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''A Little Princess'' is a British children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of Burnett's 1888 short story entitled ''Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's'', which was serialized in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from 1887 to 1888. According to Burnett, after she composed the 1902 play based on the story, her publisher asked that she expand the story as a novel with "the things and people that had been left out before".〔Wordsworth edition of ''A Little Princess''.〕 It was published by Charles Scribner's Sons with illustrations by Ethel Franklin Betts and the full title ''A Little Princess: Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe Now Being Told for the First Time''. Based on a 2007 online poll, the U.S. National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". In 2012 it was ranked number 56 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by ''School Library Journal'', a monthly with primarily U.S. audience. It was the second of two Burnett novels among the Top 100, with ''The Secret Garden'' number 15.〔 ==Plot== Seven-year-old Sara Crewe and her father, Captain Crewe, arriving at Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London. Captain Crewe is very wealthy and prepares her for a lavish future. The Headmistress, Miss Minchin, is secretly jealous and dislikes Sara, who embraces her reputation as a Princess given by the other students. Sara befriends Ermengarde, the dunce; Lottie, a four-year-old student; and Becky, the scullery maid. Four years later, Sara is thrown a luxurious birthday party. Just as it ends Miss Minchin learns of Captain Crewe's unfortunate demise, leaving Sara a pauper due to him pouring all his fortune on a diamond mine. Miss Minchin then takes away all of Sara's possessions except for some old frocks and a doll, and she must become a scullery maid to avoid being turned to the street. For the next several years Sara is abused by Miss Minchin and the others, but is consoled by her friends and uses her imagination to cope with her issues. Sara also continues to be kind and polite to everyone including her offenders, and is even witnessed by a baker-woman giving buns to a beggar-child. It's revealed that Mr. Carrisford, the man in the house next door, was Captain Crewe's partner. During their time with the diamond mines they thought everything was lost, and Carrisford abandoned Captain Crewe and nearly died from several ailments. The mines turn out to have not all gone away, and he became very rich. He then makes it his duty to find Sara, though he does not know where she is. Ram Dass, Mr. Carrisford's assistant, climbs across the roof into Sara's room to retrieve his pet monkey whom Sara has befriended and sees the poor condition of her room. Ram Dass tells Mr. Carrisford of Sara. She is sent gifts by a mysterious benefactor though she doesn't know it is the working of Carrisford. One night, the monkey again enters Sara's room through a skylight; Sara decides to return the monkey to Mr. Carrisford the next morning. He learns that Sara is Captain Crewe's daughter; Sara also learns that Mr. Carrisford was her father's friend. When Miss Minchin visits to collect Sara, she is informed that Sara will be living with Mr. Carrisford and her entire fortune has been restored. Miss Minchin, still wanting to take advantage of Sara, threatens her if she does not return to the school, she will never see any of her friends again and the law will interfere, but Sara refuses and is taken in by Carrisford. Becky is invited to live with Sara. With her newfound wealth Sara makes a deal with the baker, proposing to cover the bills for food given to any hungry child. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「A Little Princess」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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