Amanda

Princess Academy By: Shannon Hale ​ "As a heroine, Mira herself undergoes the necessary growth and changes required of her. At the same time, she has a sense of humor. The book doesn't go in for many laugh out loud moments, but at least we're not watching a humorless EARNEST hero in the making." -Amazon

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"Shannon Hale has always been one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. It was a wonderful coming-of-age story told in a fantasy setting that was beautifully described and I could picture perfectly. I found myself cheering for Miri and the other girls and I loved the end." - LibrayThing

"Why are you being so evasive? Tell me, I really want to know!" - Peder

​ __"Your pa is like a house with shutters closed, there are things going on inside that person can't see, but you sense he has a wound that won't heal." - Doter __

"This was a fantastic story! I enjoyed the dynamic characters that had creative secrets and hidden pasts. Hope the authurs other books meet this standard." - Barnes and Noble

"I'm sorry my sweet flower." -Pa

I chose this video because it tells about my story in a short amount of time and media footage. This video shows a little bit about the plot of my story and what happens in the beginning of the story. The video shows how the girls are told that they have to go to the academy because the prince is coming. I also chose this book because it tries to explain the theme of the book in short. I thought this video was also a cute explanation of a part of my book. It shows little people as the characters that have thought bubbles for talking, which shows when the messenger comes to get the girls. It was also mainly the only video I could find to fit my book, which doesn't show much about my book, but it explains enough of it.  I chose the crown because it’s a really important element of the book. All of the girls from Mount Eskel that qualified to go to the academy to be princess are going to be fighting for the crown. The crown represents becoming the princess. Not only does it represent becoming princess, but it also represents the prince whom in which they are trying to win over. Each and every one of those girls wants to be able to wear the crown on their head so that they can bring royalty and importance to their family. The book mentions several times about the girls imagining the sparkling gorgeous crown upon their heads, and they want to know who will be the lucky bride.

I chose the castle on the mountain because it represented the academy in which the girls will spend about a year learning the ways of a princess. This place is significant to the story because this is where the girls learn everything. They learn all the ways of royalty and everything about the Lowlands. Another reason I chose the picture of the castle on a mountain is because this is the place where at first Miri makes a lot of enemies, but then as she stays there longer and longer, she makes new friends apart from the few she already had. Although Miri missed her home, she felt like the academy was her home too. That is why the picture of a castle on a mountain is significant.

 I chose the quote, "Why are you being so evasive? Tell me, I really want to know!", because in the book, Miri is talking to one of her friends about Peder and how much she liked him. Peder was walking by and wanted to know what they were talking about. Miri had a huge crush on Peder and talks about him all the time. That is the reason I chose this quote, Miri and Peder have a good connection, not just as best friends, but also liking each other. Peder just won't admit it. That's why Peder wants to know everything. Peder does everything to get information out of Miri. She finally tells him a random story about something her and him had done a long time ago, so that he wouldn’t find out that she liked him.

I chose the quote, "Your pa is a house with shutters closed, there are things going on inside that person can't see, but you sense he has a wound that won't heal.", because it is probably the most important quote from the book that I have. This quote explains in its own words about what is wrong with Miri’s Pa. Just shortly after Miri was born, her mom went to the quarry to work. A boulder fell and killed her mom, so her dad had to raise Miri by herself. That was a huge wound that left a big hole in his heart. That is why Pa won’t allow Miri to work in the quarry because of the chance his little could get killed just like his wife. That is why she said he had a wound that won’t heal.

I chose the quote, "I'm sorry my sweet flower." because Pa had yelled at Miri before he said this because Miri had gone into the quarry because she had seen a boulder falling and heading straight towards her sisterm then it hit her. Miri had run towards her sister in the quarry, but her father screamed at her to get away. This quote is important because Miri's name is a flower, and when Miri's mom was alive, that's what she called Miri, her sweet flower. When Miri is called sweet flower she remembers stories about her mom and how she came up with Miri’s name. She was told her mother found a flower called a Miri, and that she knew what her daughter’s name would be. Miri’s father agreed, and knew also that Miri would be his daughter's name, it was perfect.