This summer, every Monday and Wednesday, I am hosting a series of guest posts here on my blog called Middle Grade Memories. In this series, authors, agents, librarians, and editors talk about their favorite childhood middle grade books. I’m beyond thrilled to share their middle grade memories with you.
Below is the twentieth post in the series, by Molly O’Neill, editor of children’s and young adult books at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Molly edits some outstanding books, including Veronica Roth‘s Divergent series, S. J. Kincaid‘s Insignia series, and Kathryn Fitzmaurice‘s books for middle grade readers.
Read on as Molly talks about one of her favorite childhood middle grade books, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
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You know how in old time movies and books, they always talk about the Sears & Roebuck catalog (especially the Christmas-time Wish Book) like it was this sacred tome that contained everything one’s heart could possibly desire?
My version of that as a kid was the Scholastic Book Club fliers. Every month when we got them at school, I pored over my copy with an elaborate ranking system that used all of my neon highlighters, then practiced my persuasive speaking skills on my parents in order to convince them that I neeeeeeeeeddded new books, these selections in particular. (Looking back, I realize those were this editor’s very earliest versions of presentations to an Acquisitions Committee, or auction negotiations, or some such. Huh. Who knew?) Luckily, my parents believed in feeding me books, so books were often purchased from the fliers, if perhaps not in quite the vast quantities that I suggested.
Somewhere along the line in elementary school, I ordered a copy of Sara Crewe, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
For those unaware, Sara Crewe, or What Happened at Miss Minchin’s was a short-ish book—more than a novella, but not really a full novel—that was the precursor to FHB’s later classic, A Little Princess. I was most likely suckered in by the tagline on this paperback (yes, I had this very edition, complete with wicked-schoolmarm-who-looks-faintly-Disney-ish and evil classmates giggling in the background): “No one believed Sara was a little princess, except Sara herself.” As a young reader, I wasn’t so much princess-obsessed as I was orphan-obsessed. I honestly yearned to be an orphan, because orphans always seemed to have the best stories! Orphan or princess, though, I’m quite sure I was swayed by the tragic romance this copy’s tagline implies. After all, as the middle child and only girl sandwiched between two brothers, I was exceptionally talented at being misunderstood by the world. I burned through Sara Crewe, and I loved-loved-loved it. All of it: the orphans, boarding school, Victorian London, diamond mines, the Indian Gentleman, Becky the Scullery Maid, Miss Minchin…it was foreign and exotic and had a vivid setting entirely unlike my own Texan home, or any story I’d read to that point, and I adored it!
Being that this was pre-internet-era, my next step was to visit the library and see what else Frances Hodgson Burnett had written. Imagine my glee when I learned she had taken the story of Sara Crewe and added more, more, more—more descriptions of Victorian finery, more images of cold, damp British winters, and Lavinia and Jessie and Lottie and Ermengarde and Becky and Melchizedec the rat—to make a whole new book!
I read A Little Princess (and watched this version of the movie) countless times for 
several years straight. I embodied Sara, or tried to believe I did, anyway, which may or may not have led to my mother actually taking the book away from me for a period, because I was acting too much like a put-upon-princess-in-disguise, just like Sara, whenever I was asked to do something I thought would be considered drudgery, like doing the dishes, or cleaning my room. Behold, my philosophy as a nine-year-old:
“Whatever comes,” she said, “cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it…I pretend I am a princess, so that I can try and behave like one. It’s so easy that when you begin you can’t stop. You just go on and on doing it always.”
A Little Princess was my comfort read for many years, not only because of my enchantment with Sara’s idea of what it means to be a princess, but because of the glorious last third of the story, filled up as it is with touches of unexpected magic to counterbalance the terribly sad middle. Most of all, I think, I was, and still am, drawn to the story’s assurance that whenever things are at their bleakest, one shouldn’t lose hope, because that’s when Magic can come, and do its finest work. (Hmm. Could this be part of why I love stories with hints of magical realism today? I would not be at all surprised). And I also came back to the story over and over because I felt a deep kinship with Sara as a lover-of-books. Sara talked about stories like they were things that were really-truly alive, and I felt that way about them, too, but I knew even then that not everyone understood them in the same way.
But what’s most interesting to me today? I was an avid re-reader as a kid (still am!) And I have vivid recollections that I often read Sara Crewe, then followed it up with a reading of A Little Princess, mentally comparing the places where she’d filled in the gaps of story, and rejoicing in the new parts and how they made the story all the more wonderful. I wish there were a photograph of me, sprawled on my bed with both books, reading one against the other—because it would be evidence, of the very first work I ever did as an editor! A friend of mine once told me he thought I’d been editing my whole life, before I even knew that’s what I was doing, and this memory is proof of precisely that, I think.
My copy of A Little Princess has a foreword from Frances Hodgson Burnett herself, and it’s highlighted in (a now-very-dulled) hot pink by a long-ago me: “Between the lines of every story, there is another story, and that is one that can be guessed at by the people good at guessing.” I still love that thought, and these days, more than ever, I know it’s true. And lucky us—the writers and editors who get to peek between the lines of stories as “people good at guessing”; the ones who get to make the magic happen; the ones who know, like Sara Crewe that “Everything’s a story—You are a story—I am a story.”
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ABOUT MOLLY
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GIVEAWAY
To celebrate Molly’s post, she is generously giving away an ARC of Kathryn Fitzmaurice’s upcoming MG novel Destiny, Rewritten.
Coming in March 2013, Kathryn Fitzmaurice’s third book for middle grade readers, is also the story of a girl whose life has been life is shaped by a special book—in her case, a volume of poetry written by her namesake, Emily Dickinson. But when the book goes missing, main character Emily Elizabeth Davis finds her own perception of herself unraveling . . . and then being rewritten in a marvelous new way.
