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Princess Academy (Princess Academy #1)

by Shannon Hale (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 52,006 ratings · 5,816 reviews

Miri lives on a mountain where for generations her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and...more

Kindle Edition, 335 pages

Published July 2012 by Bloomsbury USA (first published July 6th 2005)

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Aug 20, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

AUGUST 2012: Just re-read (technically re-listened) to this one in anticipation of the sequel coming out this month. Loved this book all over again!

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MAY 2007: 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 on...more

47 likes · like · see review

Jun 29, 2007 HT Goodwill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Women and girls from the age of adolescence and up, those who enjoy adolescent fiction

Shelves: children_and_adolescents

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.

2)The culture of the moun...more

26 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2009 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who love fairy tales and children's books

Shelves: 2009, fairy-tales

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 this book and found mys...more

19 likes · like · see review

Aug 21, 2010 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, childrens, fantasy

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 childhood friend,...more 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 childhood friend, Peder; and wishes on the little miri flowers that she was named after to be allowed to work with everyone else in the quarry.

But everything changes the day the traders arrive for the last time before winter, bringing with them an official from the capital of Dunland - a messenger from the King. It has long been a tradition that the priests name the city from which the prince and heir to the throne must choose his bride. This time, causing great shock amongst the noble families of Dunland, the priests have named Mount Eskel - so overlooked it's not even considered a province of Dunland.

And so, further down the mountain in an abandoned stone manor house, the Princess Academy is established. Usually a formality, this time the girls aged thirteen to seventeen really must be trained - taught to read and write, how to walk and talk, about history and geography, diplomacy and economics.

Most of the girls don't want to become princess, and their families need them back in the village and quarry, but even so, competition sparks amongst them. Who will be princess? Could Miri, who does so well at her studies and was able to make the prince smile, be the one? (And what about Peder?) Yet when a threat comes to the Academy, curtseys and platitudes won't save them - only wits, mountain strength and Miri's determination.

This is the first Hale book I've read, and arguably her most popular one. It wasn't what I expected, but really it was better than I expected. It's one of those quiet fantasy books, like General Winston’s Daughter - nothing showy, no loud magic tricks or evil sorcerers or that tedious battle between good and evil (yawn). It also didn't follow those boring fantasy clichés that so many authors seem to enjoy perpetuating - a patriarchal social structure, for instance. Men and women work alongside each other in the quarry, and respect each other. Gender doesn't come into it. I got the impression that, despite classic hierarchies and class divisions, the rest of Dunland is much the same. The setting still had that typical medieval flavour, but with new angles and greater equality. Since it's Fantasy, not historical fiction, this is precisely the kind of thing I want to see - and don't get enough of.

The story is also disarmingly simple in its style - the prose has that lovely, unburdened quality that's usual in YA and Children's fiction - no fancy adjectives, no heavy-handed descriptions, no long-winded paragraphs: light on its feet, detailed and yet deceptively straight-forward. Perfect for its target age group (9-12) but just as enjoyable for the rest of us.

I loved Miri: she was a sympathetic character, a resourceful, intelligent, spirited girl you could really admire. She makes a great role model. The other girls weren't as fleshed-out as I'd have liked, but their characters still came through in small ways. The plot wasn't predictable, and the ending was very sweet. I also loved the small role economics plays in the story, not to mention the power an education gives you - Miri uses her hard-won knowledge from the Academy to improve her village's ability to trade, thus improving the quality of life on the mountain as well as their bargaining power. See, it's educational as well as a fun read! (less)

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Mar 11, 2008 S rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Middle School girls

Shelves: young-adult

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 awful teacher. Fairly sta...more

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Jun 26, 2007 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young Girls

(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 mountain was beaut...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2009 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 written by Shannon Hale and not so...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2008 SheWunders rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-11, ya-childrens_lit, fantasy

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 which makes of a very meaningful and to...more

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2008 Heathercrow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2008 Ammi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Ammi by: no one

Shelves: best-book-ever, favorites

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.

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

Every now and again I like to read a good children's book, especially if it has a smart heroine. Princess Academy was perfect reading for a Sunday afternoon. It tells the story of Miri, a 14-year-old girl living on a mountain that mines a valuable stone. One day, it's announced that the prince will choose his next princess from Miri's village, and all the girls are sent to an academy to be educated.

Miri is a spunky heroine -- she studies hard, she tries to make friends and she stands up for the...more

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Mar 30, 2008 Kyra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone looking for a great book!!!!!!

Shelves: really-good-books

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!!!

