The riches to rags story of young Sara Crewe is one of the most poignant of the classics. Little Sara Crewe is only seven when her father leaves her at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies. She is serious, thoughtful and very much loved child. And she is very, very rich. Miss Minchin has little time for Sara herself but a lot of time for her great wealth. But then the money disappears and Sara’s life is turned upside down. Sara’s genuine good nature helps her to survive the misfortune of the changing circumstances around her. And to embrace another surprise when it happens! ~ Julia Eccleshare
When Sara Crewe is brought from India to attend Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London, she arrives looking rather like a princess, with trunks full of the finest clothes. Yet, despite having her own pony and carriage, private room and personal maid, Sara is never a snob to her fellow pupils. Instead, she is kind, thoughtful and generous, and soon she is friends with all the girls there.
But when the terrible news of her father's death and failed financial investments arrives, Sara is suddenly left a penniless orphan. She is allowed to stay at the school, but as a servant, and the cruel Miss Minchin starves and ill-treats her. Faced with day after day of endless, exhausting work, Sara relies on her friendships and her imagination to get her through the misery of her circumstances. However, when Mr Carrisford and his assistant Ram Dass arrive from India and move in next door to the school, and warm blankets and delicious food mysteriously begin to appear in Sara's little room in the attic, it looks like her life is about to change for ever…