Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess

Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess

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3.68 of 5 stars 3.68  ·  rating details  ·  313 ratings  ·  109 reviews
An enchanting sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, written by the award-winning Hilary McKay.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published January 5th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry Books (first published September 3rd 2009)
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Emily
When I heard the startling news that Hilary McKay, one of my very favorite contemporary authors had written a sequel to The Little Princess, such an iconic girls' book, and one which I read to pieces as a child, I was curious but distinctly uneasy -- what potential for disappointment!

The story of Sara Crewe is more or less branded into my braincells, but since it had been at least two decades -- possibly even closer to three -- since I'd last followed her story from riches to rags and gloriousl...more
Elizabeth
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Nancy
Want to hear a story? I was in a very large bookstore in London with my daughter when I found a single copy of this book. Hilary McKay! one of my very favorite children's writers! writing a sequel to what may possibly be my all-time favorite children's book! I scanned the book carefully to find the price (not that there was any question - I was totally buying the book), but no price was visible. So I took it to the cashier, who also checked it carefully until she saw it: PROOF COPY. NOT FOR SALE...more
Janice  Durante
Writing a sequel to Burnett's classic A Little Princess is a job for a giant. Because I've read and admired McKay's wonderful Casson Family series, initiated with the wonderful title Saffy's Angel: Casson Family Series, Book 1, I was willing to give McKay a chance. I adored this novel. McKay's fine eye for detail, humor, and characterization illuminate a hopeful story sure to appeal to many girls. Once again, we readers arrive at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies. McKay lavishes at...more
Tasha
Jan 29, 2010 Tasha added it
Shelves: childrens-books
I have been a huge fan of A Little Princess since I was a little girl. It was my favorite book for years and have read it so many times that I can’t count. My favorite version was the one with the illustrations by Tasha Tudor. The pictures matched the ones in my head so beautifully. I am also an enormous fan of Hilary McKay and her Casson family series. So how would one of my favorite authors do with a sequel to one of my favorite books?

Now that Sara has left Miss Minchin’s school, things are ve...more
Jade
A Little Princess was one of my favourite books as a child, and when I learnt about Wishing for Tomorrow, I knew I had to read it. And it lacks the magic and the timelessness, granted, but I was glad all the same to be back at Miss Minchin's and follow the adventures of Ermengarde, Lottie and all the others.

I had never read anything by Hilary McKay before, but when I looked around the Interwebs to get readers' opinions on this book, I found that many said that they would have been horrified if a...more
Katrice
Feb 06, 2012 Katrice rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who liked "A Little Princess"
The blurb here at GoodReads calls it an “enchanting sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess”. I wouldn’t go as far as that. Enchanting is a bit much in my opinion. Charming, puwede pa.

The “A Little Princess” is one of my favourite children’s books, because, yeah it is enchanting and magical and quite frankly an unforgettable read. I could go on, but this isn’t a review of the “A Little Princess”, though am not thinking of bringing my copy out and re-reading.

“Wishing for Tomorrow”...more
Sheila Beaumont
What a delightful read! "Wishing for Tomorrow" is a satisfying follow-up to Frances Hodgson Burnett's enchanting classic. The story begins after Sara Crewe has departed with the "Indian gentleman," accompanied by Becky, the maltreated scullery maid. Surprisingly, the central character here is not Sara, but dull, plodding, unimaginative Ermengarde, who has been her loyal friend at Miss Minchin's school.

There's also plenty about the other characters from "A Little Princess." Lottie, now 8, is as m...more
Arlene Allen
I saw this and my first thought was WTF? No way! I like many others loved and adored and took to heart A Little Princess (how much so? My daughter's name is Sara). I'm reading some positive reviews so I'll keep my knee from jerking. My old fashioned self says these modern writers should keep their hands off our beloved classics. On the other hand, it is such a testimonial to characters and stories that imprint themselves on our psyches so deeply that we can never truly let them go.

It turned out...more
Connie
My copy of A Little Princess illustrated by Tasha Tudor was one of my favorite books as a child. (I can remember passing it among my mother and grandmother and myself to read in turn.) I'm always leary of sequels written by authors other than the original author but since I love Hilary McKay's writing (especially her Casson family series) I took the gamble and am positively delighted that I did. True it's been decades since I entered Sarah Crewe's attic so I can't say I approached Wishing for To...more
Debrarian
As a devoted fan of A Little Princess (a formative book in my personal canon) I was fairly scandalized at the hubris of anyone writing a sequel; but as a devoted fan of the works of Hilary McKay (fantastic characters; charming, hilarious and unsentimental stories), I was tentatively hopeful of the result.

