Wishing for Tomorrow

by Hilary McKay

Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of A Little Princess and Sara Crewe's happily ever after. But Sara is much missed - and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde, who laments that 'nothing is the same as it was before'. But life must go on at Miss Minchin's as new friendships are made, rivalries continued, lessons learned and, most importantly, fairytale endings are had.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Classics

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2009

About the author

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 then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.

One of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to her to contact them

Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 gloriously back again, I decided to reread it, in a spirit of stern inquiry to see how McKay's work would compare. Here's the result I didn't expect: I liked McKay's book better. And that's saying a lot, because I still do adore The Little Princess, and it was lovely to revisit it and recollect details that had faded but I remembered loving: Sara's pink silk dancing dress, Becky's raptures over Sara's story of the mer-children with stars in their hair, Ermengarde huddled in her red shawl in the attic. I haven't the slightest doubt that McKay was enchanted by Burnett's book too; at one point in her sequel she lovingly quotes a long passage describing the transformation of Sara's attic wrought by "the magic", down to the cheery kettle boiling on the hob.

However, I could see some teeny-weeny flaws in the book. Perhaps Sara, seen through adult eyes, is just a little too perfectly good. Her closest friend Ermengarde seems to be lumpish, plain and dull just, as my sister noted, to serve as a foil to Sara's intelligence, keen imagination, and elfin green-eyed delicacy. And isn't there something a tad cloying about the inscription on the silver collar of the boar-hound the "Indian Gentleman" gives Sara at the end, that reads "My name is Boris. I serve the Princess Sara"? But what stuck out the most was an offhand remark about what happened to Sara's old mattress, the hardness of which Burnett took pains to describe, after the magic brings her a vastly more comfortable one. It is put on top of Becky's bed in her room, and thereafter the lowly scullery maid sleeps "in undreamt of comfort", thanks to having *two* god-awful mattresses.

So, on to McKay's book. She doesn't attempt to reproduce Burnett's style. This book is very much her own, with her gifts for amusing dialog and brilliant characterization strongly in evidence. Nor is McKay writing some radical revision of the story. True, she gives Miss Minchin and Lavinia back stories, which explain why they behaved the way they did (with cruelty in Miss Minchin's case, and spite in Lavinia's), and although she doesn't ask us to forgive their behavior to Sara, she somehow manages to make us care about them. However, Wishing For Tomorrow is foremost Ermengarde's story. Her sadness at being left behind, still stuck at Miss Minchin's after Sara's glorious exit, and her depressing sense of her own dullness compared to the magically lucky Sara is poignantly captured. And perhaps here I can pinpoint why, in these back-to-back readings, I took this book to my heart more than its predecessor. Sara's story is satisfyingly dramatic, but I think there's something more universal in Ermengarde's experience of being left behind and seemingly forgotten by a brighter luckier friend. As to what takes place in the book, and how Ermengarde comes to terms with it all, I will say nothing save read it yourself. It is a relatively quiet character-driven story, but the ending is spectacular, completely unexpected yet inevitable in retrospect.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am distrustful, generally speaking, of sequels written by someone other than the original author, particularly when the sequel in question is following upon an especially beloved classic. It always seems, somehow, to be riding another's coattails (I know, I know - aren't all writers doing that, to some extent?, you might be wondering), and it rarely satisfies the reader who loved the original. I don't think I've ever come across a Jane Austen remake that impressed me (and I've read a few), and the current craze for "monster-mashups" - think Jane Slayre , Little Women and Werewolves , Android Karenina , and so on - leave me cold.

There are exceptions to this general rule of course, from John Gardner's Grendel , which offers the monster's view of the epic of Beowulf , to Jane Lesley Conly's two follow-ups ( Racso and the Rats of NIMH and R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH ) to her father's Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH . Hilary McKay's sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic Victorian tale, A Little Princess is, as it transpires, another such exception.

