Several months ago, my younger sister borrowed a book entitled Princess Academy from the library. My mom read it to her, then told me I would probably like it. I wasn't so sure; it seemed to me like it was for the 9-14 age group. A bit young for me. But I read it anyway. It was a delight from beginning to end.
14-year-old Miri lives in a small village on the fictional Mt. Eskel, where everyone works in the quarry, chiseling away for linder, the village's only trade item. Miri, however, is too small to work in the hazardous quarry. She wants to help her village succeed, to see their lives improved, but performing children's chores like keeping the goats doesn't seem to do much. When the villagers receive word that the lowlander prince is seeking a bride, and that she is to come from the mountain, Miri, along with the other teenage Mt. Eskel girls, gets sent to a makeshift school down the mountain aways to learn how to be a princess of the lowlands. Anticipation builds as the welcoming ball for the prince draws near. Yet Miri feels torn between this new exciting world and her home, where she knows her pa and older sister miss her and love her. And then there's Peder. Her childhood friend, Peder is about the only boy who pays attention to little Miri. She's begun to feel strange, exciting feelings for him, and she's not sure she'd want to give him up, even for a prince.
Tension mounts to the "can't-put-it-down" point, and the ending is one that leaves you with a good feeling down inside. This wonderful tale was definitely worth my while; Miri is such an admirable character, one that girls of all ages can befriend and relate to easily. Princess Academy is one of those stories with which a girl can't go wrong.
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