314 pages
"High on the slopes of Mount Eskel, Miri's family has lived forever, pounding a meager living from the stone of the mountain itself. Miri dreams of working alongside the others in the quarry, but she has never been allowed to work there - perhaps, she thinks, because she is so small.
Then word comes from the lowlands: the king's priests have divined that the prince's bride-to-be - the next princess - will come from Mount Eskel. The prince himself will travel to the village to choose his bride, but first all eligible girls must attend a makeshift academy to prepare for royal lowlander life.
At the school, Miri finds herself confronting both bitter competition among the girls and her own conflicted desires to be chosen. Yet when danger comes to the academy, it is Miri, named for a tiny mountain flower, who must find a way to save her classmates - and the chance for the future that each of them is eager to secure as her own." -Dust Jacket
This is a lovely little book. I thoroughly enjoyed it (and am glad for a chance to read again after spending a few weeks remodeling a bathroom). I loved the messages about home, family, and friendship. I really liked the one magical element in this story of quarry speech - that you could be so connected to a place and a people that you could speak to each other (without really speaking) through shared memories. I love how it impacted the story.
I love the message of education, that it opens up the world and all of its possibilities. Miri begins to see things differently and she uses her new knowledge to change the lives of the people in her village and in so doing realizes how much she loves those people and Mount Eskel. All the characters are developed enough that you feel like you know them. I loved the way the story ended and my favorite line in the whole book? "Maybe Mount Eskel didn't need a princess, just an academy."
I think I just used the word "love" a lot. This is a great book for all ages.
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