Hale, Shannon. Princess Academy. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005.
14-year-old Miri has never been allowed to work in the quarry. She believes it is because of her small stature, and is jealous of her sister and all the others that go and contribute to the village. But when the kingdom's priests divine that the prince will marry a girl from Miri's village, a tutor is sent out to prepare the girls for the more "civilized" world of the lowlands. And now Miri finally has the chance to show her own talents, and perhaps even marry a prince. But with her newfound knowledge comes secrets that the kingdom has hidden from the village for centuries. Secrets that could change everything.
Interesting. Hard to put down. I liked that being a princess wasn’t the happy ending. It’s nice to know that heroines can be happy without getting the prince. I liked that I didn’t know exactly what the happiest ending would be until I got it. I was so torn for so long, and then BAM! We discover the only possible happy ending. Fantastic. Definitely a teenage girl book.
