Princess Academy facts for kids
The original cover of Princess Academy
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| Author | Shannon Hale |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Press |
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Publication date
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June 16, 2005 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 314 |
| ISBN | 1-58234-993-2 |
| OCLC | 57366112 |
| LC Class | PZ7.H13824 Pr 2005 |
| Followed by | Princess Academy: Palace of Stone |
Princess Academy is a fantasy book written by Shannon Hale. It was published on June 16, 2005. The story is about a 14-year-old girl named Miri. She goes to a special school called a princess academy. At this school, one girl will be chosen to marry the prince. This book won a special award called the Newbery Honor in 2006. It also became a New York Times Bestseller. It's the first book in a series. The other books are Princess Academy: Palace of Stone and Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters.
Contents
Miri's Journey to the Princess Academy
Miri is a 14-year-old girl from Mount Eskel. This is a small, isolated village in the land of Danland. Her family works in a quarry, cutting a special stone called linder. They sell this stone to traders for food and other things they need.
Miri has never been allowed to work in the quarry. This makes her feel different from everyone else. She helps her family by bargaining with the traders. She is very close to her father, her sister Marda, and a boy named Peder. She has special feelings for Peder.
One day, a royal messenger arrives in the village. He announces that the king's priests have decided something big. The crown prince will choose his future wife from Mount Eskel! This is surprising because mountain villagers and lowlanders often don't get along.
A "princess academy" is set up nearby. Every girl from 12 to 18 years old must attend. At the end of the year, the prince will meet the girls and pick his bride.
Life at the Academy
Miri and the other girls go to the academy. Their teacher is Tutor Olana, who is very strict. First, they learn to read and write. Then, they study subjects like Danland's history, how to act politely, how to talk well, and how to do business.
All the girls want to impress the prince. They hope to win a comfortable life for themselves and their families. Miri becomes friends with some girls, including Britta. Britta is a lowlander who recently moved to Mount Eskel.
Miri uses her new knowledge of business to help her village. They start getting better deals from the lowlander traders. One time, the girls break the rules and sneak home for spring holiday. When they return, they use their new diplomacy skills. They convince Tutor Olana to let them visit home every week.
Discovering Quarry-Speech
Miri also starts to learn about "quarry-speech." This is a silent way of communicating that people from Mount Eskel use. It was thought that this special communication only worked inside the quarry. But Miri discovers she can use it outside!
She uses quarry-speech to help the other girls with their final exam. Because of her help, all the girls pass. They all get to go to the ball and meet the prince.
Before the ball, Miri's sister Marda has an accident in the quarry. Marda breaks her leg. Miri rushes to help, but her father tells her to leave. He never lets her in the quarry. Miri is upset.
She meets Peder's mother, Doter. Doter tells Miri the real reason her father keeps her out of the quarry. Miri's mother had a similar accident before Miri was born and passed away. Miri realizes her father truly loves her and was just trying to protect her.
Back at the academy, Miri talks with the other girls. She learns they never judged her for not working in the quarry. Miri feels much better. She realizes her new education means she can become anything she wants.
The Prince's Choice and a New Future
Miri does very well in her studies. She is also kind and helps her classmates, even though they are competing. Because of this, she earns the title of "academy princess." This means she gets the first dance with the prince.
At the academy ball, the prince dances with every girl except Britta, who is sick. He seems distant and quiet. Later, he takes a walk with Miri and shows a more friendly side. However, he leaves without choosing a bride. He promises to return in the spring to announce his choice.
After the prince leaves, bandits attack the academy! They want to kidnap the future princess for money. Miri uses her quarry-speech to call for help from the village. At first, no one hears her. But then, she connects with Peder.
The villagers come through a blizzard to the academy. The girls escape the bandits and spend the whole winter at home. In the spring, the prince returns. He chooses to marry Britta, whom he has known since childhood. He also names Mount Eskel an official province.
Britta offers Miri a chance to travel to the capital city and continue her studies. The book ends with Peder and Miri telling each other how they feel. Miri decides to stay in Mount Eskel with her family for a while.
Main Characters
Miri Larendaughter
Miri is the main character. She is a 14-year-old girl from Mount Eskel. Her father never let her work in the quarries. This made her feel small and not useful. When the princess academy starts, she has to go.
At the academy, Miri discovers she loves reading. She stands out because she is smart, thinks well, and helps her classmates. Even though it's a competition, she is kind. Her good scores make her the "academy princess." In the end, she dreams of starting a school in her village.
