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Feb 19, 2008

Beth rated it:

So the latest books I’ve read … I haven’t exactly enjoyed. I mean, I do finish them and everything, so they must have been okay, but it’s not like I was ever reaching for my book multiple times a day, binging on pages. I’ve kind of missed that.

But all that changed with Princess Academy! Seriously — I loved this book.

(I should probably only admit this through the relative anonymity of the Internet. Seriously … Princess Academy? What am I, eleven?! Oh well.) :-)

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5 comments like (38 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

HT rated it:

Overall, the book was well written and appropriate for a young adolescent audience. It was certainly not written for someone in my demographic!

I enjoyed a number of aspects of this book and also a few disappointements. Specifically,

1) The resolution of the primary conflict (who gets to be the princess) felt too much like a plot-device (I can't say more without giving away the ending) that the author threw into the story to avoid a painful conflict between the characters More...

6 comments like (14 people liked it)

Aug 23, 2011

Tatiana rated it:

Sometimes you just want to take a break from endless angst and sexual tension of currently popular both adult and YA books and read something light and inoffensive. "Princess Academy" is an excellent choice for this purpose. Although this is an obviously children's book, it is not silly or overly simplistic. The fairy tale is very imaginative and teaches many valuable lessons (importance of education is among many of them), but never in a preachy way.

I thoroughly enjoyed t More...

33 comments like (8 people liked it)

Aug 21, 2010

Shannon rated it:

The linder quarries on Mount Eskel make for hard labour, but the villagers who mine it wouldn't trade their life for anything. The linder stone takes skill to extract in whole blocks from the mountainside, and its qualities enable them to converse without speaking.

Fourteen year old Miri wants nothing so much as to join her father and older sister in the quarry. But she's small, and her father has forbidden her to set foot in the quarry. Instead, Miri tends the goats; teases her child More...

3 comments like (11 people liked it)

Mar 11, 2008

S rated it:

An interesting title that I chose because my twelve year old refused to let me read the copy she'd borrowed from her BFF.

This Newbery Honor book is the tale of Miri Larendaughter, misunderstood and misunderstanding, a girl who loves her mountain home and family, harvesters of a rare, marble like rock called Linder.

A prophecy is made that the Prince's future wife will come from their home, and all the girls from 13 to 17 are rounded up and forced to go to school under an a More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Cindy rated it:

(warning: spoilers)

Ok, so I hate it when people hype up a book so much that there's no way you can ever enjoy it. That's what happened to this book. Everyone told me I would love it so much, and so when I read it I was, I couldn't help but be...disappointed. It was good, don't get me wrong! I enjoyed it. I read it fast, it was a book that I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. But I found it to be very predictable and it felt very confining. She mentioned that the More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 14, 2009

Dana rated it:

I love Shannon Hale - and get sucked right in to her books from the beginning. This book is certainly no exception.

I'm trying to remember though - I have read a book similar to Shannon Hale's style - it was about a girl stuck up in a tower with her maiden. Does this book sound familiar to any of you? If so, can you remind me of the author? I'd like to check out more of those books.

Nevermind...I just found it. It's called Book of a Thousand Days and yes, it is writt More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 25, 2008

SheWunders rated it:

I think this may be my favorite Shannon Hale book.

The writing style is very much like her other YA books (Goose Girl, Enna Burning, & River Secrets). Also it shares the "speaking" theme.

What I love most about Princess Academy is the growth the characters experience. Miri began as a scrawny quarry girl who didn't know her place in the world. She developed into a brave, intellegent girl who knows her heart. The road of growth is deep in plot and emotion whic More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 14, 2008

Heathercrow rated it:

This book was such fun. Who hasn't dreamt about being a princess at least once in their life? I loved the characters and it was just a sweet story. I am looking forward to reading more of Shanon Hale's books.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 28, 2011

Ammi rated it:

This is the greatest book I've ever ever ever ever read. It takes place a longggg time ago in Scandanavia and it is so like real life it's scary. It very interseting, a book you can't put down.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 30, 2008

Kyra rated it:

This book is really seriously a great one!! I love how there is so much to the story and how you never want to put it down!!!

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 22, 2008

Anna rated it:

I LOVED this book. The title makes it sound more like a fantasy fairy tale, but the book is so far from it.

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 15, 2011

Nicole rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 14, 2008

Juli rated it:

The main character is Miri (named for a moutain flower), who lives in the poor mountains of a rich kingdom. None of the mountain people can read or write, and their only source of income is a product of the mountain itself, which they have to mine, and they're dependent on traders who come from the lowlands with basic goods to swap for the precious mountain stone. The king's priests determine that the prince's future bride will come from Miri's mountain village, so all the eligible young girls More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 03, 2008

Sylvia rated it:

Kisahnya simple, tentang gadis gunung yang berhayal menjadi putri pilihan pangeran. Sebenaranya sudah banyak kisah-kisah putri dan pangeran dengan versi yang berbeda-beda, namun entah kenapa cerita fantasy seperti ini masih saja menarik hati saya untuk membacanya.

Kisah berawal dengan mendeskripsikan kehidupan di sebuah desa terpencil di kaki gunung Eskel. Satu-satunya mata pencarian penduduk desa itu adalah mencari batu Linder yang digunakan untuk mendirikan bangunan-bangunan di kota More...