I adored Burnett's tale of a privileged young girl who discovers, for a time, what it means to be young, vulnerable, and poor in Victorian England, and read it countless times as a girl. I wasn't sure how McKay could expand upon her story without doing it violence, but as it turns out, she didn't try. Wishing for Tomorrow is not more of Sara Crewe's story, it is Ermengarde's story, and (to a lesser extent) the story of Lottie, Lavinia and the Misses Minchin. It is the tale of what happened at the "Select Seminary for Young Ladies" once Sara departed, and manages - wonder of wonders - to offer a convincing, and even sympathetic(!) explanation for the behavior of some of the less admirable characters in the original.

McKay doesn't make the mistake of trying to duplicate Burnett's style or worldview - she obviously has her own - nor does she take Burnett's view of these characters as her own. Lavinia is revealed as an intelligent girl who's simply never been given the opportunity to use her mind, Miss Minchin as a frustrated and embittered woman who was also denied, as a girl, the opportunities she deserved. As for Ermengarde, she emerges from the veil cast by Sara's perception of her, much less of a lumpen "clod" than first appeared. I was amazed to discover that I loved (or, in the case of Miss Minchin, could at least sympathize with) each of these characters, despite finding them either lackluster or repugnant in Burnett's original. No small achievement on McKay's part! I think I may have to track down more of her work...

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing A Little Princess I decided to pick up this sequel by Hilary McKay. It of course can’t compare with the original, but I really loved it as its own story! There were some things Sara says or does that I didn’t think she would have actually said or done, because she had such a particular way about her, but that was the only thing..& it wasn’t even nothing that serious. This follows right from the point where A Little Princess ended. It was nice to get an idea or possibility about why some characters were not very nice people. I absolutely loved Bosco lol such a funny cat! I loved all the characters so much, & it was nice to be able to explore them all more & get to know more about them. We mainly follow Ermengarde, & I was so glad-love her sooo much. I have many books by this author, but this is the 1st I’ve read. Can’t wait to read more now. Even though she was stepping into classic territory, she did it amazingly well. Highly impressed. She definitely captured that classic feel. The old-fashioned atmosphere, full of hope, magic, imagination, & possibilities. Highly recommend! Love this gorgeous cover by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini with beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout too!💜

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. "Not for sale?" I wailed (in a quietly professional manner). "But why was it out on the shelves?" The clerk looked furtively to her right, then to her left, then shoved the book at me. "Take it," she hissed. "Just don't let anyone see it." And like a practiced criminal, I whisked the book under my raincoat, grabbed my daughter and sidled out of the store.("Mumsy?" said my daughter. "Are we stealing something?")

So everything in the garden was lovely, but I am still not totally sure about this book. I loved how McKay brought Lottie to life - spoiled, whiny Lottie of The Little Princess is wildly inventive and impishly funny in Wishing for Tomorrow, and I would be sorry to have missed her. But the story's center is Ermengarde and her sense of betrayal (because Sara never told her about the magical transformation of the attic), and I had a hard time hooking up with that. Ermengarde is less stupid in this book (how could she be anything BUT less stupid) but also less tender and kind. However, the others girls are fleshed out in surprising ways that (also surprisingly) do not alter their initial characterizations, but simply expand them. And Miss Minchin's back story is both interesting and engaging, At first I was annoyed with McKay for seeming to attempt her rehabilitation (man, I hated Miss Minchin; she and I can never be friends), but that whole part of the plot grew on me. And I am sending a little Valentine to McKay for addressing the subjection of women in Victorian times in this most lighthearted novel. That is a real hat trick, I'm telling you.

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 carried it home with great rejoicing. Which rejoicing stopped as soon as I started trying to pack my bag, and realised there was no way I'd be able to bring it. Everyone feels my pain right? New Hilary McKay in my hands and forced to leave it unopened in my room.

Weep no more, as it's read and LOVED. Have to say that my first reaction to a Little Princess sequel was a slightly bemused one, but that had long been put behind in trust that a Hilary McKay A Little Princess sequel would be wonderful. Even that trust couldn't have quite led me to the gorgeousness of Wishing for Tomorrow though. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

That said, I should perhaps elaborate just a little bit, which is difficult when all one wants to do is quote and quote. Short version is it's what happened after Sara went off happily to live with the Indian Gentleman, and the main character is poor Ermengarde, who of course didn't get to go off and live happily ever after. There's also plenty about the youngest at Miss Minchin's, Lottie, and about Lavinia and Miss Minchin too. And I think that's what made it so wonderful for me - there's all the emotional payoff that you get in true Victorian style in A Little Princess (yes, I know about novel publication date, but it's still a truly Victorian novel in essence, right?) but coming from a different angle. I love A Little Princess, but the 19th century (I *know*) type of class-laden morality about not being snobbish, and a degree of avoidance of social issues other than the simple black-and-white ones wouldn't really work well in a novel written today. But don't worry - it's not a ham-fisted 'updating' of a last century classic! Rather it's a beautifully done re-visiting of that classic, with all the humour you'd expect from a McKay book, and an effective broadening of perspective. It may just be me, but I found it much more fun to see what made Miss Minchin the horror she was than to see her get more come-uppance. And Lavinia! If I'd been told before that I'd come to like her enormously and root for her while still feeling she fit with the nasty little cow she had been, I'd never have believed it possible.

There are a few new characters - Alice especially (the replacement for Becky, who comes from Epping where there's lots of fresh air, refuses to sleep in the attic and won't be called a scullery maid), and Ermengarde's Aunt Eliza (who'd always been considered the family fool, by her brother and then by her husband, and whose fate is one that could easily have befallen Ermengarde as things were going) - and they fit in perfectly with the story and add immeasurably to the fun. I won't say anything more about them or the others, because I'm very afraid of giving away something about the ending, and I defy anyone to predict the gloriously satisfying (and funny!) ending. A few quotes, just for self-indulgance, and aside from that, just that I thought of Jane Austen while reading, than which higher praise, etc. And - in a completely un-crazed fangirlish way, of course, I think what Hilary McKay doesn't know about friendship might not be worth knowing.



Lavinia wants to take piano lessons from the man next-door (who moved into the house where the Indian Gentleman lived), but Miss Minchin won't let her until she gets permission from her (awful) mother. So Jessica teaches her to play 'Chopsticks'. Which she does, over and over and over again, until Miss Amelia is sent to lock up the piano.

'Yes, I have been having a music lesson,' added Lavinia. 'Won't Miss Minchin be pleased that I have managed to make a start. [...:]

'Yes, dear, we did hear your playing,' said Miss Amelia. 'It was extremely loud.'

'I think it must be a very good piano', agreed Lavinia.

'And it has gone on for some considerable time...'

'Oh, but I had all my lessons finished,' Lavinia assured her. 'And so had Jessie. You need not worry about that. And I have studied my extra literature too, and learned the battle speech from Henry V and written out my Hamlet essay.'

In the hall behind Miss Amelia, Ermengarde glimpsed the shadowy presence of Miss Minchin standing in the parlour doorway. Lavinia did not seem to notice, however. She continued to discuss Shakespeare in her confident, clear voice.

'... The subject was how Ophelia could have influenced the fate of the Royal House of Denmark by the application of logic and the rejection of the over-emotional arguments put forward by her cousin. (Hamlet. The prince.) I have written seven pages with botanical footnotes. I hope Miss Minchin will be pleased. Should you like me to read it to you, Miss Amelia?'

Miss Amelia said she thought not and retreated very hastily, quite forgetting her orders to lock up the piano and remove the key. Lavinia locked it herself (after one more triumphant rendering of 'Chopsticks'), pocketed the key, and hurried upstairs to learn Latin in bed.



A bit more about the teaching in Miss Minchin's, which comes by way of Lavinia's star pupil-dom. It starts with history.

It was English history of course, as seen through the intolerant eyes of Miss Minchin, which meant lingering over the Romans ('Just what the country needed'), dismissing the Vikings and Saxons ('Unmannerly'), and grudgingly admiring the Normans.

'They raised the tone of the country', admitted Miss Minchin.

She also approved of the Tudors ('They knew their minds') and detested the Stuarts ('Scots').

After the Tudors and Stuarts Miss Minchin skipped a good deal until she reached Victoria, the Queen of her childhood, whom she had once actually seen, and who, as far as looks went, might well have been a distant relation.

Victoria's Empire and its useful products (tea and silk especially) were the basis of all the Select Seminary's geography lessons. Indian diamonds had also once been a useful product of Empire, but in recent times neither India nor diamonds were ever mentioned. Australian Sapphires took their place whenever gemstones were needed.



Finally, one last little one about Ermengarde and her Aunt Eliza (who had determined not to be bitter after her husband, who thought her a fool, was dead, as that would be still to be miserable).

'This house needs something', said Aunt Eliza as she took Ermengarde upstairs. 'It is quite a light, bright house, and yet it is dismal. I don't know why.'

'I remember it was much more dismal when Uncle Julius was alive,' said Ermengarde.

'Oh, yes, wasn't it?' agreed Aunt Eliza, and then she and Ermengarde stared at one another, each suddenly quite shocked at the other's truthfulness.

'Ermengarde,' said Aunt Eliza (still in this mood of awful honesty), 'are you happy, dear?'

'Not yet,' said Ermengarde. 'Are you, Aunt Eliza?'

'Not yet,' said Aunt Eliza.



And then they go off to the theatre, to see Peter Pan, which is one of the funniest scenes of the book, in that perfectly pitched, funny and poignant way. And happy endings are in store, earned in ways which might not be as overtly heroic as Sara's, but are just as truly earned nonetheless.

[Miki Garrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 if you thought that Sara was the wrong character to be the lead in "A Little Princess", maybe this book will work for you. If you enjoyed the original, though, I would skip this one.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly what you'd expect a McKay take on A Little Princess to be, and yet her humor is tempered by the time period, somehow, in turn either blunted or hilariously poignant. This isn't as fairy-tale-like as the original novel, but it isn't meant to be. Also, McKay is very good at suggesting a wider world, additional stories lingering around the edges of her books. It is charming, and Lavinia is everything Faith should have been in The Lie Tree.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life wasn't the same when Sara left Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for girls. For one, everything became more topsy-turvy as the girls pursued various adventures. Since she is missed, Sara still has a distant influence on the school's inmates. Lavinia, Lottie, Ermengarde, and the others have their dreams and misadventures. What will life hold for them? A great conclusion to what unfolded in The Little Princess.

[Katrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

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” is a charming, easy read. The author manages to flesh out the “minor” characters from the original story – the girls and women left behind – and make them both recognizable and yet her own.

The one real fault I can find is, well, maybe it’s an inconsequential personal quibble but . . . it doesn't seem like a complete stand alone story on itself. Like, you can’t come into it without any prior knowledge of the “A Little Princess”. I realize that it’s supposed to be a sequel but would have liked it better if it seemed a bit more robust and could stand on its own. As it is, it seems both the plot and the characters, while charming, are kinda thin and flat.

It serves its purpose. It’s an entertaining and fun read and fits in well with the end of the original story. It’s just not as . . . unforgettable.

[Ilene Colletti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though i enjoyed learning what became of the girls sara left behind, reading Wishing For Tomorrow took away some of the magic of The Little Princess.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This got more enjoyable as it went along, I loved all the little twists, and I definitely did not see the ending coming!! Lottie was fantastic; I felt like the dialogue or something was off for the rest of the girls, though. It felt too modern somehow, like it took place 20 years ago instead of over 100. Perhaps that is what Hilary McKay was trying to do, modernize the story a bit. But I missed the old-fashiony atmosphere of the original story.

[Bethany Gorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely but did not quite live up to the charm of the original - which is of course understandable

[Piiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this felt like a warm hug and a nice cup of tea. That’s all I can say 😌

[Elizabeth]

Hilary McKay is my favorite contemporary children's author and A Little Princess is my all-time favorite children's book, so why did it take THREE YEARS for me to read 'The Sequel to A Little Princess'? Three years and THREE ATTEMPTS? The answer is, I don't know. I read it halfway through the first time and then just stopped reading and forgot about it. I picked it up a year later, got two-thirds of the way through, and then the same thing happened. This year I was determined to finish it, but it has still taken me months.

