Shannon Hale - Princess Academy

Pros: Richly told story; wonderfully believable characters; fascinating fictional world
Cons: Only that I can't sing the music of the quarry

"On the morrow, all the girls in this village aged twelve to seventeen are ordered to the academy to prepare themselves to meet the prince. One year from now the prince will ascend the mountain and attend the academy's ball. He himself will select ...

Pros: all of it
Cons: none of it

It's always difficult finding books for my oldest daughter, Beanie. A first-grader age and maturity-wise, she has a much higher reading level, and gets bored quickly with first-grade level books, yet she isn't ready for some of the content in high-level ...