Princess Academy teacher's edition

Rediscover a favorite read! Introduce it to new readers.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale is an excellent book for readers grades 5 and up. It offers a stimulating examination of the power of literacy and bigotry. The book explores such additional themes as heroism, courage, leadership, family and community. Rich in purposeful setting, the book is an excellent conversation piece for discussing story structure and the writer’s craft.

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. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village.

The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess. Soon Miri finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires.