3 partsA2B1
A Little Princess
소공녀
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924)
About A Little Princess
The story (no spoilers)
Sara Crewe is the richest pupil at Miss Minchin's school in London, and she treats everyone kindly. Then terrible news arrives from India, and Sara must learn whether she can still act like a princess when she has nothing.
Who it's for
Beginners ready for their first short novel: three parts, simple sentences and a story many Korean readers already know as 소공녀.
- Level
- CEFR A2–B1
- Length
- 3 parts · about 1,100 words
- Reading time
- about 9 minutes (~3 min per part)
- Author
- Frances Hodgson Burnett
If you liked this, read
- The Secret Garden · A2–B1
- Anne of Green Gables · A2–B1
- Little Women · A2–B1
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading A Little Princess in English: quick answers
- What English level is A Little Princess on SeoJae Story?
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is retold in simplified English at CEFR A2–B1 (elementary to intermediate). It is split into 3 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is A Little Princess hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR A2–B1 (elementary to intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read A Little Princess in simple English?
- About 9 minutes of reading in total — roughly 3 minutes per part across 3 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of A Little Princess?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 3 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is A Little Princess free to read here?
- Yes. All 3 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is A Little Princess in the public domain?
- Yes. Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #146). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.