Princess Academy
by Shannon Hale
***** (5 out of 5)
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In December 2016 I decided to create a list of all the books I have ever read. This turned out to be an impossible task because I have read too many books to remember them all. Plus, there was a handful of books that I could not remember if I had read them or not. This was one of those books. For the life of me I could not figure out if I had read it. This book in particular was really bugging me so I decided to read it again. Turns out I have read it before, but it was still worth reading.
According to Scholastic this book is meant for grades 3-8, so it was a pretty easy read, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy every second of it. Miri, the main character, is amazing. She is strong and clever and brave, but she is also insecure and loving. She is pretty much my ideal heroine. I love the way she interacts with the other girls in the academy. They have petty arguments and real issues, but they still manage to come together and help each other in their darkest hour. Despite the competitions and the drive to win, no one truly wished for the other girls to fail. They had very realistic, middle school drama, relationships.
There is a certain innocence about the book that just made me happy. It is hard to explain, but its just a feel good book. But not a sappy love story type feel good. Its got a good plot and a LOT of character development. There is a good mix of love, action, fantasy, drama, and resolution to make it a great read.
This is a great book for all ages. I would definitely recommend it to elementary and middle schoolers as well as teenagers and adults. This would make a great book to read with your child too! If you want to start a mommy and me book club with your child I would suggest starting with this book. Its that good!
P.S. I would like to give a shout out to Angelica @ The Book Cover Girls. This book has been on my TBR for a year and has been nagging at me to figure out if I had read it previously. Reading Angelica’s story inspired me to pick it up sooner rather than later! Thanks Angelica 🙂
I’m glad I inspired you to read it! It’s definitely worth the read! And I’m glad you liked it, even if you had already read it before!
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Thanks!
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I reread Matilda in 2017 and it was still just as much of a fun cute read as it was when I was a kid. I still enjoy reading middle grade books and such, because it doesn’t matter the targeted demographic, most of us can still find something to appreciate from the story.
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I never read Matilda because the movie scared me as a kid, but I get what you are saying about reading middle grade books. Its about the story, not the reading level! I have re-read Harry Potter lots of times!
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