A Little Princess — Frances Hodgson Burnett

Ten-year-old Sara Crewe wasn't really a princess. But she seemed like one when she first arrived at Miss Minchin's London boarding school. Her father had given her all sorts of beautiful clothes before he had returned to India, as well as a pony, a French maid, and a wonderful doll named Emily. Sara wasn't spoiled, though--almost everyone wanted to be her friend.

Suddenly a terrible misfortune left Sara penniless--and, she thought, forgotten. She had to wear old rags, live in a dingy attic, and work for her living. It wasn't a very happy life for a young girl. Then mysterious changes began, showing Sara she had never really been all alone.