Princess Accademy

This Newbery Honor-winning novel by Shannon Hale certainly lives up to expectations. When it is prophisied that the prince's future bride will come from the remote Mount Eskel, a princess academy is set up to teach all of the eligible girls skills such as reading, diplomacy, and poise. Young Miri, who has never been allowed to work with the rest of her village in the quarries, quickly establishes herself as a strong candidate for the role of princess with her speedy mastery of her lessons. Miri seems to have finally found a way in which she can be useful to the village, but does she really want to be a princess? Tensions between the girls are sometimes strained as they are constantly reminded of the competition between them, but will they be able to band together when the academy is put in danger?

As one of the girls points out in the final chapter, "Maybe Mount Eskel didn't need a princess, just an academy." While some girls truly dream of being able to marry the prince, Miri and each of the other girls in turn begins to discover the value of family, friendship, community, and education as they become aware of the world beyond their mountain. Quality of life on Mount Eskel is vastly improved as the girls are able to use their lessons to help their sheltered village thrive. The princess academy is truly life-altering for each of the 20 girls who attend...though not necessarily for its intended purpose. Pragmatic and fanciful readers alike will appreciate the way in which Hale blends the two takes on the academy to create a compelling and engrossing tale.

Overall Grade: A+