"The Governess, or The Little Female Academy" is a book about a boarding school run by Mrs Teachum. The story takes place over ten days, not including some initial background information and an epilogue. On each day except for the first, all or part of a text is read aloud to students by Miss Jenny Peace. Afterwards one or more of the pupils is physically described, followed by an account of their life story. These are written to appear as if spoken by each girl and recorded by Miss Jenny. Each session of reading is capped by an appearance from Mrs Teachum, who explains the lesson to be learnt from each experience. Emphasis is given to the importance of reading and to reflecting on the reading.