How To Be a Princess

• Learn to walk with a boot on your head
• Put on your favorite dress
• Read books after everyone else has gone to bed
• Memorize all the rules
• Break the rules
• Save your friends from uncertain danger
• And, most importantly, just be a girl

                           ---Shannon Hale

For our Great Reads for Girls book group we had the girls practice their poise by seeing how far they could walk with a book on their heads.

They were given play money when they arrived and then earned more money by demonstrating their princessly poise.

There was an on-time drawing with prizes--princessy things, of course.

Taylor told us some interesting things about Shannon Hale. We learned that she has a pet--

a plastic pig.

Shannon Hale is quirky like that.

There was a trivia quiz and the girls earned more money for answering the questions, which they did brilliantly.

Here is one of the more difficult questions:

 Finish this line: Clay in my ears and ________?

Answer: (Stone in my stare.)

These girls were impressive.

Then we discussed the book, Princess Academy.


We separated in groups and did a story shout, where each person in the group took turns telling a story, an activity that the people of Mount Eskel did in the book.

The main character, Miri, grew up on a mountain, in a quarry that mined linder rock, which plays a big role in the story.

So the girls and their moms decorated their own rocks.

Here are the results:

In order to get refreshments--brownie bites and candy--the girls had to practice their bartering skills.

An offer made, considered, refused.

Another bid, another refusal.

Deal!

Princesses in the making!