Princess Academy

I remember loving this book when I first read it in middle school, and it still holds up for me nearly 20 years later.

Miri is small for her age. She lives with her family in a mountain community known for its special quarried stone. Life is a struggle and things are about to get worse as girls of a certain age are forced to go to the princess academy as the king's priests have divined that the newest queen will be living among them. That's the set up of Shannon Hale's Princess Academy. While it may sound like a traditional set up for a fairy tale where the smallest, least useful member of a town goes off to charm the crown prince and become the next queen, it isn't. It's about the hardships of mountain life, about wanting to contribute to society, the frustration of not knowing the truth behind things and finally the power of education. What Miri and the other girls gain above and beyond the lessons in grace and polite society, is an education and most importantly, the ability to read. Hale uses the seasons to show the mountain in all its forms and to create a believable sense of place. She also includes folk songs and stories to build an oral history that is later enhanced and challenged by what Miri and the others learn in their studies. Although the book is set in only a small piece of the kingdom I came away with a sense of a much larger area. Shannon Hale excels at world building while keeping the story flowing and the characters developing. I listened to the audio version of Princess Academy on our drive to Southern California earlier this year. I plan to go back and read the printed version later.

Just like any schooling activity, the lessons are always the slow-paced parts. Took me long to go through the chapters. But when the action started and the princesses-in-training began to apply what they learned, then the pace picked up and I enjoyed reading it until the end.

This was much better than I thought it would be! It is written for young children, but sometimes felt like it was trying really really hard to be liked my older kids as well. Now, I did, but not because of what was added. A good story with interesting concepts.

lovely literature and a story so different than the ones we are used to. truly imaginative, like all of her work. The characters come alive but also exist in a world of their own. This type of gentle but powerful magic is inexplicable, but Shannon Hale was able to put it into words. Amazing story.

I love this one. So clever and easy to follow. Finished it all at once in 2 hours.

Oh man, I had to push myself through this book. I was met with a very exciting ending and a promise of better things to come with the series.

3rd reread ^_^

Smart, quick-paced writing. Solid storytelling and world-creating. Above all an excellent allegory for young people, especially girls. But the boys should read it too!

This book is a work of art. It's one of my go to "I'm bored." reads. Originally, I got my paperback copy from my old babysitter, who was always enthusiastic about my reading. I first read it in... 3rd grade, I think? I loved it, but didn't fully understand how genius the plot is. Now that I'm NOT in third grade, I can really appreciate this beautiful book, and how it works.

Just delightful! I forgot how much I love Shannon Hale's writing. I love the fairytale feel of her books.

Better than I expected.