Princess Academy

Synopsis (from Amazon): Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. Sent to an academy to learn how to become a princess, Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and even bandits intent on kidnapping the future princess.

One (or more) Sentence Summary: I really liked Princess Academy and how strong and brave Miri is in the story.  She stands up to the other girls, the tutor, the bandits, the traders and the prince.  She was very smart too.  I was really surprised by the ending.  I thought I knew who the prince would pick for his bride, but I was very wrong.

Favorite Character(s):  Miri and Brita were my favorite characters.  They had a great friendship that developed at the academy.

Cover:  I like it.  Miri is cute and reminds of Laura Ingalls. 

What Others Are Saying:  "When it comes to contemporary classics, Shannon Hale has the makings of someone whose books will be read and reread for decades to come."-The 2006 Newbery Committee (The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association)

"Princess Academy is the strong, well-written story of one girl's determination to show that even a small mountain flower can be as valuable as a gold crown."-Teenreads.com "An unalloyed joy."-Kirkus Reviews

"This is not a fluffy, predictable fairy tale. . . . Instead, Hale weaves an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationships, education, and the place we call home." -School Library Journal 

Would I Read Other Books by the Author: Yes

New York Times best selling author Shannon Hale started writing books at age ten and never stopped, eventually earning an MFA in Creative Writing. After nineteen years of writing and dozens of rejections, she published The Goose Girl, the first in her award-winning Books of Bayern series. Her standalone book for young readers, Book of a Thousand Days, won a Cybils award. The Newbery Honor winner Princess Academy was followed in 2012 by bestseller Princess Academy: Palace of Stone.

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