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2008 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

3 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2011 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lowly commoners who want to be princesses

Recommended to Nicole by: my conscience

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

1 like · like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, need-review

this was adorable! i loved it!

review to come!

3 likes · like · see review

May 31, 2012 Amy (Turn the Page) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorite-books, brilliant-junior-fiction

At first glance, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale sounds like an overwhelmingly girly book, but both the title, and the UK covers, are a bit misleading. I’m neither a twelve-year-old girl, nor a fond reader of princesses and romantic fairy tales, but I really enjoyed this book.

Scenes of girls learning how to dance, gossiping over boys and getting excited over pretty dresses are few and far between. Instead, Princess Academy focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, family, finding your place in...more At first glance, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale sounds like an overwhelmingly girly book, but both the title, and the UK covers, are a bit misleading. I’m neither a twelve-year-old girl, nor a fond reader of princesses and romantic fairy tales, but I really enjoyed this book.

Scenes of girls learning how to dance, gossiping over boys and getting excited over pretty dresses are few and far between. Instead, Princess Academy focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, family, finding your place in the world and most of all, how education can open doors, with a little old-fashioned fairy tale feel-good on the side.

Fourteen year old Miri is desperate to work in the quarry along with everyone else in Mount Eskel, but her father refuses to allow her. Ashamed, Miri feels like an outsider in a small village where family, friends and neighbours work side by side, communicating through quarry-speech, a special way of speaking without words. When the chief delegate arrives to inform them that every girl between the ages of twelve and seventeen is to attend the princess academy so that the Prince might choose one of them to be his future Queen, Miri is suddenly introduced to a vast world beyond everything she knows, and soon finds herself caught between her love for her family and home, and her awakening hunger for more.

Princess Academy certainly has elements of a fantasy – a world that is like ours, but not, a medieval-like setting and the strange, mystical properties of the Linder stone. But unlike the majority of fantasy books where the protagonist goes on a great journey through distant lands and faces a battle between good and evil, Miri’s journey is one of self discovery.

Hale writes some positive messages for young girls without being too heavy-handed or overly cloying. I loved the emphasis on education, how learning to read and write and understanding politics, mathematics, diplomacy and so on, enriched not only the girl’s lives, but their families as well. That Miri and the others were able to appreciate this gift beyond the duties of being a wife and princess. Likewise, the evolving friendships between the group of girls forms an integral part of the story line and I enjoyed seeing Miri transform from a lonely, unsure, if slightly prejudice, girl, to a confident leader, forming close bonds with several of her classmates. I also felt the romance in the story struck a nice balance. There are some cute, little, moments between Miri and her best friend, but they don’t detract from the main story, which is Miri’s personal journey and figuring out what she wants for herself.

I did have a few niggling issues. I felt the concept of quarry-speech was interesting but poorly handled in the first half of the book. Miri’s growing understanding of how it worked was clunky and a little confusing to follow at times. I also found the verse/songs that helped Miri connect with her quarry-speech, distracting. Occasionally, Hale would overemphasis a certain message (such as using diplomacy to get what you want). As an older reader, I would have loved a richer description of the mountains and Miri’s culture, but that’s because I’ve been spoilt by the likes of Melina Marchetta and Philip Pullman. This feels about right for it’s intended age group.

Princess Academy is one of those books that I feel both middle grade and YA readers will enjoy, as well as any older readers looking for a light, inoffensive, modern fairy tale with some engaging characters.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 01, 2011 Kat Hooper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

The people who live on Mount Eskel mine linder, the marble-like substance that’s highly prized by those who live in the lowlands. Even though they’ve always supplied the linder for the King’s palace and other important buildings, the mountain folk have their own culture and know very little about what happens beneath their mountain. Therefore, they’re just as surprised as the lowlanders are when the priests ordain that the prince’s bride will come from Mou...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

The people who live on Mount Eskel mine linder, the marble-like substance that’s highly prized by those who live in the lowlands. Even though they’ve always supplied the linder for the King’s palace and other important buildings, the mountain folk have their own culture and know very little about what happens beneath their mountain. Therefore, they’re just as surprised as the lowlanders are when the priests ordain that the prince’s bride will come from Mount Eskel. Since the mountain girls are uneducated, a temporary school will be established so they can be brought up to snuff before they meet the prince.

