Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters

In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Hale commented that her idea for the plot of The Forgotten Sisters stemmed from a mention of a swamp region in the original Princess Academy novel. Hale wanted to explore that setting and the story of the three girls who are members of the royal family.[1] Because Princess Academy won a Newbery Honor, Hale felt "fear and pressure" in writing a worthy sequel; however, after releasing Palace of Stone, she had "dealt with fear ... and could move forward with the storytelling" for Forgotten Sisters.[2]

Miri is about to leave Asland to return home to Mount Eskel when she is summoned by the king, who explains that the neighboring kingdom of Eris has been conquered by Stora. In order to secure a good relationship with Stora and avoid war, the king has decided to establish a princess academy and offer a bride to Stora's King Fader. He asks Miri to travel to Lesser Alva, where three of his cousins live, to be their tutor and prepare them to come to Asland and meet the king. She agrees to do so, but only if she and the other graduates of Mount Eskel's Princess Academy become the owners of the land in their province. The king agrees, and Miri travels to Lesser Alva, a swampy area of Danland. She meets the three royal cousins - Astrid, Felissa, and Susanna, nicknamed "Sus." The girls hunt and fish to survive; their promised money from the king stopped coming when their mother died. Miri finally helps them banish the man who has been stealing their money. Now that they are able to buy food, they have time to learn how to read, and Miri establishes a princess academy in their small linder home in the swamp. The sisters become sad when they learn that one of them must marry a 72-year-old king. Meanwhile, Miri writes letters to Peder and to Marda, her sister, that are never received. Peder has left Mount Eskel to search for Miri and see if she is safe.

Then, Storan soldiers invade Lesser Alva. Miri, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus try to keep the sisters' royal identities a secret from the troops. When Miri tries to help a man the soldiers execute, they capture her; but she is rescued by a man named Dogface - one of the bandits that had held her hostage when she was at the princess academy on Mount Eskel. He tells her to figure out a way to free Lesser Alva, cuts her hair to change her appearance, and frees her. Later that night, Peder arrives and informs the girls that Stora has successfully invaded Asland. He helps them escape via a pirate ship. When they are intercepted by Storan sailors, Astrid pretends to be one of King Fader's daughters and successfully convinces the Storans. When the ship arrives in Asland, the five of them jump overboard and retreat from the Storans. They break into the palace and find Queen Sabet, who immediately recognizes Astrid, Felissa, and Sus as the daughters she was forced to give away. Miri discovers that they are indeed princesses, Astrid being Steffan's twin, born first. Then, as planned, Miri and Britta escort the sisters to meet King Fader, only to learn that he has died. The Storans are planning a secret attack on the palace in order to kill Danland's King Bjorn, and Miri quarry-speaks to Peder to warn him. It works, and the Storans find the palace empty, but they plan to use the girls as bait to lure the king into a trap. Miri, Britta, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus are thrown into a cell and treated horribly by the Storans. They then meet King Fader's son, Kaspar, who has become the next king of Stora. He and Sus are close in age, and Sus proposes that they become betrothed in order to stop this war. Kaspar accepts, and a peace treaty is signed. The girls join up with the royals and Peder and return to the palace. Queen Sabet dismisses the chief delegate who took her daughters away from her. They are welcomed into the palace, and Steffan bestows the crown on Astrid, who is the first-born in the family. Miri and Peder return home to Mount Eskel. Miri is reunited with her Pa and Marda, and tells them that the king has given the graduates of the princess academy ownership of Mount Eskel. The village celebrates, and Miri and Peder become betrothed.

Kirkus Reviews praised Forgotten Sisters as "a laudable conclusion to a popular series," particularly for its themes of feminism, equality, family, and education.[3] In The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, Kate Quealy-Gainer wrote: "Hale once again manages to create a cast of female characters diverse in their qualities and distinctly individual."[4] A Booklist review also praised the novel, saying: "Action-packed and well paced, the story's depth incorporates artful negotiation, the importance of education, and citizens' equality and rights."[5] Jonathan Hunt for The Horn Book Magazine commented that "the themes of feminism and equality that run throughout the trilogy blossom in the resolution of this concluding volume."[6] School Library Journal called the ending "happily ever after, with a satisfying twist."[7]

• A Junior Library Guild selection[8]
• An Association for Library Service to Children/ALA Notable Children's Book nominee[9]