I really don't know why. I enjoyed it; I find no fault with the narrative voice, which is a little less formal than Burnett's but still pays homage to the original; I find no fault with the historical accuracy; the characters all ring true, despite every single one of them being given typical McKay quirks and redemptions (everybody gets redeemed, everybody gets happy endings, even Miss Minchin, which is really very McKay if you ask me. But it works.) The story is told from the point of view of Ermengarde and describes events at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies immediately following the end of A Little Princess. The books climaxes in a GLORIOUS inferno as the entire seminary collapses into a pile of cinders and flame, with everyone, even Melchisedec, escaping over the roof - it's epic, it pays tribute to the climax of A Little Princess, it makes sense, it's been foreshadowed, it's classic McKay (it's my favorite part of the book), and again, it works.

So what was missing? As I'm writing this I'm realizing what was missing. Of course, the answer is simply and obviously, Sara.

She's there a little bit. Ermengarde gets letters from her, and they, more than anything else in the book, sound like Frances Hodgson Burnett could have written them herself - they are so perfectly in character. Sara also turns up at the end and imparts a key piece of information that saves everybody's lives, even though she is forced to watch the breathtaking firefight from safe behind glass. Ultimately, she's not part of the story except in that she haunts everyone by being absent. And I wanted a book about Sara, didn't I? The reason I have read A Little Princess fifty times or whatever it is, the reason I own ten different copies and versions of the book and two different film and television adaptations of it, is because I love Sara. She is my very favorite heroine ever, proud, smart, kind, generous, secretly revengeful, starving and frozen - with nerves of steel and the self-control of a general. She is the original aristocrat-thrown-into-tyrannical-servitude on which every single one of my own literary heroines, AND heroes, is based. I named my own daughter Sara.

I'm only seeing this now, but I think that basically I kept putting this book down and not coming back to it because there was no Sara to come back to. I'd read a bit, realize that she wasn't ever going to turn up, and then I'd leave the book in the summer house and find it there the following year when the weather warmed up again.

So. Here's the deal. If you love Hilary McKay, her wacky characters and her utterly engaging writing style, you will enjoy this book. The spin on the events of A Little Princess is terrific. It's got lovely happy endings for everybody (Miss Amelia and Becky both end up married, Lavinia is destined for Oxford). But if you're looking for Sara Crewe, she's not in London any more.

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I also want to say that I love the way the design of this book pays tribute to the Houghton Mifflin hardback edition of A Little Princess, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, in its physical detailing (though clearly it is also designed as a companion piece to this edition: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64... )

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'Oxford is only quite an ordinary town, Lavinia… My big sister bought a hat there once, but she gave it away quite soon. My mother said afterwards that Oxford was a ridiculous place to buy a hat.'

'People,' said Lavinia, through her teeth, 'do not go to Oxford to buy hats.'

The hat on my Goodreads profile picture comes from The Hat Box in the Oxford Covered Market - 'Oxford's only specialist hat shop'! (It is now 20 years later and I have NOT given it away.)

http://www.inoxfordmag.co.uk/shopping...

I still buy shoes from Macsamillion, too. I would go to Oxford just to shop in the Covered Market. Of course, that is a lie - I would not go to Oxford just to shop in the Covered Market. I would have to go punting while I was there, too.

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I am going to stop writing this so-called 'review' now. Because I need to get my life back.

[Janice Durante · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 attention on characters somewhat broadly sketched in Burnett's novel. Lavinia, whom Burnett depicted as a bully and brat, comes through here as a neglected, intelligent child. Ermengarde, Sara's best friend, is sensitive and begins to appreciate her own talents rather than simply envy those of Sara's. Rambunctious Lottie provides plenty of comic relief. Miss Minchin struggles in her attempt to deal with the memory of Sarah and the lingering effects of the child's unexpected exit. There's also a rat in the attic -- Melchisedec, who comes to rely on the kindness of Ermengarde. The character of Alice, the new maid, brings in some healthy common sense and nurturing to the formerly auster school. But even greater changes are imminent ...