Miri’s father has never let her work in the quarry with her peers, so Miri has always assumed that her father thought she was too small and, therefore, useless. But after her initial shock at the harsh treatment she receives from the headmistress at the Princess Academy, Miri is surprised to discover that an education gives her valuable skills that her people need. She also discovers some interesting facts about her people’s connection to the mountain and uses her new knowledge to help her friends.

I listened to the audio version of Princess Academy with my 12-year-old son and my 9-year-old daughter. We all agreed that Princess Academy deserves its Newbery Honor, for it is absolutely charming. I’m enough of a feminist that I was suspicious of a book about becoming a princess (and truly I only picked it up because of the Newbery Honor and my previous experience with Shannon Hale), but I had misjudged this book by its title (though its cover does it justice).

Princess Academy is not the book I was expecting. Instead, it is a refreshing story about children living in a rural culture where there is much beauty, love, and wholesomeness. These girls, in contrast to many of the girls I read about these days, love their families and generally have sweet relationships with each other. There’s some rivalry brought on by their situation at the academy but, mercifully, Shannon Hale downplays it. In my experience (I was once a little girl and I have two daughters of my own), most girls do love their families and are sweet and friendly with each other, but so many YA books these days seem to overemphasize the cattiness and jealousy. I worry that this teaches children to expect this behavior from girls and I much prefer for my kids to read about healthy behaviors and interactions.

Besides the affectionate relationships with each other, the mountain folk also have a special understanding and tenderness for the mountain and the linder they mine. This is born to them, and Hale illustrates it beautifully. I also appreciate that, though the girls are in a “Princess Academy,” the idea of becoming a pampered princess (or even just a bride) is not portrayed as the goal for these girls. Instead, the value of education, useful skills, analytical thinking, and a love of home and community is emphasized.

Shannon Hale’s writing style is appealing. She uses figurative language to add depth to her setting, though the overuse of food-related similes eventually becomes a bit tiresome:

* Just the possibility was as enticing as the smell of honey cakes baking next door.
* The snow that crunched under her book spread over stone and hillock like spilled cream.
* Her victory soured like milk left standing.
* Her cheeks were ruddy like the sun side of an apple.
* The music was so beautiful that it entered her with a pleasant tang, like drinking ice-melt water on an empty stomach.

The audiobook was produced by Full Cast Audio and performed by a cast of 23 readers and enhanced with music and chanting by Cynthia Bishop. My kids and I thought it was a terrific production. You can listen to samples (including the music) at the Full Cast Audio website. The day after we finished listening to Princess Academy, my 12-year old football player brought the print version home from his school library and started reading it. I haven’t seen him enjoy a book so much since the last Percy Jackson book came out. When I asked him why he liked Princess Academy, he said, “the descriptions of the characters and the setting were really good, there was lots of action, and it made me laugh sometimes.”(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: movie-makers, favorite-authors, laughed-so-hard, oh-heck-he-s-attractive, i-cried, all-fantasy, wish-list

This book has great re-read quality. Even rereading it twice in say, a month, like I sort of am, is worth it. You catch little details and tiny foreshadowings you don't catch the first time around.
...........October 14th 2010........
Shannon Hale's books affect me in very odd ways. Occasionally I have to wipe tears out of my eyes. I squeal and laugh and pound my feet on the floor. I have just finished re-reading two of her books in a row, and I am practically in a state of overload. Her books ar...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 14, 2008 Juli rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of nontraditional fairy tales (or, you know, anyone who can read.)

Recommended to Juli by: Katie O'Neill

Shelves: 2008, favorites, kiddie-lit, own-and-read

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 h...more

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2008 Sylvia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

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. Mereka pun...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Sheri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kenna-mommy-bonding, read-in-2012, favorites

*Re-Read on 12/29/12* I decided to give this one another read before starting it's sequel, Palace of Stone . I loved it even more the second time through. This book definitely earns it's prestigious medal of honor.

What a cute, cute story! I decided to read this with McKenna to see how she might handle a real book. For the most part, she really liked the story and followed it a lot better than I thought she would. I realized only a chapter in that the book was a little too old for her. The book...more

1 like · like · see review

May 26, 2008 Nola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young adults, girls