To win, simply comment below and tell us about your experience with A Little Princess. Have you read and loved this book? How did it influence you? Have you watched any of the movie versions? (I only just recently watched the 1995 version directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and loved it!) What are your middle grade memories?
For an extra entry, tweet about this post and include the link to your tweet in your comment.
This giveaway begins now and ends Wednesday, August 8 at 11:59 a.m. EST. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter. This giveaway is U.S./Canada only.
EDITED 8/9: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner . . .
Shelly Brown!
Thank you to all commenters, and thanks to all who read this post. Stay tuned for more Middle Grade Memories posts and giveaways throughout the summer!
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Love Middle Grade Memories? Check back on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the summer for more in this series! You can view previous Middle Grade Memories posts below:
- author Marissa Burt and Where the Red Fern Grows
- author Sarvenaz Tash and The Witches
- author Jay Kristoff and The Hobbit
- author Adam-Troy Castro and Dr. Dolittle
- author Greg Leitich Smith and The Enormous Egg
- librarian Rita Meade and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- author Cristin Terrill and The Baby-Sitters Club
- author Phoebe North and A Swiftly Tilting Planet
- editor Jordan Hamessley and The Egypt Game
- agent Suzie Townsend and The Westing Game
- author Lauren Billings and Howl’s Moving Castle
- editor Zareen Jaffery and The Secret Garden
- author Nikki Loftin and Pippi Longstocking
- author Kody Keplinger and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
- author Stephanie Burgis and A Wrinkle in Time
- author Gretchen McNeil and books by John Bellairs
- author Shannon Messenger and the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary
- author Myra McEntire and The Borrowers
- author Alison Cherry and Anne of Green Gables
YAY! This middle grade memory is a book I actually have distinct memories of! Hurrah!
A Little Princess is a book that I read when I was just a wee princess (in my dad’s eyes at least) myself. I loved it, that and The Secret Garden. I wonder why I haven’t read everything by Burnett, since her books are so full of magic and life and beautiful writing.
I reread both of those a couple of years ago and they are just as good now as they were when I was a child. I will love them forever, I have no doubt. I definitely have more in common with grump Mary than optimistic Sarah, but I love them both.
I love Sara Crewe!! I wish I’d have found her when I was little. (I was a bit orphan obsessed, too!)
Shelley
I’m embarrassed to admit I haven’t read A Little Princess yet (blushing). The middle grade book that “did it” for me was Anne of Green Gables–another orphan story!
Heading out to get copy of A Little Princess now . . .
(Oh, and I’ve tweeted about this giveaway: https://twitter.com/AJCattapan/status/230704333698777088)
I didn’t read A Little Princess as a child…I have no idea why, as I had a huge illustrated version of The Secret Garden that I loved. But my 10-year-old daughter has, and loves it. She’s watched the Shirley Temple movie (several times) with her grandparents and with me too!
(will tweet this too @susan_adrian)
I still re-read my copy of A Little Princess that I received as my most beloved Christmas gift of 1969. I’ve read it dozens of times through the years, and love it for the same reasons Molly discussed (I spent plenty of time gazing in the mirror trying to find hints of green in my all-too-brown eyes.) What a joy when my daughter first read it and fell in love too.
I love Burnett’s books – I hadn’t seen that foreword before, I’d love to read the whole piece. And I know exactly what you mean about the Scholastic catalogue! Last time I was in New York I came across their building and took a few photos, I was so excited.
The first time I showed the ’95 film to my children my 8yo son sobbed uncontrollably through the last 20 minutes of the movie. I always got teary myself but I wan’t expecting so much emotion out of him. I realized that I hadn’t learned my lesson when I showed him the film Bridge to Terabithia. So many tears out of such a little child. Good luck convincing me that fiction isn’t powerful.
Oh and I retweeted Molly’s tweet about the post and the giveaway.
I loved this book as a kid and had a student this year who discovered it for the first time! A few years ago I found a DVD of the Shirley Temple movie. Just shows how timeless a good story is!
I loved A Little Princess, thought the part that stuck out most vividly was that Sara slapped her Indian maid. Shocking.
This book and movie was all about the father. He was there, then not, and then back again. There was a love with which I could identify – a hopeful tug of the heart kind of relationship.
As a teacher, writer, and literacy coach, I would throw my vote for Among the Hidden. It is the number one novel read aloud I use every year. Thought provoking and intense, it hooks middle school kids and forces them to continue the series. I love the not so happily ever after attitude.
I really loved reading this post. Molly, given your keen interest in these books growing up you were meant to be an editor! I don’t think I ever wished to be an orphan as a child but I did wish to live in a trailer at one point. Thank you for sharing!
I loved A Little Princess : ) My favorite movie version was of course the one with Shirley Temple! I’m pretty sure I wanted to be an orphan after reading that book and even more after seeing the movie. I love the Burnett quote and would love to read the whole forward. I might have to be on the look out for that : ) Thanks for sharing with us!!
I tweeted too : ) https://twitter.com/bamayankee/status/231511425430982656
A Little Princess is one of my favorite books EVER, and I’ve read it at least three or four times since middle school. I still haven’t seen a film adaptation, though, but I’m probably going to have to change that soon…
I read A Little Princess about a million times as well! That scene where she wakes up and Ram Dass has filled her desolate room with all these beautiful little comforts–*LOVE*
I loved A Little Princess, too! In fact, I already have a copy for my seven-year-old daughter when she’s ready to read it. (That, plus a few Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly favorites.)
And I challenge anyone to top my obsession with orphans. Not only was I Little Orphan Annie for Halloween (two years in a row) but I also insisted on wearing my curly red wig around the house every day after school. (I’d lobbied to wear it TO school but my mother refused. Thank God.)