A Little Princess

First published in 1905, Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess is an inspiring children's story about a seven-year-old girl named Sarah Crewe who's sent off by her father to a boarding school run by the strict Miss Minchin. There Sarah becomes popular with the other girls who view her as a princess.

Because of this, Miss Minchin dislikes Sarah and shows it by her unkind manor towards Sarah throughout the story. Eventually, when Mr. Crewe passes away, Miss Minchin takes all of Sarah's possessions because Mr. Crewe had invested and lost all of his money in the diamond mines.

Meanwhile, Sarah is forced to work as a maid at the boarding school in order to earn her keep. Her positive attitude, friends, and her imagination help keep her happy despite Miss Minchin's abusive ways. Sarah also goes out of her way to feed bread to the starving children and is shown to have a kind heart that's not effected by Miss Minchin's negativity.

Mr. Carrisford, a friend and co-investor of the diamond mines with Mr. Crewe, was able to salvage some of the mines and earn a fortune in return. He then made it his personal duty to track down his friend's daughter, and eventually, with the help of a pet monkey, Mr. Carrisford finds Sarah and invites her to live with him and Sarah ends up inheriting her father's wealth and uses the money for good.