Recommended to Nola by: Sesika

Shelves: fiction-fantasy

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, an acad...more 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, an academy is set up to permit potential brides to learn the knowledge and manners of the court. Young Miri is one of the twenty girls taken from the quarry-rich village down the mountain. As she learns more about life beyond what she has yet experienced, she finds herself struggling with her desire to marry the prince. She wants to help her family to have a better life, but she also loves her home and does not wish to leave. When bandits capture the school, Miri must use not only her book knowledge but also the knowledge she has gained about herself to rescue herself and her friends.
Although the novel has a fairy-tale premise, Hale goes beyond the simple story and creates three dimensional characters that are both realistic and engaging. The headmistress appears cruel and overly harsh, but by the end of the novel we recognize her motivation. Miri's desire to "marry the prince" and leave he rhumble home is both typical and human, but she also struggles with her love of Mt. Eskel. And though the motivations of one of the more spiteful girls is rather psychologically typical - bad childhood and all that - it is also presented in a credible light that makes it not completely trite.
What I most enjoyed about this novel, however, was the way that Miri uses the knowledge gleaned from the academy not just to acquire a husband, but instead to improve life for her village and her family. Through her studies and desire to read, she finds that the villagers have long been cheated, and uses that information to improve life for all. When she realizes that her older sister and the boys (and even the parents!) also wish to learn, she sets up an academy in her village so all can study. In doing so, she teaches young readers that even children have power to apply what they learn, if they but seek it; that knowledge and study both have real-world applications and can make life better now instead of just 'after graduation.' The young women are empowered by their mind and by exploring and expanding on their natural gifts and talents, and these are the things that really matter.
In short, rather than just being a fairy tale where the prince is astounded by beauty, The Princess Academy encourages young adults - especially young women, who are the most likely target audience - to apply themselves and to seek benefits from that application now rather than later. Between this premise and the engaging and excellent writing style that makes the story live in the reader's mind, this is a book I would recommend to anyone.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2009 Jacqueline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who are trying to discover who they really are—whether a preteen, teenager, or adult

Recommended to Jacqueline by: Amazon.com

Shelves: all-time-favourites, newberys, blog-reviews, fantasy, books-i-own, signed

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

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Oct 01, 2007 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: utah-author, newbery

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 exception. T...more 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 exception. This Newberry Honor Book follows the coming-of-age of its protagonist, Miri, as well as several of her acquaintances. Motherless Miri lives on Mount Eskel in a small mining community quite separate from the rest of the kingdom of which it is a part, Danland. Though everyone in the village except the very young and the very old labor in the quarry, Miri’s father will not allow her to do so. This exclusion leaves Miri doubting her contribution and value to the small and indigent village.

One autumn day a royal messenger comes and announces that in one year, the prince of Danland would come to Mount Eskel to choose his princess from among the village girls. In the meantime, the village girls were to be sent to the Princess Academy to prepare themselves to be princesses.

The academy not only prepares the future princess for her duties, but it opens up a new world for the isolated mountain girls. Miri’s world is forever altered when she discovers words and finds her place in the village.

Miri is a lovable and believable protagonist with quirks and yearnings and intelligence. Shannon Hale’s prose does not call attention to itself. The book is quickly paced, and the resolution is somewhat surprising but foreseeable. In fact, some of the foreshadowing was, to me, a little too transparent. I knew in generalities how the book was going to end only a few chapters in, but the story was so good that I wanted to see how the characters arrived at that ending.

In the end, a reader does not need a precise category in which to place this book. A place on my bookshelf is good enough for me.(less)

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Sep 22, 2008 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: 9-adult to read alone, read aloud to 5 and up

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 socially, and wi...more

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Jun 29, 2008 Mimi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

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 readers. I like her balanced writi...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Nate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

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Jul 05, 2007 Evan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those wanting intelligent fairy tales

Shelves: youngadult

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 main character, and...more

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Feb 24, 2009 Sierra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

1 like · like · see review

Aug 03, 2008 Gloryseeker33 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 th...more

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More princesses...	6	35	Mar 23, 2013 09:58am
Would you rather be a lowlander or a Mountain person?	43	83	Feb 28, 2013 06:14am
Princess Acadamy	62	100	Nov 09, 2012 02:48pm
What are your favorite books that Shannon Hale wrote?	19	81	Oct 24, 2012 05:43pm

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About Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Reveng...more

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Books by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, #1)

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Trivia About Princess Academy

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Quotes from Princess Academy

“There you go...let it all slide out. Unhappiness can't stick in a person's soul when it's slick with tears.” — 349 people liked it

“I keep thinking about a tale my nurse used to read to me about a bird whose wings are pinned to the ground. In the end, when he finally frees himself, he flies so high he becomes a star. My nurse said the story was about how we all have something that keeps us down.” — 215 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8497276-princess-academy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335592341l/8497276.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8497276-princess-academy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Princess Academy by Shannon Hale[/url]

Princess Academy (Princess Academy #1)

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