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 ...
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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.
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Fair. The cover has curled corners / dings. Gently used. There might be writing in the margins, possibly underlining and highlighting of text, but no missing pages or anything that would compromise the legibility or understanding of the text. Get fast and secure shipping knowing your purchase helps empower our community to transform thier lives through work.
2015,
Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books, New York
A teenager overcomes self-doubts and finds strength to deal with difficult situations, even some frightening and dangerous. No gratuitous violence.
joylynn
Oct 14, 2010
greatest story in a long time
This book is beautiful, from start to finish. It is a great story, I loved all the characters. After reading this I went on to read four more books by the same author. This remains my favorite.
Bookworm777
Jan 17, 2008
Lovin' it
I love Shannon Hale and this book is just one of the many masterpeices she has created. My favorite part was the happy but suprising ending! I stongly suggest that you read this book asap!
Dormouse
Apr 20, 2007
Not your average girly-girl princess tale
Princess academy is a great coming of age tale with plenty of fairy tale references thrown in. It is not just a twisted take on an old tale. This story has a realism to the land and the culture. Shannon Hale has managed to delve deep into the heart of a young girl in a typical fictional kingdom, without being predictable or tongue-in-cheek. The main charcter, Miri, is believable as an ordinary girl, with ordinary struggles. She occasionally loses her head in her daydreams of handsome princes, great riches, palaces and gowns. Like all young girls, she wrestles with how these dreams will fit into her current life, or how they will alter it forever. The charm of this novel is how a modern reader, grounded in reality, can identify with Miri's indecision. We would all like to be transported to some far-off kingdom, but some hidden part of us whispers questions. Is escape the answer to our problems? Hale also stirs in genuine suspense, danger, and enough twists to keep us guessing. A good, clean, happily-ever-after adventure.
saguirre
Apr 3, 2007
Worthy of the Newberry Award and More!
Shannon Hale's novel has the unique quality of making an imaginary world become real to the reader. With small doses of fantasy, the novel reads more like a piece of historical fiction that grips the reader and transports them to a past world. The main character Miri is on a path of discovery just as her outlying territory and small community are determining their place within a wealthy nation. The book follows a small group of unrefined girls from a remote territory learning how to be royalty in anticipation of the prince's arrival and choice of one of them to be his bride. With a fairy tale like quality, the main character and in fact all of the characters are left to decide what happily ever after really means for them as individuals and for their home as a whole.
