High on the side of rocky Mount Eskel, far from the valleys where
gardens are green and lush, where lowlanders make laws, Miri's family
has lived forever, pounding a living from the stone of the mountain
itself. For as long as she can remember, Miri has dreamed of working
alongside the other villagers in the quarries of her beloved
mountainside. But Miri has never been allowed to work there, perhaps,
she thinks, because she is so small.
Then word comes from the valley that the king's priests have divined
Mount Eskel to be the home of the prince's bride-to-be—the next
princess. The prince himself will travel to the village to choose her,
but first all eligible girls must attend a makeshift mountain academy to
prepare themselves for royal lowlander life.
At the school, Miri soon finds herself confronted by bitter competition
among the girls and her own conflicting desires to be chosen by the
prince. Yet when danger comes to the academy and threatens all their
lives, it is Miri, named for a tiny mountain flower, who must find a way
to save her classmates—and the one chance to leave the mountain each of
them is determined to secure as her own.
From acclaimed author Shannon Hale comes the Newbery Honor-winning novel
about would-be princesses and one small but determined girl's destiny.

When Miri and a few of the girls from Mount Eskel's princess academy
travel to the capital to help the princess-to-be get ready for her
wedding, they have no idea what to expect. Some are worried about
leaving their beloved mountain for the first time, others are thrilled
about the big city, and Miri is mostly just happy to see her best
friend.
But not everything in Asland is as perfect as the mountain girls hoped.
As Miri learns more about her new home, she finds herself deep in the
middle of an upheaval that affects everyone she loves. Torn between her
loyalty to the princess and her belief in her new friends' daring ideas,
and between an old love and a new crush, Miri must test the strengths
and skills she gained in the princess academy.
Master storyteller Shannon Hale's newest book celebrates the
joys of friendship, the thrill of romance, and the fate of a beloved
fairy-tale kingdom.