Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale is a book that begs to be given away. Many books are pleasurable and as I close them I tuck this thought away, "Now that was a nice read. The next niece that has a birthday will get this book." Not Princess Academy. This one sent me to the streets in search of likely people to give the book to. It was all I could do to keep from accosting my mailman this morning. "Do you have children? Any birthdays in your house lately? Are you married? Here, give this to your wife for Mother's Day."

Some of you are, no doubt, scratching your heads. You remember that I don't like girly books. Particularly ones for teen girls with the word princess in the title. Yuck! Princess Academy is not a contemporary teen chick lit title, though. It's a--what?--a fairy tale, I suppose. Maybe because I learned to love reading while curled up with the Brothers Grimm I am predisposed to love this type of book.

What exactly do I love about the book? I love the setting. I love the mountain, the quarry, and the goat dung fires. I love the characters. I love Miri, small, unsure, determined, proud, happy, compassionate. Oh, she's not perfect. She has some blind spots. But when Miri knows the good thing, she chooses the good thing, even if it's going to cost her. And I can't help but love her for that. I love the other characters, too. They are real, they are conflicted, they are sometimes nice and sometimes not. And I also love the messages in the book. Like the veins of linder the people tap into and chisel from the mountain, the themes in this story run deep.

Perhaps what I love most is the writing. Rare and wonderful writing that fit perfectly with the rare and wise mountain people in the book.

Here is the first paragraph:

Miri woke to the sleepy bleating of a goat. The world was as dark as eyes closed, but perhaps the goats could smell dawn seeping through the cracks in the house’s stone walls. Though still half-asleep, she was aware of the late autumn chill hovering just outside her blanket, and she wanted to curl up tighter and sleep like a bear through frost and night and day.

Read the rest of the chapter here.

OK I'm done. I have to go to the store. I just found out my third cousin, once removed--I think her name is Agnes, I'll have to check with my mom to make sure--had a birthday last week. I must send a belated gift right away.

Links of interest:

Orson Scott Card likes the book, too.

Shannon Hale on the Newbery call.

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Copyright © 2006 Sally Apokedak