Princess Academy (#1)

Description

This New York Times bestseller and Newbery-Honor-winning fantasy novel is a compelling, warm and witty story of would-be princesses and one small but determined girl's destiny in the face of powerful social conventions. Fourteen-year-old Miri lives in a poor mountain village which survives by quarrying stone. Then comes a surprise announcement that the prince of the country is to choose his bride from among the village girls. So all the eligible girls are taken to an academy to prepare for potential life as a princess. But Miri soon finds herself at odds with the strict tutor and begins to feel less sure about being chosen as the princess, especially as her feelings for her childhood friend Peder start to grow. Instead she quickly becomes fascinated by what she learns about the world around her and begins to form her own plans about how to improve her lot and that of her village. Miri is a wonderfully inspiring heroine whose adventures will keep readers hooked from start to finish.

Promotion info

New York Times bestseller and Newbery-Honor-winning novel from a gifted author to rank alongside Cornelia Funke and Eva Ibbotson

Reviews

A fresh approach to the traditional princess story with unexpected plot twists and great emotional resonance Newbery Committee 20061201 Plenty of suspenseful moments that peak and fall, building into the next intense event. Each girl's story is brought to a satisfying conclusion, but this is not a fluffy, predictable fairytale, even though it has wonderful moments of humor. Instead, Hale weaves an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationships, education, and the place we call home School Library Journal, starred review There are many pleasures to this satisfying tale: a precise lyricism to the language and a rhythm to the story that takes its tropes from many places, but its heart from ours ... an unalloyed joy Kirkus, starred review

Author description

Since the publication of her first book The Goose Girl in 2003, Shannon Hale has become a beloved author to young readers as well as booksellers. Her third novel, Princess Academy, was awarded a Newbery Honor and was a New York Times bestseller. Shannon has also written for adults. including Austenland (soon to be released as a feature film). She lives near Salt Lake City in Utah, with her husband, the author Dean Hale, and their four children. www.shannonhale.com