Review by Booklist Review
Myracle's riches-to-rags, modern retelling of A Little Princess paints a robust portrait of spoiled Penelope, who has been raised by her mother and reality-star godmother, Queenie Bee. After years of galivanting around the globe, Penelope finally gets to go to a boarding school, where she quickly learns her godmother's fame is getting her more attention than she anticipated, including from the wealth-aspiring headmistress. When her mother and godmother go missing on a treasure hunt, Penelope is plunged from the highest echelons of the school to the rat-filled basement, from which she emerges to clean up after her former classmates and carry out the whims of the mean headmistress. The narrative's pacing focuses primarily on the times of wealth for Penelope, and confident readers will enjoy the specificity of Penelope's privileged lifestyle and boarding school. However, Myracle struggles to balance the story as a whole, and the plot suffers at the expense of the splendor. This take on Burnett's beloved novel will nevertheless charm readers enamored with reimagined classics and stories of the rich and famous.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nine-year-old Penelope Goodheart has traveled all around the world with her mother and her godmother, Queenie, the star of hit reality series Dream Big! (with Queenie Bee). Insisting she's ready for an adventure of her own, Penelope persuades her mother to enroll her in the Idlewild Academy for Girls, a school on an island near Savannah, Ga. There, charitable, optimistic, and warmhearted Penelope is hailed as a minor celebrity by her peers; she also often runs afoul of Idlewild's greedy, conniving headmistress, Mrs. Grimsley. But with Queenie's fortune at her disposal, Penelope believes she has everything she needs to set herself up for success. That is, until Queenie disappears along with Penelope's mother. Taking advantage of the pair's presumed deaths and citing Queenie's frozen assets, Mrs. Grimsley strips Penelope of all luxuries and forces her to live in a rat-infested, possibly haunted basement. Bubbly, bouncy omniscient narration relays this lively reimagining by Myracle (Night Owl) of A Little Princess. An intersectionally diverse cast, an earnestly rendered redemption arc, and snarky prose inject the source material's familiar plot beats with contemporary sensibilities. Ages 8--12. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--6--As a modernized version of The Little Princess, this audiobook has some hits and misses. References to updated technology, modern clothing brands, and reality TV shows fight against stereotypes of old-fashioned girls at a strict and punishing boarding school. Relegating Penelope to the basement rather than the attic isn't much of an update, and her excitement at getting a moon rock seems like something a kid in the 1980s may have felt. Modern kids probably wouldn't be so afraid to help Penelope and almost certainly would talk about her mistreatment in their Zoom calls with parents. Keating has a pleasant voice, and most of the characters she narrates feel realistic, but the headmistress at this Georgia boarding school has a vaguely hysterical British accent that makes the text feel dated. Unfortunately, Tate, Penelope's bunkmate, sounds like Bobby Hill from King of the Hill. Also, the mispronunciation of "wanly" as "wainly" is troubling. At eight hours and 23 minutes, this feels too long. VERDICT Passive characters with dated speech and actions make this a frustrating choice, though this could be recommended as a read-alike for the classic.--Melinda Graham
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Review by Horn Book Review
Myracle reimagines Burnett's A Little Princess with a contemporary nine-year-old protagonist at a Savannah boarding school whose mother and celebrity godmother go missing. Sara Crewe's perspectives are effectively updated as reflections on privilege. Secrets about Penelope and family's past are revealed, making for scenes of emotional connection. Characterizations (particularly of the school's villainous headmistress) and plot twists add humor and excitement, and the engaging voice is well-pitched for intermediate readers. (c) Copyright 2025. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The latest from bestseller Myracle is a story of family, second chances, and being the self you want to be. Nine-year-old Penelope Goodheart has traveled the world with her single mother, Rose, and her godmother, Queenie Bee, a reality TV star. When her eyes are opened to the unfairness in how the "yummy goodness of the world" is distributed, Penelope decides she wants to start a school for children of all backgrounds, regardless of their ability to pay. But first, she'll need to fulfill her dream of attending a real school--and Idlewild Academy for Girls, near her mother's hometown of Savannah, Georgia, fits the bill. There, green-eyed Penelope, who has dark, curly hair, finds potential friends and frenemies among her racially diverse classmates. When Queenie and Rose go missing near Bora Bora, leaving Penelope "an orphan of the state," holding on to her true self becomes the key to her survival. After her mother's long-held secret is revealed, readers see the consequences of some decisions adults have made. The omniscient third-person narration uses child-friendly language, and the sprinkling of clues will have savvy readers feeling one step ahead of the characters in solving the mystery of Penelope's family. Strong descriptions of natural beauty enhance the sense of place. An accessible exploration of belonging and acceptance with a well-developed setting.(Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
