Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale is the sequel to Princess Academy. In this book, Miri Peder, and the girls who attended the Princess Academy have the opportunity to travel to Asland (the capital city of Danland). While the girls are officially there to help Britta prepare for her wedding to Prince Steffan, they are taking advantage of the many learning opportunities available. For instance, Gerti is work in a forge, Peder is learning about carving, Liana is taking full advantage of her noble title, and Miri is attending school at the Queen's Castle. As a result of her studies and the people she meets, Miri is thrown into the middle of what looks like a revolution! Due to the demands of the king, the "shoeless" are nearly starving and working to death just to stay alive while the royalty and nobles have everything they want and more. Miri is torn between helping a cause she knows is right and remaining faithful to herself, Mount Eskel, her family and friends. Does she really have to choose?
I LOVED this book. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors. She gave me a signed ARC of Palace of Stone at the IRA Convention last May. When I finally got the chance to read it, I finished in a day!! I really liked the way Miri grew through her experience with the scholars, the "rebels" and her wish to understand ethics. I also liked the message that everything is not always black and white. If one is clever and persistent a new, and sometimes better, answer is just around the corner. Look for Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale on August 21, 2012.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George is based on a folktale from Norway. It tells the story of woodcutter, Jarl Oskarson's youngest daughter. When she was born her mother was very unhappy about having another girl and refused to give her a name. Thus, she was known only as 'pika', meaning 'girl'. Being youngest, most of her siblings had moved out and on to lead their own lives. Her older brother, Hans Peter, however, came back after years aboard a merchant ship, injured and broken. He and Pika became very close. Hans Peter was dismayed when a giant polar bear came seeking Pika, asking her to live with him in an ice castle in the north for one year, in exchange for wealth and riches for her family. Pika agrees, at the encouragement of her greedy mother. Pika could never have realized that Hans Peter knew much more about this situation than her let on. During her year stay with the polar bear, many strange things happened to Pika, including a nightly visit from a strange man who wouldn't speak to her. When her curiosity got the best of her, Pika lit a candle to get a good look at her visitor. Unknowingly, this act ruined the deal the man had made with the evil Troll Princess. Now, despite Pika and the stranger having fallen in love over the course of their time together, he was forced to marry the troll! So, Pika calls upon all of her strength to travel into the trolls' realm and challenge the princess, risking her life and limb to save her true love.
When I read this book, I couldn't help but feel as though I already knew the story. About half way through, I realized it was the folktale I was familiar with, not this particular version of it! I really liked this book. It was a great fantasy adventure. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books by Shannon Hale.
Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is about Benevolence, the niece of King Ferdinand of Montagne. Ben was raised in the soldiers' barracks by her mother and father (King Ferdinand's brother) and lived a very happy life sheltered from the dramas of the kingdom. That is, until her parents and King Ferdinand were assassinated and Princess Benevolence became the only heir to the throne of Montagne. Ferdinand's wife, Queen Sofia immediately took over her care, forcing Ben to learn the ways befitting her station... preparing her for her future queenly duties. Ben fought this at all costs and ended up imprisoned in the wizard's tower of the castle. By day Ben was forced to endure the awful trainings but by night, she worked in her little cell to discover the secrets to the castle. Purely by mistake Ben discovered her magical abilities and the maze-like paths and tunnels that ran throughout the castle. She also discovered a tiny room above her own which held a magical spell book, teaching herself many spells and enchantments. These proved useful as Ben learned of a plot by Queen Sofia to marry her off in an attempt to strengthen the kingdom. Ben winds up escaping the castle, but becoming a prisoner of the very people she suspects killed her parents! In an exciting turn of events, Princess Benevolence finds peace within herself, her aunt, and even the rival kingdom with which Montange has warred for years...
This was a great fantasy. There was magic, adventure, dragons, a great battle scene, and even a little romance! I loved the way Ben's character changed throughout the story as a result of all of her experiences. I also really liked the role of magic in the story, which was very minimal. There were parts where I laughed right out loud! I would recommend this book to anyone who liked The Goose Girl series or The Princess Academy (both by Shannon Hale).
I Was a Rat by Philip Pullman is a fairy tale about a boy who used to be a rat. He doesn't remember how he turned into a boy or why, but he does remember that it was about three weeks prior to showing up on Bob and Joan's doorstep in a page boy's uniform. Bob and Joan, an elderly couple who make shoes for the people of the kingdom, never had children of their own, so they decided to take the boy in. They name him Roger. Right away they notice that Roger has some peculiar habits - gnawing on pencils, ripping up sheets to make a nest, and no knowledge of silverware or cooked food. They take him to the hospital, the orphanage, even the police, but no one seems to want Roger. Finally, they put him in school. Unfortunately, Roger doesn't know how to behave in school and gets into trouble. The Royal Philosopher wants to meet Roger to perform some psychological tests on him. During the testing, Roger becomes frightened of a cat and runs away. From there Roger ends up in a freak show, as a thief, and is eventually caught by police who intend to have him exterminated! All the while, Bob and Joan continue to search for him. In the end, the brand new princess of the land has to come to Roger's rescue in an unexpected way.
This was a really cute fairy tale. Roger was such a sweet and innocent little boy! The people in the kingdom jumped right on the band-wagon after reading in the newspaper that he was a monster and needed to be exterminated. It's interesting what the media can get reasonable people to believe.
I LOVED this book. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors. She gave me a signed ARC of Palace of Stone at the IRA Convention last May. When I finally got the chance to read it, I finished in a day!! I really liked the way Miri grew through her experience with the scholars, the "rebels" and her wish to understand ethics. I also liked the message that everything is not always black and white. If one is clever and persistent a new, and sometimes better, answer is just around the corner. Look for Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale on August 21, 2012.
