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alongreader's review against another edition
5.0
I love A Little Princess. It's one of my favourite children's books. I hadn't realised before I started this that it's influenced by that classic, but it quickly becomes obvious. Emma, the main character, is brought to a boarding school by her doting, rich father, where she's to be given everything she wants. When he abruptly dies - in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, rather than jungle fever - Emma is promptly made a servant in the school.
The major difference between this story and the original is the presence of magic. I won't go into detail on the subplot, but it's nicely thought out and makes a lot of sense. Izzy is brilliant, as is Emma herself. The ending is fabulous and I really enjoyed watching it unfold.
There's a lovely tone and feeling, and I loved watching Emma gather a group around her to help her out. (Also, yes, I may have welled up right at the end there.) I'm really excited to see what Alyssa comes up with next. I think it'll be great.
The major difference between this story and the original is the presence of magic. I won't go into detail on the subplot, but it's nicely thought out and makes a lot of sense. Izzy is brilliant, as is Emma herself. The ending is fabulous and I really enjoyed watching it unfold.
There's a lovely tone and feeling, and I loved watching Emma gather a group around her to help her out. (Also, yes, I may have welled up right at the end there.) I'm really excited to see what Alyssa comes up with next. I think it'll be great.
cjmedinger's review against another edition
4.0
A really sweet retelling of “Little Princess” with an interesting take on magic
literarilyjess's review
5.0
THE GILDED GIRL is a sheer delight of a book! This take on A Little Princess set in a magical gilded-age New York is spellbinding, heartfelt, and unforgettable. I was so fortunate to read an early version of this magical book and it completely captured my heart. If you have a young reader at home or just love reading special middle grade, don’t miss this one!
zoetic's review against another edition
5.0
The Gilded Girl is a delightful, enrapturing, and heart-warming tale! Plot wise, I felt it was a reimagining of the classic, A Little Princess. The story was both familiar and new, twisting a well-loved tale with magic and historical events.
I found correlations of certain character and storyline aspects from other works of art, specifically Dickon Sowerby from The Secret Garden, and the general story of The Newsies (though loosely).
Subjects touched upon, with some exclusions, are; friendship, social classes, servitude, rights, greed and envy, death and loss, equal rights and self worth.
Overall, I felt The Gilded Girl was a cute, heart-warming middle grade which was fast paced, well written, and a notable read.
The cover of The Gilded Girl is darling!
I found correlations of certain character and storyline aspects from other works of art, specifically Dickon Sowerby from The Secret Garden, and the general story of The Newsies (though loosely).
Subjects touched upon, with some exclusions, are; friendship, social classes, servitude, rights, greed and envy, death and loss, equal rights and self worth.
Overall, I felt The Gilded Girl was a cute, heart-warming middle grade which was fast paced, well written, and a notable read.
The cover of The Gilded Girl is darling!
jennifermreads's review against another edition
5.0
Wealthy daughter of a magitect, Emma Harris is used to the best of everything. She joins Miss Posterity’s Academy for Practical Magic but, soon after her arrival, her father dies leaving her penniless and with a tremendous debt owed to the school. In order to pay what she owes, Emma becomes a servant at the school. Fearing she will never be allowed to have her magic now that she is a servant, she sees hope when stubborn servant Izzy offers a pact: Izzy will help Emma survive as a servant if Emma teaches Izzy all she knows about magic.
A little spark of hope for a light, magical tale of friendship ignited into a flame! What a treasure lies between the covers of this book. You won’t even realize the lessons being imparted as you read of Emma & Izzy’s blossoming friendship and Emma’s eyes being opened to the worth of a human regardless of their material wealth.
Characters bounced off the pages with detail and, for many, names that will stick long after you finish the story. Of course, Emma and Izzy shone as the main characters. But the secondary characters were just as memorable. Miss Posterity brought to mind Carol Burnett’s portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the movie Annie: cruel and selfish while thinking quite highly of herself. And it was quite fun to have the inspector mis-remember her name as Miss Posterior! Then there was Figgy Pudding, the resident cat, er, house dragon, at the school. Here, I immediately pictured Salem from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. He was wise, a teensy bit snarky, and I grinned every time he succumbed to his craving for gravy. And, dear Frances, the awkward, struggling student who hadn’t a friend in the school until Emma and Izzy took her under their wings. The author cleverly gave Frances the trait of dyslexia – without ever naming it – and Emma saw in Frances the same things her father struggled with: “My papa always learned best by heart, not by head. You’re like that too, I’ll bet.”
This was 300+ pages of pure delight with stories of friendship taking the lead in a tale that is peppered with magic. I dare say it is reminiscent of Harry Potter … and I do not use that comparison lightly. Ever.
A little spark of hope for a light, magical tale of friendship ignited into a flame! What a treasure lies between the covers of this book. You won’t even realize the lessons being imparted as you read of Emma & Izzy’s blossoming friendship and Emma’s eyes being opened to the worth of a human regardless of their material wealth.
Characters bounced off the pages with detail and, for many, names that will stick long after you finish the story. Of course, Emma and Izzy shone as the main characters. But the secondary characters were just as memorable. Miss Posterity brought to mind Carol Burnett’s portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the movie Annie: cruel and selfish while thinking quite highly of herself. And it was quite fun to have the inspector mis-remember her name as Miss Posterior! Then there was Figgy Pudding, the resident cat, er, house dragon, at the school. Here, I immediately pictured Salem from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. He was wise, a teensy bit snarky, and I grinned every time he succumbed to his craving for gravy. And, dear Frances, the awkward, struggling student who hadn’t a friend in the school until Emma and Izzy took her under their wings. The author cleverly gave Frances the trait of dyslexia – without ever naming it – and Emma saw in Frances the same things her father struggled with: “My papa always learned best by heart, not by head. You’re like that too, I’ll bet.”
This was 300+ pages of pure delight with stories of friendship taking the lead in a tale that is peppered with magic. I dare say it is reminiscent of Harry Potter … and I do not use that comparison lightly. Ever.
barefootbetsy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's not mentioned anywhere in the book, but this is a truly lovely retelling of the book A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett -- Adding magic and with no sign of the orientalism that marred the original story.
I greatly enjoyed this book and I'm so happy to have the story in a book I loved as a child be retold in a less harmful way so I can share it with a new generation of children 💜
I greatly enjoyed this book and I'm so happy to have the story in a book I loved as a child be retold in a less harmful way so I can share it with a new generation of children 💜
cedardleland's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
antimonium's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The first half of the book is wasted on establishing the Little Princess plot. If it had been called a retelling, fine, but it was obviously and wasted too much time. The last third was good and unique about kindling magic. More of that would have made it a better read.
callieash_ro's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
callieash_ro's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely adored this charming, whimsical, magical book!! Full of the sweetest friendships and some of the hardest topics. Can't wait to read the sequel!!
Update after re-read: The audiobook is FANTASTIC, and once again I fell in love with this book. I absolutely adore sweet Emma, sassy Izzy, goofy Tom and awkward Frances. And Figgy, as always, is the best ever.
Update after re-read: The audiobook is FANTASTIC, and once again I fell in love with this book. I absolutely adore sweet Emma, sassy Izzy, goofy Tom and awkward Frances. And Figgy, as always, is the best ever.