PRINCESS ACADEMY

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon. 2005. PRINCESS ACADEMY. New York: Bloomsbury Children’s Books. ISBN 1582349932

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In the small village on Mount Eskel, linder is its most valuable resource. Generations of Mount Eskel's citizens have worked in the linder quarry as their main source of income. Imagine the surprise of all when the king announces that the next royal bride will be chosen from the small village and that all of the maidens between the ages of twelve and eighteen must attend an academy in order to prepare the future princess in the ways of etiquette, diplomacy, and knowledge.

Fourteen –year-old Mira, whose mother died when she was born, longs for a chance to prove herself to her father. Her small size, she thinks, has kept her from working in the linder quarry, and she feels that the academy will be her chance to prove her worth.

Although she is bright, Mira’s strong will and independent thinking create a barrier between herself and the other students. During the struggles at the academy (from poise lessons, learning how to read, history lessons, confrontations with the headmistress, to a kidnapping attempt) Mira discovers the mystery of quarry speak and the true value of the linder which is only found in Mount Eskel. Mira learns exactly what her purpose is and just how important she is to her family and, eventually, her entire village.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This fantasy tale takes us back to the time of a structured class system, royal balls, and a system of trade involving items instead of money. There does not seem to be a battle of the sexes since the girls are allowed to be educated and to work in the quarry along with the men. In fact, by the story’s end, the young women are helping the men and boys become literate.
The female characters are strong physically and mentally. When the girls are able to use quarry speak to help with their academics and then help free themselves from a group of kidnappers, one sees just how remarkable these characters are. Even though the main character, Mira, is small, she is fittingly named after the flower that “conquers the rock”. Her struggles to become the top student at the academy (to be educated) and deciding whether she wants to be princess or stay on the mountain with her family, are believable and encouraging to those who are trying to discover themselves.

Shannon Hale’s writing is so realistic that the reader begins to wonder if there really are such things as quarry speak, linder, Mount Eskel, and mira flowers. While this novel ends with the feeling “and they all lived happily ever after” it is not artificial because each character’s ending is fitting for who they have become. The right girls become instructors, trade experts, and there is even a surprising twist in the choice for the new princess.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Newbery Honor Book

School Library Journal:”The thought of being a princess never occurred to the girls living on Mount Eskel. Most plan to work in the quarry like the generations before them. When it is announced that the prince will choose a bride from their village, 14-year-old Miri, who thinks she is being kept from working in the Quarry because of her small stature, believes that this is her opportunity to prove her worth to her father. All eligible females are sent off to attend a special academy where they face many challenges and hardships as they are forced to adapt to the cultured life of a lowlander. First, strict Tutor Olana denies a visit home. Then, they are cut off from their village by heavy winter snowstorms. As their isolation increases, competition builds among them. The story is much like the mountains, with plenty of suspenseful moments that peak and fall, building into the next intense event. Miri discovers much about herself, including a special talent called quarry speak, a silent way to communicate. She uses this ability in many ways, most importantly to save herself and the other girls from harm. Each girl’s story is brought to a satisfying conclusion, but this is not a fluffy, predictable fairy tales, even though it has wonderful moments of humor. Instead, Hale weaves an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationship, education, and the place we call home.”

Booklist: “Miri would love to join her father and older sister as a miner in Mount Eskel’s quarry. Not a glamorous aspiration for a 14-year-old, perhaps, but the miners produce the humble village’s prize stone, linder, and mining is a respected occupation that drives the local economy. When the local girls are rounded up to compete for the hand of the kingdom’s prince, Miri, the prize student in the Princess Academy, gets her chance to shine. In addition to her natural intelligence and spunk, she discovers an intuitive, and at times, unspoken language that grew out of work songs in the mines and uses linder as a medium. With the “quarry-speech” giving a boost to her courage and intelligence, Miri leads her classmates in the fight against being treated as social inferiors in the academy, at the same time educating herself in ways that will better the village. Hale nicely interweaves feminist sensibilities in this quest-for-a-prince-charming, historical-fantasy tale. Strong suspense and plot drive the action as the girls outwit would-be kidnappers and explore the boundaries of leadership, competition, and friendship.”


5. CONNECTIONS
Have the students pretend that they are going to an academy where they will be trained in leading the United States. Giving them a paper bag as their “suitcase” have them choose the items that they will take with them, and the importance of each item. Then begin a discussion about what the girls of Princess Academy left behind and what was expected of them.

Make a list of subjects that should be studied by future leaders. How does this compare to what the girls of Mount Eskel studied?

Study different stones and gems. Is linder real? What would be like it? Draw, define, and categorize it.

Discover what you can about the mountain flower miri (Does it exist or not? Give proof). Draw a picture of it (or what you think it would look like) and compare it to the character Miri. Discuss the symbolism in her name.

Other Princes Novels:
Levine, Gail Carson. ELLA ENCHANTED. ISBN 0064407055
Levine, Gail Carson. FAIREST. ISBN 0067034108
Stanley, Diane. BELLA AT MIDNIGHT. ISBN 1582349932