Book VS. Movie: A Little Princess

10 Facts of Difference:

1. The movie takes place in 1914 during WWI, but the book was written in 1905 before the war. Therefore, war is not the reason for Sara's father's departure in the book.

2. Sara goes to school in Paris in the book & New York in the movie.

3. Sara is a rather unusual looking child in the book with thick black hair and piercing green eyes. In the movie, Sara is a very pretty little girl with curled light brown hair, although her eyes are correct.

4. In the book, Sara's room and wealth is much more apparent than in the movie. She has not only a bedroom, but a sitting room, personal maid, and personal horse and carriage. In the movie Sara only has a spectacular bedroom.

5. Lavinia is four years older than Sara in the book. The movie shows that Lavinia and Sara are both the same age.

6. In the book, Becky's english is very poor and very broken. In the book she speaks correctly and clearly without any sort of accent.

7. The one scene in the movie that is exact to the chapter it is based off of in the book is the scene where Miss Minchin discontinues Sara's eleventh birthday to tell her of her father's death.

8. Sara is a maid at the school for five years before the truth is discovered. Plus, the magic food and furnishings in the attic take a very long process in the book and are present for months, not just one day as portrayed in the movie.

9. The movie expresses the loss Sara feels towards her deceased mother, especially when it comes to her mother's locket. In the book, there is no locket and Sara describes how she feels no real loss towards her mother because she had never known her so she has no reason.

10. In the movie, everyone (except a select few) refer to Sara as Princess. In the book, though many still refer to Sara as Princess, Lottie refers to Sara as Mother because of the constant comfort and support she gives her when she feels saddened by the loss of her real mother.

VS. Review:

In each form (book and movie) A Little Princess is a favorite of mine. I guess the biggest differences between the book and the movie are the endings, length of time the whole story takes (which is short in the movie and years long in the book), and the decade in which the story lives in. Like in all adapted movies, there are quite a few minor details and side story lines left untold that are told in the book, but that's usually what's expected, isn't it? I have rarely come across a movie that is exact to the book. There have only been a couple times. Which do I like better? It's hard to answer since the stories seem quite different to me in many ways. I am more use to the movie since I saw it before reading the book but there are different sequences of the story I like in each. I like the movie's ending better, but I like how the magic in the book is more thoroughly explained, and what I mean by that is that it makes more since. In the end, I would probably have to purpose a fifty/fifty on this one. Genuinely. I highly encourage all to participate in both forms of this story though. It is really quite fantastic in either form.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Plot:
All the teenage girls from a small mountain village must attend the academy to learn how to become a princess. Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen.

Review:
I could not put this book down! I even missed dinner one night just to finish it! This story was very interesting and I loved the concept. It was filled with many twists and turns and reached out to places I don’t believe many other authors have written about. There is a magic to the story. I especially love near the end when the story takes a turn for the worse and puts you in a state where you don’t really want to believe what’s going on is really happening and neither do the characters. It keeps you very much on edge. I really liked the uniqueness in the characters’ names and personalities. I felt that there was more of a variety of characters throughout this story than in other books. This book I would especially recommend during the winter time too because it just has that sort of feel. Princess Academy may sound like a generic type of name with a generic kind of story to back it up, but trust me. It’s anything but generic and typical.

Rating:
5.0
Read again?
Most Likely.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Plot:
This beloved classic tells the story of little Sarah Crewe, sent to a proper English girls school by her rich, soldier father. When their wealth is gone, Sarah is forced to become a scullery maid at the school, but she bravely maintains her dignity and overcomes her adversity. Living off crumbs in a dreary attic, Sara Crewe comforts herself with wondrous stories of adventure and fortune, and in the end the stories become true.


Review:
This book was fantastic from start to finish. I had seen the movie before reading the book and I can honestly say that the book is twice as interesting and different in a lot of ways. I can see why it stood the test of time, being over 100 years old. It is a tale of mind over matter. A tale that gives proof to the fact that if you believe in something you can make it real. The whole concept of the story was very touching and moving all at the same time. It tells of a little girl blessed with rich luxuries who is forced to hit rock bottom and live poorly with nothing but her own good spirit. The dialect used throughout the book is very interesting too. There are many different types of speakers in this story. If you are looking for a tale with much diversity, heart, and magical spirit, I would definitely read A Little Princess.


Rating:
4.0
Read again?
Possibly.