Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy is written by Shannon Hale and the cover is drawn by Tim Seltner and designed by Lizzy Bromley.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Sub-genre: Fiction
Theme: No matter how small you physically may be, your spirit and influences are much more powerful!
Primary and Secondary Characters: Miri is the primary character and Britta, Marda, Miri's father, and Tutor Olana.
Awards:This book has won the Newberry Honor award.
Publisher and Date of Publication: Scholastic; 2005

Summary and Uses: This has such a powerful message to empower young students to live up to their full potential. In this story, Miri is a young girl searching for a place to belong in her mountain town where everyone works hard in the rock quarries except her. When a princess academy is opened to educate girls to become the princess of Danland, Miri is placed in competition with the girls she is trying so desperately to fit in with. Throughout the story, she learns how to become a leader and many girls learn to trust and follow her judgment. In a classroom setting, I would recommend this book to girls in my class for independent reading. It would definitely encourage them to become true to themselves and learn to follow what their heart. This is an inspirational story for all young ladies dreaming big!