Seven-year-old Cedric Errol lives with his mother in New York City and has a decidedly negative view of the British aristocracy. Little does he know, he is a part of that group.

When a lawyer arrives at their home, Cedric learns that due to the death of his uncle, he is now the heir to the Earl of Dorincourt and is to move to England to live with his grandfather. Gaining sudden wealth and moving into a castle might be exciting, but it also means living apart from his mother, whom his grandfather never approved of. And the earl is notorious for being a stingy and heartless leader.

Before long, Cedric's generous nature and open heart begin to change the whole earldom for the better. But his grandfather's character isn't the only challenge he'll face, and soon the new life Cedric has built in England is thrown into jeopardy.

4 ⭐ ( )

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1885, 1886) by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a beloved children's novel that made a huge impact on the 19th century public, shaping everything from boys' clothing fashions to copyright law. Cedric Errol is a generous, kind, and exemplary middle-class American boy who is suddenly found to be the heir of the Earl of Dorincourt. Saying loving goodbyes to his working-class friends, Cedric goes to England together with his mother to embrace his new fortune. His grandfather, the old earl, is a bitter old man ridden with gout and a foul temper, trusting no one. However the angelic boy elicits a profound transformation in the grandfather, which not only benefits the castle household but the whole populace of the earldom. If only the old man's heart would soften toward Cedric's estranged mother, the family would be healed at last. And when another potential heir to the earldom makes a claim, it seems that everything is lost.... But all things are possible through a child's innocent trust, true friendship, and unconditional love. ( )

Seven-year-old Cedric Errol lives with his mother in New York City and has a decidedly negative view of the British aristocracy. Little does he know, he is a part of that group.

When a lawyer arrives at their home, Cedric learns that due to the death of his uncle, he is now the heir to the Earl of Dorincourt and is to move to England to live with his grandfather. Gaining sudden wealth and moving into a castle might be exciting, but it also means living apart from his mother, whom his grandfather never approved of. And the earl is notorious for being a stingy and heartless leader.

Before long, Cedric's generous nature and open heart begin to change the whole earldom for the better. But his grandfather's character isn't the only challenge he'll face, and soon the new life Cedric has built in England is thrown into jeopardy.

With "The Secret Garden", this is perhaps one of Burnett's best known stories, helping to cement her reputation as a children's author.

This is a rather twee and sentimental kind of book - much more so than SG - where the blond, curly haired 7yo Cedric is identified as the new Lord Fauntleroy after the death of his father and his two uncles. His goodness, positive attitude, and ability to see the good in everyone turns his grandfather's head and heart, and turns the lives around of all around him.

It is, perhaps, just a tad too sickly for my liking, but is not a bad book for all that.

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What a sweet little book! I'm not sure what I expected, but the story of a little American boy who becomes heir to a British earl was just a lovely, sweet, simple story. Cedric is loved by all, even the current earl, who is a curmudgeon at best and cruel and vindictive at worst. Cedric wins over the earl (his grandfather) by simply assuming that he is a good and kind person and treating him as such. Nice lesson. ( )

This is one of Burnett's most famous books and is another uplifting story of individual redemption, this time not of a child as in The Secret Garden, but by a child, of an adult. Young Cedric Errol, a 7 year old living in genteel poverty in New York with his mother, is stunned to discover he is heir to an earldom in England. The aging, irascible and curmudgeonly Earl of Dorincort has outlived all three of his sons, including his younger son, who was cast off for marrying a pretty American woman. He summons his grandson across the Atlantic and finds, against his will and inclination, that he fond of young Cedric, who is sweet natured and kind. The transformation of the Earl under the boy's influence is amusing and heart-warming, though Cedric, like a lot of children in 19th century literature, is too good to be true. This is an uplifting read. ( )

For all that Frances Hodgson Burnett's classism is more evident in this book than either of her more popular books, there is still something charming about a boy who is very good and innocent becoming a lord. It's rather like a Cinderella story really. And I'm a sucker for redemption stories too, as Cedric's grandfather changes for the better. ( )

Here's an amusing tale of rags to riches and the impact that has on those surrounding the young protagonist. Charming and occassionally surprising. Perhaps not as good as The Secret Garden, where our protagonists are allowed flaws but I'm glad I got round to this one. ( )

good child wins heart of crusty Earl and his inheritance

I loved this book. Having read about Little Lord Fauntleroy from books and stories written around the time it came out I wasn't certain I would like it, but I do. It has just the right amount of English flippery and American sensibleness. ( )

Major cultural icons of the last generation included references to Pollyanna and to Little Lord Fauntleroy. It turns out both come from books written long ago. While the cultural references are kind of saccharine, both of them originated from books which are well written and interesting. Yeah, they're a bit saccharine, but not so you'd want to vomit. It's possible my liking for Little Lord Fauntleroy comes partly because I read it after The War of the Worlds, which was an egregious piece of crap. Then again, Little Lord Fauntleroy is well written and flows nicely, rather like a good bed-time story.

