Princess Academy (Princess Academy Series #1)

Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. Sent to an academy to learn how to become a princess, Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and even bandits intent on kidnapping the future princess.

"When it comes to contemporary classics, Shannon Hale has the makings of someone whose books will be read and reread for decades to come."-The 2006 Newbery Committee (The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association)

"Princess Academy is the strong, well-written story of one girl's determination to show that even a small mountain flower can be as valuable as a gold crown."-Teenreads.com "An unalloyed joy."-Kirkus Reviews

"This is not a fluffy, predictable fairy tale. . . . Instead, Hale weaves an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationships, education, and the place we call home." -School Library Journal