Book Nook Club: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

July 3, 2011

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy is a book I've heard about a lot, maybe because it's a Newberry Honor Book. My little sister read it and loved it, and I've been meaning to pick it up for a while. When I heard the author Shannon Hale talking about how she came up with the characters and how she wrote the book at the National Book Festival a year ago my fate was sealed, I had to read this book.

It took me all of three hours sitting by the pool to finish the book. It's a very quick and fun read. The basic storyline is that the king's priests have determined that the next princess lives in a small town high up in the mountains. All of the girls ages 12-17 are forced to go to a Princess Academy for a year to prepare for a ball where the prince will choose his princess from one of those girls.

Like Hunger Games, this book has just the right amount of fantasy, romance, competition, and action. I loved the main character, Miri, as well as the other girls trying to become the next princess. And unlike a lot of other young adult lit I've read, the end actually surprised and delighted me. Definitely worth reading. 5 stars.