13 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 26, 2008

Nola rated it:

After hearing a number of people recommend Shannon Hale's The Princess Academy, I couldn't resist trying it out myself. I found it to be a delightful read, perfect for children and young adults, and rather engaging even for us 'big people.' More than your average fairy-tale, the novel creates a protagonist that exceeds the usual boundries.
The premise of the novel is fairy-tale typical. When the priests of Danland determine that the prince's bride will come from the slopes of Mt. Eskel, a More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2009

Jacqueline (Notes from the Nerdette) rated it:

Everyone who has been or is a teenager has to admit it: one of the most trial times of your life is in your mid- and early teens. If you think about it, these are the times when you have the most conflicts in your life--those with family, friends, neighbors, and probably the greatest, with yourself. Young adult fiction writer Shannon Hale takes a look at these same conflicts. Though the main character of the novel Princess Academy lived in an entirely fictional, made-up time and place, she faces More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 01, 2007

Jessica rated it:

Literary academics love to debate definitions. When did the Victorian era of literature really start? To which nation should an ex patriot’s writing be accredited? What is young adult fiction? Stephenie Meyer, one of the most recently popular young adult authors, noted her opinion that young adult books merely have young adult protagonists, while adult books have adult protagonists. That may be true, but YA plots also usually involve some kind of bildungsroman.

Princess Academy is no More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2008

Kathleen rated it:

I've been reading this to my 8.5 year old daughter at night before bed. She is eating it up - and I am too. In fact - I read ahead just to see what happens. . SHHHHHHHH.

Though the title is appropriate, I'm afraid that some people will not pick up this book because they think it is froofy and shallow. . 'Tis not. The protagonist is a real, rich character with an inner life and traits both admirable and unfortunate. The world she lives in is believable and complex economically and soc More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 29, 2008

Mimi rated it:

It was cute that when I read and finished the book we were on our road trip to Utah. all the mountains around were quite the setting. Of course we're staying this week at Quarry Lane. I will try quarry speech with the rock wall on the patio.

(And we drove through Badlands right after I read "Peace like a river", kind of freaky to drive the same road.)

I think she does well creating intensity, just enough to be entertaining for adults but not too scary for younger More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 24, 2009

Nate rated it:

My friend Chris Dufort LOVES this book. He is has every bit of Princess Academy merchandise that he can find. He told me that he has read this book 5 or 6 times. I took him up on it and I liked it.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 05, 2007

Evan rated it:

This is a great book. Imagine a fairy tale that doesn't need magic, just intelligence, and can say something about both people and societies.

Quick setup: Palace oracles determine that the next pricess of the land will be from some allegedly podunk rural mountain village. The kingdom therefore sets up a school to educate all the young girls in the town, so the next princess will be able to handle her position. This is a pretty simple premise, but the combination of a wonderful mai More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 24, 2009

Sierra rated it:

This book taught me that doing the wrong thing for the right reason is very hard. This book is great for adventurous people.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 03, 2008

Gloryseeker33 rated it:

I loved this book. I thought the premise interesting, and it did turn out to be a great story, but it had so much roundness and depth beyond the interest of story and setting and character. The exploration of the need to belong, the value of accepting differences and working together, of doing good to those who have not treated us well, are all explored here. Mis-communications and misunderstandings, struggles with self worth, and feelings of being unloved and left out, and the resolutions of More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 19, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I really enjoy Shannon Hale's writing. It's lyrical and spirited and fun. This story gives a great commentary on the importance and power of education.

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2007

Jenny rated it:

This children's book was so good that I read it in only a few hours! The heroine, Miri, is clever, spunky, and very funny: she reminds me of other strong heroines in children's fantasy classics: Ella in Ella Enchanted, Elionwy in The Prydain Chronicles, and Aerin in The Hero and the Crown. The culture is fascinating and well developed in this book, making the fantasy seem that much more real. Shannon Hale's commentary on education, friendship, teamwork, home, and family were very worthwhile. I l More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2011

Reading Vacation's Mom rated it:

REVIEW
It is clear to me why Princess Academy was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book. This is one of those rare books that has it all – a compelling story, likeable characters, a unique setting, and an unexpected ending. Oh, what an amazing book!
What first seems to be a typical fairy-tale about a poor girl becoming a princess is anything BUT a typical fairy-tale. There is WAY more to the story. I don’t want to give away the plot, so let’s just say that Miri learns much more than how to be a princ More...

0 comments like

Mar 25, 2009

Josie rated it:

Princess Academy
Written by Shannon Hale
Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books
2005
Fantasy

In Princess Academy, Shannon Hale has created a wonderful world of fantasy and a heartwarming story of family and friendship. More advanced readers will enjoy Hale's ability to tell a story in poetic language, "she did nit care who knew the secret that made her chest tight and her head as light as seeding weeds in a breeze" (158). The village of Mount Eskel co More...

0 comments like

Mar 13, 2009

Barky rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Feb 11, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

I read this book to preview it for my daughter - a precocious reader who is reading well beyond her grade level. I'm trying to "guide" her towards books at her reading level that aren't too heavy topic wise since at age 7 she's just not ready for the heavy stuff yet.

I think this will be a great book for her - the main Character is Miri, a girl who is not allowed to work the town's mine with her family and she doesn't know why. She feels left out and alone. Then one day a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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