The Princess and the Keepsake

It’s really hard to think of one book that has changed my life. Reading through other blog posts, I see this is the same for many people in our class (one good reason to put off posting until the last day—you get reassurance from other classmates that you’re not way off base…). I, probably along with everyone else here, was an ardent reader. I remember being so excited about going to the library, because I could come home with a huge stack of books that I could greedily wade my way through. I would spread them all out on the floor, close my eyes, and pick one—just for the sheer delight of the surprise of which title I would come up with.

I looked at my bookshelf when I started thinking about this topic. I’ve moved so many times that I leave a lot of my books that I know I want to keep at my parent’s house. So much of my shelf holds books I’ve read recently, titles for school, and one’s I’ve borrowed from friends and am waiting to have time to get through.

But one title stands out: Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess. It’s a hardcover copy with lovely illustrations both on the dust jacket and interior. On the inside of the front cover, there is a handwritten dedication that reads: “To Katie from Grandma & Grandpa. May 16, 1991.” I got this book as a gift for my eighth birthday and still keep it on my bookshelf. I was never particularly into princesses as a child, and I don’t read middle-reader fiction today. I can’t pinpoint why I’ve kept this book. It would be easier to keep it at my folk’s house with the others that I want, but know I won’t read in the near future.

It’s not as though this is the one book that opened my eyes to the joys of reading. But my copy of The Little Princess was the first book that introduced me to the idea of books as keepsakes, those certain editions or copies that are special for whatever reason. I still prefer to read in paperback because they are cheaper to buy and easier to trade around with friends and family. But I always buy the hardcover edition now if the book is special, because I know how that one title can become a treasured possession.