit remain unbowed? Follow her through her trials and triumphs in this unforgettable tale beloved by children the world over.

Public Domain (P)2005 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"A blend of power, beauty, vivid interest and honest goodness. Yes, if this is magic, it is good magic." (The New York Times)

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What listeners say about A Little Princess

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A Cute Classic

Overall the story and narrator were great. A cute and classic story with an uplifting ending.

If I'm being picky: The accent the narrator used for one of the characters, Becky, got on my nerves at first (think Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady before her lessons), but I got over it. I also prefer when the audible chapter and book chapter match. In this the audible sections were about an hour each with several book chapters in each section. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

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amazing!!

I loved every minute of this delightful book!!!
Its a must read at any age. just beautifully written and read!

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Oh, this narrator...wow. Such a perfect read.

Where does A Little Princess rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best. Because this was favorite story I'd read as a child, and because I know it's made of of old fashioned language and vocabularies that are no longer used by the mainstream I hesitated to grab this one. Before I clicked 'buy' I actually had a fleeting thought that the chance of this book being narrated wrong, thus, putting the listener to sleep, might be very high, but I took the chance and I'm so happy that I did. It was so amazing, perfect, GREAT!! The narrator of this story blew me away. The story and the memories of how much I'd loved it as a child exceeded my expectations thanks to this truly talented narrator. She must have loved this book once too, and it is not a short book at all, so I would guess the job to narrate it was not easy. It seems she took to heart just how the undertaking of such a classic novel and what the narration of The Little Princess would mean to so many who'd read it long before the audiobook was even a thing.

It is truly a perfect rendition of story, of voice, of characters, of the layers of emotion that are jam-packed into this book. It's a timeless tale that should still be read by every schoolgirl, and I hope that the audio version allows so many more to access this wonderful story.

True care happened in the writing of this book, and now the same care happened within this wonderful version of the narration. I thank the narrator and Audible for creating it just this way. YAY LOVED LOVED IT!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Little Princess?

My favorite part is the relationship/friendship between Sara and Becky. I also love how Sara's spirit stays the same as she crosses into her world of poverty and hardship. What a fierce pair these two are, and of course I love their loyalty for each other. Of course we all love the ending where patience, goodness and kindness wins after all.

Have you listened to any of Virginia Leishman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. Never. But I have to say again that narrator, Virginia Leishman is a true artist. She made this book a pleasure. Her voices, her characters and how she wasn't just reading the book, rather living the people truly came through. I'm very humbled by this narrator and I will look for more by her specifically because of how she handled this work. I bow and applaud her for bringing this story to life, chapter after chapter, exactly how she did.

If you could rename A Little Princess, what would you call it?

That's a hard question. Maybe...The Girl Who was Always Kind? But that's terrible, isn't it? A Little Princess is such a perfect title.

Any additional comments?

I'm so hooked on Audible and audiobooks. This is the first book I'd already read 'back when' that I've gone back and now listened to. The experience was so positive that I can't wait for more within this 'read that long ago' category I've just made for myself. Again, thanks for all you do to bring these books and these narrators together for all of us. Applause, applause and much love to you, Audible. :)

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lovely

Charming, delightful, heartwarming, and mesmerizing. The narration is exquisite. Pulled me me in from beginning to end.

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A Little Princess

I loved this audio book. I have always loved the movie The Little Princess staring Shirley Temple, but now I feel I truly know little Sarah's story. This audio version was so wonderful I immediately listened to it a second time. It is a story that I definitely recommend to all. Well done!!

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Classic story, excellent performance.

Excellent performance of A Little Princess. The story itself is a classic, and Virginia Leishman's voice acting of the different characters in the story bring them to life, making the story even more enjoyable.

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Very Good Read!

This is a classic and a very good read! My girls and I thoroughly enjoyed!

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Heartwarming Story

Such a delightful story and excellent narration! A perfectly lovely voice that brought the story to life.

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lovely, empowering story

I loved the movie of this book is a kid, and now going back to read it as an adult it was just as good of a story as I remembered. The narration was perfectly tailored for the story, and the characterization improved on the experience

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absolutely LOVE this book

what a great story in the trials of adversity the strength it took to remain dignified. just beautiful

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