Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

Gr 5–9—In Hale's follow-up (2012) to Princess Academy (2005, both Bloomsbury), Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel have been invited to the capital city of Asland to help Britta prepare for her royal wedding. While there, Miri is offered the chance to attend the school at the Queen's Castle as a scholar. It isn't long before a fellow student introduces her to a group of revolutionaries intent on overthrowing the king. Miri's accomplishment of obtaining fair prices for her people's quarried stone makes her a hero among them. She sympathizes with their plight and is attracted to Timon who is working on behalf of the impending revolution. Miri is torn between the attentive Timon and the distracted Peder, between the commoners' cause and her own ties to the monarchy, and between Asland and Mount Eskel. But when she hears of a plot to murder Britta there's no question where her loyalties lie. In order to assure Britta's safety, Miri must find a way to convince the king to meet the commoners half way. Cynthia Bishop narrates along with a full cast who make it easy to distinguish between so many characters. Bishop's careful and slow enunciation can be slightly frustrating as the plot gains in intensity. A lively production that listeners are sure to enjoy.—Cary Frostick, Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA