Hale, Shannon. (2005). Princess Academy. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Children's Books.
Grades 5 to 8.
On Mount Eskel, where the ability to work together in the linder mines is prized above all else, Miri’s small stature makes her an outcast. When the royal priests decree that the prince’s new bride will be found on Mount Eskel, Miri is forced to attend the Princess Academy to learn proper princess skills. The Academy is an oppressive place, offering education, but taking Miri away from the nature and the mountain she loves. She ends up discovering that linder can carry memories through a sort of telepathy called “quarry speech,” which she uses to save all of the Academy girls when they are attacked by bandits. Princess Academy is in the same vein as Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl or Book of a Thousand Days. Its prose and story gives it the feel of a real fairy tale, though polished up with gentle, though not anachronistic, feminist sensibilities. Hale’s use of italicized inner monologue draws readers close to her protagonist while still keeping the fairy tale feel of the third person. However, the title will unfortunately scare some of the right readers away, since the word “princess” makes the book sound a lot cuter than it actually is. This is not a Princess Diaries, and, were it called something like “Quarry Speech,” this book would have appeal to some boys. The other weakness of the book itself is its chaotic structure as it tries to integrate too many plot elements into one story. The climax of the adventure and magic story line comes fairly early in the book, causing the end chapters about the princess selection to drag on. However, though this might be off-putting to readers whose cinematic brains make them uncomfortable with looser structures, fairy tales do have odd structures, so this flaw sits comfortable with the story’s set conventions, and makes for a great old-fashioned read.
Roth, Ruby. (2009). That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Grades 3 to 5.
Since animals are fellow “earthlings,” they therefore should not be eaten. This is posed as the reason why the reader of this book, as the title suggests, does not eat animals. The book then describes various animals’ anthropomorphic traits, such as how chickens play tag and hide-and-seek and pigs “snuggle so close that it’s hard to tell them apart,” implying that since they do those things, they should not be eaten. The book also discusses how the destruction of the rain forest and endangered animals are a danger for all “earthlings.” Roth’s art in this book is strong, and the stunningly beautiful and stylized illustrations of animals make them look appealing, but neither cartoonishly cute nor too visually anthropomorphized. An abstract image of a depressed chicken in a factory farm cage is particularly moving. This book does make a heartfelt case for vegetarians and vegans who abstain from eating meat for sympathetic animal rights issues, but makes no case for environmentally motivated veganism. If the book is explaining why “we don’t eat animals,” it would reach a broader audience if the scope weren’t so narrow. The environmental issues that are touched on in the book, the destruction of the rain forrest and endangered animals, are tragedies related to animal welfare, but they are non sequiturs, unrelated to why a person would abstain from eating farm animals. The author’s bio states that she is a vegan, but that, in itself, is not authority on the subject. Notable activists and celebrity vegetarians provided promotional quotes (Jane Goodall, Alicia Silverstone, and the president of PETA), but none are named as consultants. This book has no table of contents, glossary, index, or bibliography. The only additional material is a “What Else Can We Do?” section that may put off some readers with the more extreme suggestion that they should feed their pets vegetarian pet food. However, in the building of a collection for vegetarian families, this book, while limited, pedantic, and unverified, is unique for its age and subject matter.
Grades 5 to 8.
On Mount Eskel, where the ability to work together in the linder mines is prized above all else, Miri’s small stature makes her an outcast. When the royal priests decree that the prince’s new bride will be found on Mount Eskel, Miri is forced to attend the Princess Academy to learn proper princess skills. The Academy is an oppressive place, offering education, but taking Miri away from the nature and the mountain she loves. She ends up discovering that linder can carry memories through a sort of telepathy called “quarry speech,” which she uses to save all of the Academy girls when they are attacked by bandits. Princess Academy is in the same vein as Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl or Book of a Thousand Days. Its prose and story gives it the feel of a real fairy tale, though polished up with gentle, though not anachronistic, feminist sensibilities. Hale’s use of italicized inner monologue draws readers close to her protagonist while still keeping the fairy tale feel of the third person. However, the title will unfortunately scare some of the right readers away, since the word “princess” makes the book sound a lot cuter than it actually is. This is not a Princess Diaries, and, were it called something like “Quarry Speech,” this book would have appeal to some boys. The other weakness of the book itself is its chaotic structure as it tries to integrate too many plot elements into one story. The climax of the adventure and magic story line comes fairly early in the book, causing the end chapters about the princess selection to drag on. However, though this might be off-putting to readers whose cinematic brains make them uncomfortable with looser structures, fairy tales do have odd structures, so this flaw sits comfortable with the story’s set conventions, and makes for a great old-fashioned read.
Roth, Ruby. (2009). That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Grades 3 to 5.
Since animals are fellow “earthlings,” they therefore should not be eaten. This is posed as the reason why the reader of this book, as the title suggests, does not eat animals. The book then describes various animals’ anthropomorphic traits, such as how chickens play tag and hide-and-seek and pigs “snuggle so close that it’s hard to tell them apart,” implying that since they do those things, they should not be eaten. The book also discusses how the destruction of the rain forest and endangered animals are a danger for all “earthlings.” Roth’s art in this book is strong, and the stunningly beautiful and stylized illustrations of animals make them look appealing, but neither cartoonishly cute nor too visually anthropomorphized. An abstract image of a depressed chicken in a factory farm cage is particularly moving. This book does make a heartfelt case for vegetarians and vegans who abstain from eating meat for sympathetic animal rights issues, but makes no case for environmentally motivated veganism. If the book is explaining why “we don’t eat animals,” it would reach a broader audience if the scope weren’t so narrow. The environmental issues that are touched on in the book, the destruction of the rain forrest and endangered animals, are tragedies related to animal welfare, but they are non sequiturs, unrelated to why a person would abstain from eating farm animals. The author’s bio states that she is a vegan, but that, in itself, is not authority on the subject. Notable activists and celebrity vegetarians provided promotional quotes (Jane Goodall, Alicia Silverstone, and the president of PETA), but none are named as consultants. This book has no table of contents, glossary, index, or bibliography. The only additional material is a “What Else Can We Do?” section that may put off some readers with the more extreme suggestion that they should feed their pets vegetarian pet food. However, in the building of a collection for vegetarian families, this book, while limited, pedantic, and unverified, is unique for its age and subject matter.