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances Hodgson Burnett's 'A Little Princess' was one of my favourite books when I was around the age of 10, and I read it endlessly. I was very surprised to discover this sequel by a modern children's author at the library, and couldn't resist picking it up. Rather than focusing on what Sara did next, this book goes back to Miss Minchin's school and turns the spotlight on some of the other girls.

These include Ermengarde, Sara's shy best friend, who turns out not to be so 'stupid' after all, and spiteful Lavinia, who becomes a more interesting character and proto-feminist in this one. Even the villain of the original book, Miss Minchin herself, is somewhat redeemed in this sequel, though I found it hard to believe in her transformation. There's also some humour centred on Lottie and the cat next door.

I didn't feel this book was very similar in tone to Burnett's classic and it has none of the intensity which has made that story a favourite for generations, but it is well-written and a pleasant read in its own right - and it also poses some interesting modern-day questions about assumptions made in the original, like the way Becky's life is so secondary to Sara's.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Little Princess to my 7-year old and 11-year old daughters last summer. They loved it. I was excited to read the sequel to them, but I found it difficult to read aloud. The sentences felt awkward. They certainly didn't roll off the tongue like the Little Princess sentences.

I feel like it's unfair to compare this book to a book of the Little Princess's caliber. And yet, it is the supposed sequel so maybe it's fine to compare. It doesn't have the LP's magic, mystery, and beauty. However, my daughters enjoyed it and one could do worse. I thought the characters were interesting and I appreciated their personal growth.

[Susann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I love A Little Princess even more than The Secret Garden, so I was wary of this sequel showing life at Miss Minchin's, after Sara leaves. But McKay's take on the girls and the Minchins is believable and has not damaged my ALP joy.

The ending was a little pat for my tastes and I wonder if the book suffered from trying to get everyone's perspective, but these are minor objections.

My personal revelation: for almost 30 years, I have pictured the skylights as being across from one another (with a very narrow space), but these illustrations of the side-by-side skylights made me smack my own head in a "duh!" moment.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was leery of reading this because I love The Little Princess by Sarah Hodgson Burnett so much. This book, written by a well-known writer and fan of the original has crafted a "sequel" about those left behind at the orphanage after Sarah is rescued. While she does a good job capturing Lottie and Ermingard's personalities, she strives too hard to redeam Lavinia and I didn't care for the all-tied-up-in-a-bow ending.

[Rachel Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was a fitting sequel to A Little Princess, but at the same time, the author didn't try to write like Francis Hodgson Burnett and was willing to go with her interpretation of the characters, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I found it hard to get into.

[Emmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a big fan of a little princess and I love Sara Crew. However I found this book boring and a bit mimsy and nicey nice. The only good thing was that Emregaude was still in it but the first book is still one of my favourite classics.
The cover is cool though.

[Fi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a retelling as such but more a continuation of the story of the rest of Miss Minchin's girls after Sara leaves. If I'm completely honest I think I preferred the story of Ermentrude to Sara and McKay's storytelling was well done.

[EJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one's for all the kids who secretly wanted to punch Sara in the face for being such a goody two shoes. Points out the twee-ness of A Little Princess but does it gently and with respect for the original story. That said, this one is infinitely more enjoyable.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

References to Peter Pan, shakespeare (Henry 5, king Lear), lots of lain and Greek educational texts

I do eventually want to buy this in paperback, but I didn’t really love this

It just didn’t have the same tone as the original

The warmth of the original wasn’t there

[Kathryn]

The idea seemed appalling to me (a sequel to "A Little Princess" by a modern author!?) but based on the outstanding reviews, I'm willing to give it a try :-)

[Koh Yi lin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book is very draggy... I don't understand this book at all...

[Makoto H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I thought I would spare a few minutes to start reading Hillary McKay's 2009 Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess, written as a sequel to A Little Princess"A Little Princess" and principally starring Ermengarde with support from Lottie and Lavinia. And then a few minutes turned into a dozen, a few dozen, and then I'd read all 200 pages.

