A Story Collection - Once Upon a Time

My daughter brought the first book home and we thoroughly enjoyed it together. I was so pleased to discover the second Princess Academy story. It was enchanting to continue Miri and her fellow Princess Academy graduates' stories. We'll done Shannon Hale.

Very few sequels are better than the first. This one is no different. However, it was enjoyable. I appreciated the soul-searching of Miri. When faced with changes, it is hard to reconcile who we are with who we could be. I have loved all of Shannon Hale's books.

This is a middle-school level book, if not elementary. The plot is absolutely straightforward, with only one (rather formulaic) plot twist of note. The royal priests divine that the next queen will come from a tiny, illiterate mountain village. Therefore, all girls of applicable age must attend a newly-formed academy for a year to become acceptable candidates.

Our heroine has the Disney-plot/curse all over her. She is the youngest of two girls; her mother died right after her birth; she is the smallest girl of her age group; and she is left out of things by her loving-but-distant father. She is pretty, smart, talented, and outgoing. She likes a boy in the village who is also a little different and more gifted than the rest.

You can probably fill in the plot from here.

I recommend it to anyone who would like to see what happens when an old-fashioned governess takes on an entire village-worth of modernly-written Heidi characters. Alternatively, I recommend it to people who liked Heidi, thought The Selection was missing something, and don't mind a Sound of Music soundtrack.

If you liked the first princess academy, you'll enjoy this book too. I loved them both! I am a big fan if Shannon Hale. This book is a continuation of the first princess academy. Miri, and the other princess academy girls get to go to the wedding of the prince and Britta, but things don't go quite as planned. You'll learn more about Miri and Peder too. I really enjoyed this book.

When I heard about a Princess Academy sequel I wasn't very keen. I felt the original story had a great sense of completeness to it. How wrong I was! Shannon Hale has managed to create a sequel that adds to and enriches the first book while simultaneously standing on it's own. Highly recommend this book to anyone a fan of the genre.

If you liked the first princess academy, you'll enjoy this book too. I loved them both! I am a big fan if Shannon Hale. This book is a continuation of the first princess academy. Miri, and the other princess academy girls get to go to the wedding of the prince and Britta, but things don't go quite as planned. You'll learn more about Miri and Peder too. I really enjoyed this book.

When I heard about a Princess Academy sequel I wasn't very keen. I felt the original story had a great sense of completeness to it. How wrong I was! Shannon Hale has managed to create a sequel that adds to and enriches the first book while simultaneously standing on it's own. Highly recommend this book to anyone a fan of the genre.

Well written, wonderful story line. I felt most fairy tales are based on choosing between good and evil and I thought this helped represented real life in choosing between two good things and compromising. True everyday life skills. As a teacher, would highly recommend for anyone.

This book is perfect for girls who love adventure and determination. Shannon Hale really puts a spin on things in this book. I could hardly wait to read the second one! This is a book you cannot put down even if you tried.really! I read on and on until midnight! So even if this was a summer reading book, I am glad that I got a chance to read such an amazing book.

Hope you find my review helpful! Priyanka Venkat age 9

Palace of Stone is the sequel to Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, this book takes you to what happened after they come down from the mountain and has been added to my collection as a favorite, along with Palace of Stone.

My daughters really liked this book and begged me to get the sequel as soon as we finished reading it. The 11-year-old could have easily read it on her own, but the 8-year-old would have struggled. Some of the political overtones were over both of their heads, but made it an interesting read for me too.

wow that was so good.... I recommend the book for kids 12-15.. but others can still read it too.this book tells us about how you can be powerful when you are with your friends and family.... this is a very powerful story.

When I first stumbled across Princess Academy on my recommendations list, I was afraid it would be too young of a young adult novel to really dive into. But, I read the summary and figured for the price, it was worth starting. I was amazed at how quickly I was sucked into the story! There are times when the story went ways I found a little cliche but each time I felt that way, something would happen to quickly redeem itself. I loved following Miri and watching her grow. She was easy to relate to, even for those who don't have similar backgrounds or lives like her. She faces problems and fears that many face now. Having to put on a brave face when you don't feel brave or trying to act like little things don't bother you; seeing Miri in situations like these was inspiring.

I loved all the characters Hale put in this book, even the girls you think you're going to dislike become more and more human, except maybe for one or two (Liana, bleh). Over all, I highly recommend this book. Especially for anyone who was a fan of The Goose Girl.

Words cannot express how much I loved this delightful coming of age story. I was thrilled with the beauty of the prose, fell in love with some characters, had compassion for others, and was terrified of more still. I laughed, I cried, I sighed, I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

I don't normally buy "princess" type books but Shannon Hale is such a great writer I thought I'd give this a try, "Princess Academy" is geared to a younger audience than "Goose Girl" and "Enna Burning" but it's still a really nice read. I would recommend it.