Review Detail

PRINCESS ACADEMY: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is a delightful graphic novel adaptation. Miri lives a simple life that is thrown for a spin, when the prince reveals that he will choose a princess from the village girls. A training school is started where they must learn how to be princesses, and Miri is challenged by the rules and a tough teacher. At the same time, Miri is not sure if she would even want to be a princess, and she feels conflicted by the prospect.

What I loved: This is a great adaptation of the original, staying true to the story while bringing it to life in detailed illustrations and expressive characters. The book does a great job of telling the story through limited dialogue and heavily relying on images, which is fantastic for a graphic novel adaptation. Considering the length of the original, this was likely no easy task, but it is done smoothly and skillfully here.

The story itself is a lot of fun with many relatable elements around trying to be your best, consider what you want for your future, and navigate challenging social situations, things that older middle grade/younger YA readers are also grappling with. While they might not be in a school for princesses, their schools likely have many of the same elements and challenges.

The illustrations are well done throughout with lots of expressive characters and multi-paneled pages that help to convey the story through the images. There are a lot of details that give readers much to visually explore and enjoy as the story comes to life.

Final verdict: PRINCESS ACADEMY: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is a charming graphic novel adaptation that will be relatable for older MG/younger YA readers as they enjoy the magic and charm of Miri's story - with fantastic illustrations!