Britta Paweldaughter
Britta is from the lowlands. She moves to Mount Eskel to live with her relatives. She finds it hard to fit in with the mountain people. She is quiet, and some girls think she is proud.
At the academy, Britta becomes friends with Miri. She is the only girl who can read at first, but she tries to hide it. Later, it's revealed that Prince Steffan was her childhood friend and they liked each other. Her father is a nobleman who sent her to Mount Eskel so she could marry the prince. Britta is chosen by Steffan to be his princess.
Katar Jinsdaughter
Katar is an older girl at the Princess Academy. She is Miri's main rival for being the best student. She really wants to be chosen as the future princess. Katar often acts snobbish and likes to show off how much she knows to Tutor Olana.
However, she does join the other girls when they stand up to Olana's unfair rules. Katar lost her mother when she was very young. She feels unloved by her father and wants to leave Mount Eskel no matter what. She is even willing to marry the prince, even if she doesn't like him. When Miri turns down a chance to be a delegate for Mount Eskel, she suggests Katar instead. Miri believes Katar's smarts and desire to leave make her perfect for the job.
Peder Doterson
Peder is a 15-year-old boy from Mount Eskel. He works in the quarries. He and Miri were friends since they were little. As they grew up, they started to have romantic feelings for each other. They were both afraid to tell each other.
Peder thinks Miri wants to marry the prince. Miri thinks Peder sees her as small and not useful. Peder seems to have a special connection to Miri. He is able to hear her calls for help when the bandits attack, even when her own father can't.
Peder is also very good at carving linder stone. This is a hobby that isn't usually encouraged because everyone is needed for mining. But as things get better in the village, Peder can spend more time on his art. He hopes to study with a skilled artist one day.
More Adventures in the Series
Princess Academy: Palace of Stone
This book is the first sequel to Princess Academy. It was published in August 2012. The story follows Miri and her friends as they go to Asland. They are there to help Britta, the future princess, get ready for her wedding.
Miri also gets to go to school at the Queen's Castle. She makes new friends who seem very sophisticated and exciting. But then she learns they have a dangerous plan to overthrow the king and queen. Miri feels torn between her loyalty to Britta and her new friends' ideas. She also has to choose between an old love and a new crush. Miri tries to find her own path between her small mountain home and the busy city.
Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters
This is the third book in the series, published in February 2015. After a year in Asland, Miri wants to go home to Mount Eskel. But the king gives her a new order. She must become a tutor at a princess academy for three royal sisters: Astrid, Felissa, and Susanna.
Miri learns that Mount Eskel could be lost in a war with a nearby country called Stora. If one of the sisters marries Stora's king, it might save Asland. Miri reluctantly agrees to go to Lesser Alva. This is a swampy and remote place where the sisters live. Miri faces the challenge of teaching these three independent girls. She also deals with suspicious locals and dangers in the swamp. She soon discovers a bigger mystery about who the three girls really are. The war is also closer than she thought.
Other Versions of the Story
The Princess Academy novel has been made into other forms of entertainment.
A play based on the novel was created by Lisa Hall Hagen. It first opened on May 29, 2015, at Brigham Young University's Pardoe Theatre. The play was nominated for an AML Award for drama.
The Kensington Theatre Company in South Jordan, Utah also turned the novel into a musical. This musical used Scandinavian folk music.
Awards and Recognition
Princess Academy has received many awards and honors:
- Newbery Honor Book
- The New York Times and Publishers Weekly Best Seller
- A Book Sense Pick
- An ALA Notable Children's Book (2006)
- 2007 Beehive Award (formerly Utah Children's Book Award)
- 2005 AML Award for Young Adult Literature
- A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
- A New England Booksellers Association Top 10 Titles for Fall
- A Book for the Teen Age by The New York Public Library
- Honorable Mention for "Favorite Novel of the Year," PW's 2005 Cuffie Awards
- A Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year, starred entry
- Nominated for the 2008 Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award
- Nominated for the 2008 Colorado Children's Book Award
- Nominated for the 2008 South Carolina Young Adult Book Award
- Nominated for the 2008 Young Reader's Choice Award, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Library Association
- Nominated for the Illinois 2008 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award
- Nominated for the 2010 Maud Hart Lovelace award (Minnesota)
- A 2007 DCF Voting Top Ten (Vermont)
- A Salt Lake Tribune Best Book of 2005
- Recommended Reads for Kids 2005 (Dover Community News)
