Princess Academy

Hale, Shannon. Princess Academy. New York, NY: Bloomsbury. 2005. ISBN: 9781582349930

Plot Summary:
High in the mountains of fictional Danland lays Mount Eskel. The people of the mountain are strong, large and hard-working, daily working to mine linder, a marble-like stone, which is their livelihood. Every capable man and woman (including teens) are put to work in the quarry, with the exception of Miri. Miri, who is smaller than girls older than she, is made to stay home by her father, making her feel as if she is missing out on something essential with her friends and neighbors. One day, a royal announcement is made that all eligible girls are going to be sent to a princess academy. At the end of the academy, the prince will choose a bride from the girls that pass.

Miri finds it difficult to be away from home, especially when the tutor at the school is strict and punishes girls for the smallest of reasons. She loses the friendship of many of the girls after a run-in with Tutor Olana and throws herself into her studies. Miri finally finds a friend in Britta, a girl who grew up off the mountain, and eventually wins the friendship and admiration of many of her classmates after she stands up to the unfair Tutor Olana. In her studies, Miri finds out how valuable linder is to the rest of Danland, helping her village to trade for things they have never had before. Additionally, she is chosen academy princess and meets the prince, who does not seem to measure up to her best friend, Peder. After the royal ball, the academy group is captured by bandits, but Miri saves the day by using ‘quarry-speech’ to call the people of her village to their aid. In the end, Miri learns that family and community is worth more than a crown or palace.

Critical Analysis:
Miri is the type of character that is not afraid to show her flaws, making the character that much more identifiable to the reader. She is strong-willed, nervous around the boy she likes and struggles with the fact that she does not work in the quarry with the rest of the village. These elements make the character real, not one that is better than anything the reader could ever attain in their lives. Other characters in the book are equally rounded and not one of them is easily explained. Each has their own secret wish or hidden desire that is revealed in due time. This helps the story root itself in realism in the midst of fantasy.

Hale draws such a distinctive picture of the village, the reader is able to get an instinctive feeling for the village. Views, houses, even beds, are described with such vividness that the reader can truly imagine how it would have felt, smelled or be seen from Miri’s perspective. In the same way, the village and villagers are described, allowing the reader to get authentic understanding of the closeness that would exist. Vocabulary used by the different characters enhances this visual, in that the children speak differently to one another than they would to an adult or the prince himself. The theme is consistent with the struggles that Miri finds during the course of the book. While speaking out is difficult, in the end it is the right thing to do.

Awards and 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." – Linda Plevak, School Library Journal

“[N]icely interweaves feminist sensibilities in this quest-for-a-prince-charming, historical-fantasy tale. Strong suspense and plot drive the action as the girls outwit would-be kidnappers and explore the boundaries of leadership, competition, and friendship.” - Booklist

2005 Honorable Mention for "Favorite Novel of the Year", Publishers Weekly's Cuffie Awards
2006 Newbery Honor Book
2006 Utah Children's Book Award
2007 Beehive Award winner
An ALA Notable Children's Book
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A Book for the Teen Age by The New York Public Library
A Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year, starred entry

Connections:
*What is life really like for a princess? Find some famous real-life princess and what they spend their time doing. Have students work on a “week in the life” project based on the life of the princess of their choosing.
*Create a reader’s theater based on the book! This will be appealing to boys and girls alike; girls will get to be princesses and boys get the chance to be a bandit or quarrier.
*Linder is VERY important to Mount Eskel. What things are important exports for your town? Read and research the exports that help to feed and clothe the families of your hometown.

Book Jacket found on: http://bookbutterflyangel.wordpress.com/2008/06/