Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters facts for kids
 The cover art for The Forgotten Sisters
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| Author | Shannon Hale |
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| Cover artist | Jason Chan |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Princess Academy |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Published | Bloomsbury USA, 2015 |
| Pages | 326 |
| Preceded by | Princess Academy: Palace of Stone |
Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters is an exciting fantasy book. It was written by Shannon Hale and came out in 2015. This book is the third and last one in the popular Princess Academy series. The story continues after Princess Academy: Palace of Stone. In this adventure, a girl named Miri Larendaughter becomes a teacher. She goes to a new princess academy in a swampy place called Lesser Alva. Her job is to teach three royal cousins.
The Story
Miri is ready to go home to Mount Eskel. But the king calls her to his palace in Asland. He tells Miri that the kingdom of Eris has been taken over. Another kingdom, Stora, has conquered it. To avoid war, the king wants to make friends with Stora. He plans to offer a bride to Stora's King Fader.
The king asks Miri to travel to Lesser Alva. Three of his cousins live there. Miri's job is to teach them. She must prepare them to meet the king in Asland. Miri agrees, but she has one condition. She wants the graduates of Mount Eskel's Princess Academy to own their land. The king agrees to her request.
Miri travels to Lesser Alva, a swampy area. She meets the three royal cousins: Astrid, Felissa, and Susanna. Susanna is often called "Sus." These girls hunt and fish to survive. The money from the king stopped coming when their mother died. Miri helps them get rid of a man who was stealing their money. Now they can buy food. They also have time to learn how to read. Miri starts a princess academy in their small home in the swamp. The sisters become sad when they learn one of them must marry a 72-year-old king. Meanwhile, Miri writes letters to Peder and her sister Marda. But her letters never arrive. Peder has left Mount Eskel to find Miri. He wants to make sure she is safe.
Danger and Escape
Later, soldiers from Stora invade Lesser Alva. Miri, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus try to hide who the sisters really are. They want to keep their royal identities a secret. Miri tries to help a man the soldiers hurt. Because of this, the soldiers capture her. But a man named Dogface rescues her. He was one of the bandits who held her hostage before. Dogface tells Miri to find a way to free Lesser Alva. He cuts her hair to change how she looks. Then he sets her free.
That night, Peder arrives. He tells the girls that Stora has also invaded Asland. Peder helps them escape on a pirate ship. Storan sailors stop their ship. Astrid pretends to be one of King Fader's daughters. She successfully convinces the Storans. When the ship reaches Asland, they all jump overboard. They hide from the Storans.
Royal Secrets and Peace
They break into the palace. There they find Queen Sabet. She immediately recognizes Astrid, Felissa, and Sus. They are the daughters she was forced to give away. Miri discovers that they are indeed princesses. Astrid is Steffan's twin, and she was born first.
Then, Miri and Britta take the sisters to meet King Fader. But they learn that he has died. The Storans are planning a secret attack on the palace. They want to kill Danland's King Bjorn. Miri uses her special "quarry-speech" to warn Peder. It works, and the Storans find the palace empty. But the Storans plan to use the girls as bait. They want to trap the king.
Miri, Britta, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus are thrown into a cell. The Storans treat them badly. Then they meet King Fader's son, Kaspar. He has become the new king of Stora. Kaspar and Sus are close in age. Sus suggests that they get married to stop the war. Kaspar agrees, and a peace treaty is signed. The girls join the royals and Peder. They return to the palace. Queen Sabet sends away the person who took her daughters from her. The princesses are welcomed into the palace. Steffan gives the crown to Astrid. She is the first-born in the family. Miri and Peder return home to Mount Eskel. Miri is reunited with her Pa and Marda. She tells them the king has given the princess academy graduates ownership of Mount Eskel. The village celebrates. Miri and Peder become engaged.
Quarry-speech
In the first Princess Academy book, Miri learned a special way to talk. She could communicate without speaking. This was done using the linder stone from Mount Eskel. Quarry workers used this "quarry-speech" to warn each other. They used it because their chisels and mallets made a lot of noise. Miri found out that quarry-speech works by bringing up old memories. These memories help people understand what is happening now.
Miri and others from Mount Eskel have linder in their bones. This is because they breathed its dust and drank water with it. So, they can use quarry-speech whenever they touch linder. People not from Mount Eskel, called "lowlanders," cannot understand these messages.
However, in Palace of Stone, Miri learns something new. The royal family can use a different kind of quarry-speech. It is called "linder-wisdom." They lived for hundreds of years in palaces made of linder. Because of this, they learned to use its magic. They can feel what others are feeling. In Forgotten Sisters, Miri sees that the sisters have this power. Astrid, Felissa, and Sus use it to help themselves.
Awards and Nominations
- A Junior Library Guild selection
- An Association for Library Service to Children/ALA Notable Children's Book nominee
