Princess Academy
Princess Academy . Shannon Hale; Scholastic, Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2005
Grade level: 6-8
ISBN& Cost: 1582349932, Scholastic, $16.95
SYNOPSIS: Miri and her father and older sister live on Mount Eskel. Fourteen-year-old Miri is kept from working in the quarry because she is so small. She is jealous of her sister who does get to work there. She wants to be a miner and get to participate in the songs and communication that the miners sing to each other. Then the village finds out that the prince from the lowland is going to choose a princess. All eligible females are sent off to attend a special academy. Miri, not her older sister, attends along with other village girls. Miri discovers much about herself. She also leads her classmates in an important fight. Her courage surprises herself and others.
GENERAL REVIEW: The title of the book may hint of “chick lit,” but this is not a book with a shallow, lightweight theme. Both boys and girls will love the story. Hale writes in a beautiful way, filled with imagery and powerful metaphors. It is understandable why this coming-of-age book won the Newbery Honor Award.
THEMES: Power of education, female independence, community pride, survival
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Hale is the author of Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and the recently-published (Fall 2006) River Secrets. She lives with her family in Salt Lake City. She and her husband are working together on a graphic novel. Her official website is . It is filled with interesting personal information and some writing tips for the reader. She posted in her blog that infant Maggie, born December 30, 2006, and Maggie’s older brother, Max, are keeping Ms. Hale extremely busy lately.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Standard 3, Benchmark 2
Name some situations in which Miri experiences the feeling of jealousy?
What is Miri’s overall emotion when she meets Prince Steffan for the first time?
After reading the poem on p. 231, make a prediction. What do you think will happen?
What are some of the ways Olana uses to punish the girls when they do something wrong? Do you feel that she is fair?
ACTIVITIES:
Confer with your group of friends and create your own version of quarry-speak. Standard 9, Benchmark 3
Miri, Katar, and Britta are very different girls. Make a chart listing the similarities and differences. Standard 3, Benchmark 2
Find three similies. Find three metaphors. Reword each of these phrases in another way. Standard 5, Benchmark 2
Draw a picture of a scene from the book. Use details from the book to enhance your picture. Standard 5, Benchmark 3
OTHER BOOKS: Number the Stars, A Girl Named Disaster, Indian Captive, and Ella Enchanted