I have no regrets. It was brilliant and a tour de force. Always clever, true in nearly every way to the original, sometimes painful in deeply moving ways, and in the end joyous and even a little bit wondrous.

McKay has done magic with the characters. They are faithful to their original selves yet also get room on the page to grow before our eyes into even more richly fascinating characters. Lavinia, who had been a shallow bully and terror, even ends up being something of a dark horse star! Throughout it all, though, Ermengarde is the emotional core, and McKay makes her an excellent and compelling protagonist.

There were a few twists that surprised me with how agonizing or delightful they were, and they were always earned. I sobbed more than once, in the best way possible.

If you love "A Little Princess," I think you should know McKay has done us all a service with her novel. My only warning is that in order to facilitate its own existence as a novel, "Wishing for Tomorrow" does slightly churn up what had been closure from "A Little Princess"—this stings, but if you can accept that toll, this bridge is worth it! It can't replace or be better than "A Little Princess" and isn't trying to be, but it does smooth over some of the original's faults, and it succeeds as a continuation of a classic as well as its own contribution to young literature. I would easily recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Burnett's masterpiece, from ages nine to ninety-nine.

[Adela Bezemer-Cleverley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh, wow, this book was a gem I was not expecting!

I loved A Little Princess as a kid, it was one of my favourite books, one I read three or four times before I was even 10... I had no idea someone had written a sequel to it until I found this in the library book sale in the fall. I'm still not quite sure how that's allowed, maybe because the original book is old enough to be in the public domain? I suppose it's the same thing with the sequel to The Wind in the Willows which I read in December.

I really had no idea what to expect picking this book up, but I was absolutely delighted and surprised. The writing style is whimsical and old fashioned and immediately makes me feel the way I did reading A Little Princess 15 years ago... Hilary McKay captured the tone and feeling of Frances Hodgson Burnett's writing style wonderfully.

This story follows Ermengarde, Sara Crewe's best friend from the Select Seminary, and all of the things that happen (and don't happen) there after Sara leaves at the end of the original book. I found it absolutely refreshing the direction in which Hilary McKay chose to take each character; based on the little bit of information we know about them from the first book all of the choices she made for them feel very authentic. I was especially happy with Ermengarde's character development and Lavinia's sudden motivation to become properly educated, despite her family's disinterest, and I feel like she always had that potential, she just needed something to trigger her into action--aka the boy next door calling her school "rum".

Not a lot of exciting things happen for most of the book, but that is true of the original as well--it's more about the characters and the feeling of the story than about being on the edge of your seat. It all feels very true to itself, and there is no doubt that Hilary McKay is one of those who can write so brilliantly the perspectives and desires and motivations and misadventures of children.

It's wonderful! I loved it. And now, to bed.

[Lacy Dohner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plain, quiet Ermengarde and vivacious, inventive Sara have been best friends for years. But now Sara has gotten her happy ending and left Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for good, Ermengarde is left behind. Consumed with loneliness, she resolves to fill the void by caring for the others Sara left behind, like mischievous little Lottie and Sara’s pet rat Melchisedec. Meanwhile, life at the Select Seminary goes on, with the boisterous new maid, Alice, bringing excitement, and temperamental Lavinia fighting for her future education. Ermengarde observes the goings-on and records them in letters to Sara, all the while trying to find her own identity outside of being Sara's best friend.

I don't think that Hilary McKay could ever write anything dull. Wishing for Tomorrow has all of the charm of the Casson Family stories (Lottie bears a striking resemblance to Rose), while true to the era of A Little Princess. Honestly, not much happens in this book till the last chapters. Ermengarde mopes, Lottie plots, Lavinia studies, a depressed Miss Minchin drinks and sleeps. But I thoroughly enjoyed "watching" the residents of the Select Seminary go about their day-to-day lives. The wit, description, and character development made each chapter feel like having tea with friends in Victorian London, and the last chapter neatly tied up each character's journey.