Princess Academy by children's author Shannon Hale.
Posted April 5th, 2008 by liesel
Overlook the title of Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy (New York: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2005) because it’s not a “princess” book in the usual genre. A Newberry Honor book, it tells the story of tiny Miri, a Mount Eskel girl whose life revolves around the linder quarry until the day the Prince’s messengers announce that the next Princess will be chosen from her village. In beautiful prose with poetic interludes, Hale has told a wonderful story here for children ages 7-12. You won’t predict the ending. Look for Hale’s other books (all Juvenile or Young Adult) Enna Burning; Goose Girl; River Secrets; and her newest, Book of a Thousand Days, based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
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A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park, NY Listening Library, 2001.
Planning a Memorial Day road trip? Check out Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard on CD for the car ride. For children 7-13, this was the 2002 Newberry Award winning novel that takes place in “a small village on the west coast of Korea, mid- to late twelfth century.” The protagonist, Tree Ear, is an orphan who lives under a bridge with the only friend he has ever known, a kind and crippled vagrant named Crane-Man. When he glimpses a famous potter at work, Tree Ear wants to learn the art of making beautiful vessels. The problem: the craft is only passed on from father to son. Graeme Malcolm, the narrator, will keep your attention till the last mile. Look for this book on CD in the Young Adult section.