And you know what? It was good. Not fantastic, and not utterly convincing as a seamless sequel, but solid and interesting and true to the spirit of the original while having its own voice. And e...more
Christin
While it's always hard to live up to the original writer's prose and style, this author has managed to catch the beauty and realism of The Little Princess in this timeless sequal. The pages come alive in the young reader's mind, the story moves at a good pace, and the author does a wonderful job of weaving in portions of the original story into the new. As an adult who also liked The Little Princess in my younger age, I found this book to be a page turner and a lovely lounging read. Vocabulary i...more
Kendall
My expectations must've been too high for this one. A Little Princess is one of my favorite books from childhood...I must've reread it a dozen times as a girl. I always wondered what happened to Sara Crewe...and I thought that's what I was reading about. Instead, the book is about what happens to the other girls in Miss Minchin's seminary. That may have been part of the reason I was disappointed. But while Burnett had a gift for taking the mundane and ordinary and making it extraordinary without...more
Heidi
This was a simple and fast read of an enjoyable continuation of the world of Sara Crewe. Sara is not as physically present in this story, but her memory and influence very much are. I like the lessons Ermengarde learns. I like that the girls are not viciously mean to each other, but rather a bit more understanding and even family-like. I'm not sure what to think as far as Miss Minchin's part in the whole thing. And I was disappointed that the whole part with Tristram wasn't elaborated more in th...more
Miki Garrison
As other reviewers have said, this book takes a lot of liberties with the original. So it's not so much a sequel to "A Little Princess", no more so than "Wicked" is truly a sequel/prequel to "The Wizard of Oz". Instead, the author spends the first third of the book retelling the original *with significant plot changes*, perhaps the direction she wishes the book had originally taken -- and then the rest of the book follows a path that fits with the author's revised versions of the characters.

So...more
Elen Caldecott
I assumed, when I picked up this book, that I would be reading the further adventures of Sara Crewe. I assumed that the little girl with the cat on the cover was Sara. So, at first, I was disappointed to realise that Sara is a minor character. But, once I'd got over my small sulk, I was entranced. We re-visit Lottie, Lavinia, Ermengarde and the Miss Minchins and they are so much more interesting than I remember from the original! Hilary McKay really expands their characters and gives them motiva...more
Fade
An excellent little book, if with uneven pacing at times. (And I really don't think we needed cat PoV scenes.) There's a great deal of depth given to the background characters at the school that Sarah left behind, and I ended up with a great deal of sympathy for all of them. (Even Lottie, who is a terrible brat, but can't entirely be blamed for it.) I would've liked a little more treatment of some of the class issues from the original--the author's clearly aware of them--but that's not the focus...more
Lindi
The Little Princess and Hilary McKay -- a match made in heaven is what I hoped for, and what I got! McKay takes the iconic characters and stock plot of one of my favorite childhood books and gives it new life and depth. Dull Ermengarde gets to see herself in new ways ("the goldy one"), horrible Lavinia is given a reason for her nastiness and the chance to redeem herself with no loss of face, naughty Lottie gets adventures and in the end the structure she so desperately needs, and even awful Miss...more
Laura
This was a great sequel to A Little Princess, especially when you take into consideration the years between the two books, and that it's a different author! Granted it's been about a year since I read A Little Princess, but I thought the writing was consistant and the plot believable after the first book.

Although I wasn't exactly curious what happened to the girls after Sara left, I was glad to read this book and see how it all ended. Although is this really the end? I mean, as long as these gir...more
Stephanie
I absolutely loved this. I usually avoid modern sequels to classic novels, but I snatched up this one as soon as I saw it because Hilary McKay is one of my very favorite authors, so I trusted that it would be worth reading. It's the sequel to A Little Princess, which I hadn't read for 24 years and didn't remember at all. Luckily, you don't need to have read (or remember) the original novel to enjoy this sequel, because it stands perfectly on its own, funny and quirky and really lovely. I adored...more
Chelsea
A lovely story with surprisingly nuanced characters. McKay takes a slightly feminist stance, providing back story on why Miss Minchin is the way she is, and giving Lavinia some depth and a chance at heroics. Lottie is a hoot, and Ermengard, the main character, is a believable adolescent struggling to find happiness and her own place in the world. It's sweet, yes, and has a tidy little happy ending, but fans of the original story and anyone looking for a nice old-fashioned tale (with a bit of a c...more
Hirondelle
It is funny, this was one book that if described, I would just actively choose to not read. A 100+years separated sequel to a sentimental (I mean this kindly) victorian (I know) children´s classic. And I suppose it is fanfic, which is something which usually does not work for me, even Laurie King´s Mary Sue-ish Sherlock Holmes "sequels" (maybe particularly those). That´ll teach me to not judge a book by uh, its cover, or what the book is supposed to be about. But sometimes fanfic is the only way...more
Suna
This book was started by me with a little bit of resentment, a 'how-dare-she-touch-this' -attitude.

