Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchins' Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of The Little Princess and Sara Crew'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 Minchins' as new friendships are made, rivalries continued, lessons learned and, most importantly, fairytale endings are had.