| $@%&! level: None “Bedroom” level: None Violence level: Low Back Cover: “High on the slopes of rocky Mount Eskel, Miri's family pounds a living from the stone of the mountain itself. But Miri's life will change forever when word comes that her small village is the home of the future princess. All eligible girls must attend a makeshift academy to prepare for royal life. At the school, Miri finds herself confronting bitter competition among the girls and her own conflicted desires to be chosen. Yet when danger comes to the academy, it is Miri, named for a tiny mountain flower, who must find a way to save her classmates—and the future of their beloved village.” |
The princess academy itself is reminiscent of some of the greatest classic children's novels—Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, etc. The girls at the academy have their rivalries, their struggles with the teacher, their growing friendships, their small victories and discoveries. (Although some of those discoveries are pretty life-changing, in this case!)
My favorite part of all of Shannon Hale's novels—but especially this one—is the way she leads her characters from child to adult, from helpless to capable. Miri starts out convinced of her own uselessness, because she's so small for her age and not allowed to help her family in the quarry. By the end she's turned into a strong young woman who is perfectly capable of deciding for herself what is right, and then doing it—and even being a leader for others.