Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Miri's humble life and her loyal love for her family and home strike a sharp contrast to the the possibility of being the land's reigning Princess! The opportunity held out to her and the other village teenage girls: to study, learn and train to be princess material. Who will be chosen as the Prince's bride?

Hale has fashioned an honest and meaningful tale of Miri and her friends as they confront the choices before them and learn to shape their lives on the consequences of those choices. Real decisions lead to real growth, and the reader is drawn through those moments, fully in sympathy with Miri, her challenges and triumphs, to come out on the other end of the tale with a realistic and heart-warming resolution.

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I can envision best my readers in the 4th and 5th grades enjoying this book most and finding it to be an involving and rewarding read.

Key words: princess, telepathy, friendship, learning to read