Newbery II

Imagine a remote mountaintop community where villagers sleep in the same room as their goats to stay warm in the winter. Now, imagine that from this secluded community the kingdom’s prince must choose his wife! What is a prince to do? Create the Princess Academy, of course! The Princess Academy is a school to groom country girls into disciplined courtesans. Miri, one of the girls sent to this academy, isn’t sure if she can be the next princess but along the way she discovers her true loves—reading and possibly, a country boy named Peder.

Princess Academy, a 2006 Caldecott Honor Book, is a fairy tale of a the girl who doesn’t snatch the prince. The plot is woven together expertly and with complete characterization. Throughout the story, Hale stresses the value of a solid education and of kindness to others. The girls in princess training learn how to read and the reading opens the girls to a world of possibilities. In fact, Miri uses what she learns in books to better her village as well as open a school for the boys to learn.

While the book has a definite fairy tale feel, it is neither too cute nor too predictable. Miri does not ultimately become the princess but instead helps her awkward friend find love with the prince. Miri loves a young boy from her village and the books ends with a promise of their future romance. The romance of the novel is not the main event and much of the book is spent watching a mean girl, Katar, bully Miri. Miri grows through the bullying and in true fairy tale style, Miri and Katar become friendly and each has her own happy ending.

I am a Shannon Hale fan and enjoy her other books, especially her adult novel Austenland, but many young girls will find this novel boring. The book sets a steady pace and while there are exciting moments (the girls are held hostage by bandits) young girls will find the romance lackluster and the action too sparse. Hale’s writing holds true literary merit but fans of The Clique or Twilight will not relate to Miri’s world. Her novel is not for reluctant readers but rather the well-read needing something different, new, and fresh. Hale certainly provides a break from the OMG and IDK dialogue so popular nowadays.

Hale, S. (2005). Princess academy. New York: Bloomsbury.