Anyway, LLF (much like Pollyanna, which I read a while back) is one of those good people who see goodness in others and who, thereby, render others better than they might otherwise be. That's not such a bad thing, right?

LLF himself, was the son of the disinherited third son of a British Earl -- a rather wicked Earl, actually -- and an beautiful, sweet, humble, etc., American woman of modest station. Eventually, all of the Earl's three sons die and LLF is the only heir. So the Earl hunts him up in the U.S., takes him off to England to take his place in the British Peerage. The Earl, himself, is transformed by the experience of getting to know LLF.

Yeah, it's a bit of a morality play, and a bunch of sweetness and light, but really not bad at all. The author of this book also wrote The Secret Garden, which is another classic from another time.

One fun fact, LLF had an Uncle Bevis, heh, heh, heh.
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I read this when I was nine or ten, I don't remember. My mom has a very old translated copy in polytonic greek (which is something in between the ancient and the modern greek we use now). I remember that I felt it was quite an accomplishment to read the whole thing with no problems.

The book's protagonist is a kind and generous boy named Cedric Errol. He has lost his father a while ago, but his mother's love shaped his character like he had indeed two parents. Their relationship is one of my favorite things in the story.

One day he gets a visit from a lawyer that claims that Cendric is only heir of the Earl of Dorincourt, his grandfather (from his father's side). Along with his mother they go to Britain for the earl to meet them. He is a very grumpy old man, disliked by everyone. The little lord though will melt that ice heart of his and make him remember what it means to love and be loved.

I read this book every summer and still love it like I did that first time.
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My first encounter with this book was in the 2nd grade. I'd been hospitalized for a tonsillectomy and my mother took me to the hospital library across the hall to find a book. Little Lord Fauntleroy is the one she urged on me. I took one look at the cover, showing the little boy with his long blonde curls and tights, and my reaction was one of revulsion. I sized him up as a perfect little goody goody, and I hated him with irrational passion. I rejected the book with vehement disgust. I don't remember what book we ultimately chose, but that experience has stuck with me.

So, decades later, with a more sophisticated tolerance of the diversity of gender roles, I sought out the book to see what I might missed. As it turns out, my visceral reaction was but a childish version of my more mature one. It's a book full of saccharine sentimentality. It features a perfectly perfect little boy with long golden curls, a character that mothers love, and boy readers would like to beat up -- or at least, push into a mud puddle.

Little Cedric, an American boy, is found to be an heir to an English title. His English grandfather (who had disowned his son for marrying an American) sends for Cedric, who moves to England to live with his grandfather. His mother moves to a nearby cottage. Cedric proves to be a sweet little darling, always perfectly good natured and kind. "Oh, the house is so beautiful!" exclaims Little Lord Fauntleroy. That's how he talks. "Oh, Dearest, the pony is so beautiful!" and to his mean and selfish old grandfather, "You are the most wonderful, kindest man I've ever known!" A woman appears with a boy that she claims to be the offspring of the grandfather's older son, and the evil duo attempt to displace Cedric. Grandfather (Lord F), mother, and Cedric expose the imposter, and good triumphs over evil. The author leaves no moral lesson un-emphasized, and good little boys are thereby taught how to conduct themselves in order to be worthy of love and good fortune.

It's a dated tale, one illustrative of a particular time and place, and one that offers a heavy-handed illustration of the values of a bygone age. In surveying the reviews at Amazon, I am surprised to find the tale so well- liked, at least by mothers who have bought it for their little boys, perfect in wistful hopes that they might try to measure up to the high standards of perfect little Cedric. Whether little second grade boys like this book another question entirely. ( )

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett; (5*)

This was a sweet little story that speaks of the power of kindness, generosity and friendship.
Cedric, our Little Lord Fauntleroy, is such an endearing character, so wise for such a young child. He is a perfect little angel of a lad. He's handsome, kind and caring. The reader cannot help but to adore this little guy.
When he came into his fortune he was told by his grandfather's 'man' that he could have anything he wanted. Most little boys would want a race car or a spaceship or something else totally selfish but not our little guy. He only wanted money to help the poor and the needy.
The Earl, his grandfather, was your stereotypical stone faced, heartless lord who has never loved anyone but himself and his now deceased younger son. But then he meets this grandson who is impossible not to adore. Cedric's innocent love for his grandfather breaks open the veneer of his stony old heart and makes an impact on the old soul, changing his life and consequently the lives of those who live under him.
Another wonderful story by this gifted and beloved author. ( )

A lovely sweet book. Too good to be true, but a wonderful escape into a kinder world. I think I enjoyed this more when I wasn't comparing it to Secret Garden and Sara Crew (aka Little Princess). There is a darker side of the class system that isn't really explored. It would be more disturbing if one dwelt between the lines. We, in my book group, chose not to do that; but instead to just enjoy the story and the characters for the example they set for us. Wonderful old fashioned story. ( )

The story is about a boy called Cedric, who lives with his mother in a fairly run-down New York neighbourhood in the late 1800s. He is a lovable child, who has a knack of making friends with people of all ages: from the local grocer to a bootblack who struggles to make ends meet.