The language does its best to match the turns of phrase that were prevalent at the time A Little Princess was written, but doesn't always succeed.
The one star was docked for what is really quite a petty reason: I really hated the butchering of Ermengarde's name to 'Ermie' by her fellow inmates.

But as the story trundled along I became more and more invested in the fates of the inhabitants of Miss Mi...more
Camille
I wanted to like this book more than I did. A Little Princess was one of my all time favorite books as a child. I liked it better than The Secret Garden. This was a story I reread numerous times.

The riches to rags to riches storyline and the magic of the attic's transformation always thrilled me. Sara's resilience after the death of her father and her endurance of her cruel treatment at the hands of Miss Minchin were so noble. I think the moment that sold me on the character of Sara Crewe, was...more
Bridget R. Wilson
[Loved it! I liked the focus on the other girls as opposed to Sara although it was not what I expected. Ermentrude's letters to Sara were great. Liked them even better when I found out she didn't mail them. Reminded me of Ivy in Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith.]

After Sara Crewe is rescued from her dismal life of servitude, what happens to her and the other girls at Miss Minchin's Seminary? These are questions countless generations of readers have asked since Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Littl...more
Jo
Let me check...yes, I do believe I feel rather glowy after finishing this book. I love happy endings.

If you're interested in reading this book, it's probably because you like/love the original, A Little Princess. So the real question is, does this do any sort of justice to it, or is it one of those nasty sequels that you end up wanting to violently throw out the window? Well.

I think this book manages to sidestep most of the pitfalls of "sequel books" by virtue of the fact that its focus is not...more
Hallie
My first thought was 'WHY a sequel to The Little Princess?', but it's not following Sara Crewe and could be a lot of fun.

My LJ review:

This nearly broke my heart even before reading, as I've been waiting for it for what seems like ever. It was due to be published the 3rd of September, but I noticed it was shipping from Amazon (UK) before going away to Cornwall with Charlie, so checked the 3 bookshops nearby(ish) the day before (one by phone inquiry). After some time and searching, I found it and...more
Lauri
"A Little Princess" was my all-time favorite childhood book - which I read over and over and then to both children. This is a brand new book by someone who also loved the book. It takes off after Sarah has left Miss Minchin's. The author totally captured the earlier work. I could not put it down until I was done - reading in the tub, late into the night and again over breakfast. If you loved the original, you will be enchanted by the sequal - over 100 years later!
Janice
I liked this "sequel" to "A Little Princess." It continues the story after Sara moves away with her new guardian and gives the reader to the chance to know "what happens next" to characters (especially Ermengarde and Lottie, but also the rat Melchisedec, Sara's rival Lavinia, and even evil Miss Minchin) after Sara leaves the Select Seminary for Young Ladies. I liked this book, but not as much as Hilary McKay's other novels with contemporary settings.
Jane
It KILLS me to have to finish this. Sara Crewe was my all-time favorite book when I was little, and this charming (and funny) sequel takes me back to Miss Minchin's to see what happened after Sara left. Heaven.
That McKay could come up with a way to make readers feel sorry for Miss Minchin is a miracle of imagination. And that the three strong-willed females all end up together - well. Perhaps Sara should have stayed and gone to Cambridge.
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Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess
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Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess (Paperback)
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Hilary McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously and grew up in a household of readers. Hilary says of herself as a child "I anaesthetised myself against the big bad world with large doses of literature. The local library was as familiar to me as my own home."

After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary...more
More about Hilary McKay...
Saffy's Angel (Casson Family, #1) Indigo's Star (Casson Family, #2) Permanent Rose (Casson Family, #3) Caddy Ever After (Casson Family, #4) Forever Rose (Casson Family, #5)

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