I can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading ANYTHING by Shannon Hale. My favorites are Princess Academy (nothing girly about this one), Book of A Thousand Days and Goose Girl.
Although I would love to talk about all three books, today I want to focus on Book of A Thousand Days since it is the perfect book for your tween daughter during this quarantine time. I do have several copies and it is also available as an ebook on Kindle, or as a audiobook with audible (currently free with a free Audible trial).
Summary of Book of a Thousand Days:
Lady Saren refuses to marry a man she fears. As punishment, she and her maid, Dashti, are locked in a tower with only a tiny opening to the outside world. Survival becomes the focus when they begin to run out of food and temperatures begin to drop inside the tower. Dashti uses her courage and own resourcefulness to keep them from starving and freezing to death. Several suitors arrive at the tower, and Dashti impersonates Lady Saren to save them both.
What I like about Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days:
You would think that a novel which takes place in a locked tower with a despondent princess would be dull, but Hale keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time!
Dashti, the heroine, is strong, courageous and resourceful.
It’s a book about self-sacrificing love. Dashti, the servant girl, is devoted to Lady Saren. Instead of sitting gloomily by, in despair, she does everything she can to help the princess, caring for her every need, often going without herself.
It’s also a story about relationship, as the two girls begin to bond and the princess realizes that Dashti is not just her servant, but her friend, someone she can talk to, respect and trust.
I also love the fact that the book is written as a journal, each entry marked by the number of days they are confined to the tower, sharing both mundane and the chilling details of their survival. Dashti also learns to express her feelings on paper, both her hopes and despair.
Shannon Hale mentions at the end of the book, that although the Eight Realms is a fictional place, it is inspired in part by medieval Mongolia. I love opening a book and stepping into another world. The setting of this book, a world ruled by a Kahn, a well-developed religious system, traditions, history and even music, takes you places without leaving your home.
The book includes animals that make a difference in a family’s survival. In Book of A Thousand Days, it’s a pet yak. Part of the proceeds of the book have been donated to Heifer International, an organization that gives important domestic animals to families in third world countries.
About Shannon Hale:
Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Academy series, Goose Girl, Book of a Thousand Days, Dangerous, and the graphic novels Rapunzel’s Revenge and Calamity Jack, as well as the Ever After High and Princess in Black series, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and Real Friends. She is a master storyteller.
“Hale delivers another winning fantasy. . . Readers will be riveted as Dashti and Saren escape and flee to the Khan’s realm where, through a series of deceptions, contrivances, and a riotously triumphant climax, the tale spins out a thoroughly satisfying ending.” – starred review, Publishers Weekly
My summary:
This story is riveting, captivating, and romantic. It is hard to put down (I dare you to try and read only the first chapter). I highly recommend this book for girls 10 and up.
Kid's Books Without Borders 