One day, a lawyer arrives from the UK, giving some news that changes their lives forever. Much of the book describes Cedric's gradual adaptation to a very different kind of life, and also the thawing of a crusty old man.

It’s a children’s book, which paints a good picture of the contrast between aristocratic homes in England and the poorer parts of New York. The author was clearly comfortable in both cultures, and shows how different the two countries were, even 130 years ago.

Well worth reading for anyone - child or adult - who likes this era of fiction. I re-read it in about three hours, and it made an excellent distraction from an otherwise rather boring flight. ( )

Transformation and redemption of a curmudgeonly Earl comes through the innocence of a poor boy living in New York City during the late 1800's. Devoted to his American mother, who has never been recognized by her aristocratic British father-in-law, Cedric Fauntleroy is summoned to England to assume the mantle of future Lord of the manor. Beguiling all he meets with his selflessness and goodness, he becomes the vehicle for reconciliation between his mother and grandfather, while rekindling the true meaning of "noblesse oblige" in his lineage. ( )

This book was hard for me to read. They talked so proper or sometimes with heavy slang that it made it hard to understand what they were saying. It was interesting to read a classic and I liked how the sweet little boy was able to change the way the grandfather thought about what it means to be a noble person. It is a good, heart warming story, but was just hard for me to get through.

A "classic", but not on a par with Burnett's other novels for children. Cedric Errol is taken from NYC poverty to become the heir of an English lord. The boy's sweetness makes him universally liked and admired -- an idealized version of the perfect child. It made me long for Mark Twain's "Story of The Bad Little Boy." ( )

This is a book about virtue. It would be a fun read aloud for the grands. ( )

This story is about a sweet, generous, middle-class American boy who is suddenly found to be the heir of an earl in England. He leaves his working-class friends and goes to England with his mother to meet his grandfather- who is not so kind. The boy brings wonderful changes in his grandfather, which helps all others whom they come in contact with. This is a very encouraging tale of compassion, generosity, kindness, charity, and possibility. It is timeless in the examples of human thoughtfulness which can lead to great discussions and possible human service projects.

In this charming book first published in 1886, the love of an innocent, trusting child touches many lives, cheering all, helping some, and redeeming at least one.

Little Lord Fauntleroy is a sweet tale about a father-less, American boy named Cedric who finds himself the heir to an English earldom. The story is sorta in the vein of other classic books, like Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Pollyanna, and Rebecca of Sunnybrooke farm, in which a sweet, innocent child generally makes people happy. By the end of the story grumpy people are made kind and ungrumpy. I guess you'd say Little Lord Fauntleroy is the male character take on that storyline. Also, Little Lord Fauntleroy (Cedric) is the anti-Tom Sawyer, because Fauntleroy is the perfect, gentleman child.

Four stars because the plot is pretty straight-forward. No shocks or surprises. However, the story is very enduring. Just a sweet, comforting little read about a cute little boy doing nice things.

On a personal note, while I enjoyed the story, I hate the title. The name Fauntleroy reminds me of Ben Stiller's character in "Meet the Parents" or Prince Humperdinck from "The Princess Bride." I wish Burnett had titled it "something something Cedric" for the character's real name. ( )

I am always at something of a loss to explain my abiding love for Little Lord Fauntleroy, which must be included, along with The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, among the author's better known works. Extremely sentimental, with a somewhat more moralistic tone than that found in Burnett's other two classics, it features a child protagonist so angelically good that children everywhere might be forgiven for hating him.

But despite its Victorian trappings - complete with English aristocrats, estranged and disinherited sons, long-lost (not to mention fake) heirs, and the inevitable triumph of the moral and "well-bred" over the deceitful and vulgar - Little Lord Fauntleroy is at heart a satisfying tale of family reconciliation, and the transformative power of love. Cedric Errol, the cheerful, good-hearted young hero of the tale, is able to bridge the differences, not just between the generations, but between the nations.

Burnett herself was something of a bridge, born and raised in England, but living most of her adult life in America, and her familiarity with both cultures must have stood her in good stead while writing this tale of a crusty English aristocrat and his American heir. This may also account, in part, for my pleasure in the story, for at a time when few English children's authors had anything good to say about Americans (if they had anything to say at all), Burnett created a lovable character whose virtues - from the ease with which he converses with adults, to his democratic kindness and concern for all - were distinctly alien to British notions of childhood. ( )