Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale
Book Review by S C Bryce
Have you read this book?
I would not normally read a book titled, Princess Academy, nor would I expect anyone past elementary school to do so. But I'd heard great things about Shannon Hale's Newbury Award winning Young Adult fantasy and I was curious enough to give it a shot.
The book surprised me.
Not because it was well-written. Hale has a critic and reader acclaimed style that's lyrical and relaxed. It's easy to read and satisfying, without being "dumbed down" for kids. It's a book of innocent pleasures and experiences. It is refreshing, for example, to read about the first stirrings of childhood romances -- trembling at holding of hands, stumbling beneath the gaze of the boy next door, and mumbling lame jokes to fill in awkward moments.
Nor was I surprised because of the plot. It begins as a typical Cinderella story centered on Miri, a misfit and runty girl who's convinced that everyone in her mountain village sees her as a misfit and runty girl. Along comes a royal messenger who notifies them that prophecy has seen that the next princess will come from their remote quarry-village. So embarrassing are their social graces that the girls are rounded up to be educated in the ways of courtly life before they meet the prince. Hence, the Princess Academy. At this point, the story gains an additional dimension: the Unjustly Punished Kids verses the Unjust Tutor, with a dash of peer bullying, a twist of adventure, and tons of vindication by the end.
What really surprised me about Princess Academy was its underlying politics. Miri's village is communistic and committed to gender, social, and economic equality. Yet, the villages are poor and uneducated, living in harsh and dangerous surroundings where children's dreams are limited to the glories of mining stone. They are exploited by capitalistic traders who pay the villagers a pittance for the linder stone that, back in the civilized lowlands, is worth a fortune.
When the girls first get to the Princess Academy, they rebel. Then they begin to dream -- not just about wearing fancy dresses and going to balls, but how being a princess could give them unprecedented power. They dream about improving the lives of their families and fellows. What they eventually realize is that the education they are receiving is useful not only in courtly life, but also in their own lives. With the discovery of reading, and in particular a book on economics, they realize a band of mountain girls can have a tremendous impact and create a socialist utopia. The prince becomes little more than an after-thought.
None of these political elements are preached in Princess Academy, although they are clear in the background of the otherwise straightforward, "coming of age" tale. There is also little magic in Princess Academy. The real magic is the connection between individuals, family, and homeland; the power is education.
The book surprised me.
Not because it was well-written. Hale has a critic and reader acclaimed style that's lyrical and relaxed. It's easy to read and satisfying, without being "dumbed down" for kids. It's a book of innocent pleasures and experiences. It is refreshing, for example, to read about the first stirrings of childhood romances -- trembling at holding of hands, stumbling beneath the gaze of the boy next door, and mumbling lame jokes to fill in awkward moments.
Nor was I surprised because of the plot. It begins as a typical Cinderella story centered on Miri, a misfit and runty girl who's convinced that everyone in her mountain village sees her as a misfit and runty girl. Along comes a royal messenger who notifies them that prophecy has seen that the next princess will come from their remote quarry-village. So embarrassing are their social graces that the girls are rounded up to be educated in the ways of courtly life before they meet the prince. Hence, the Princess Academy. At this point, the story gains an additional dimension: the Unjustly Punished Kids verses the Unjust Tutor, with a dash of peer bullying, a twist of adventure, and tons of vindication by the end.
What really surprised me about Princess Academy was its underlying politics. Miri's village is communistic and committed to gender, social, and economic equality. Yet, the villages are poor and uneducated, living in harsh and dangerous surroundings where children's dreams are limited to the glories of mining stone. They are exploited by capitalistic traders who pay the villagers a pittance for the linder stone that, back in the civilized lowlands, is worth a fortune.
When the girls first get to the Princess Academy, they rebel. Then they begin to dream -- not just about wearing fancy dresses and going to balls, but how being a princess could give them unprecedented power. They dream about improving the lives of their families and fellows. What they eventually realize is that the education they are receiving is useful not only in courtly life, but also in their own lives. With the discovery of reading, and in particular a book on economics, they realize a band of mountain girls can have a tremendous impact and create a socialist utopia. The prince becomes little more than an after-thought.
None of these political elements are preached in Princess Academy, although they are clear in the background of the otherwise straightforward, "coming of age" tale. There is also little magic in Princess Academy. The real magic is the connection between individuals, family, and homeland; the power is education.
|
Click here to buy Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale on Amazon
|
Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale on Amazon
| More Books You Might Like |
Comment on Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale
