Princess Academy Award-winning by Shannon Hale (author) (US edition)

When the king’s priests decide that the kingdom’s next princess will come from Miri’s poverty-stricken small village, every girl is ordered to attend the Princess Academy, and bitter competition ensues over who will be chosen. But when bandits arrive to kidnap the future princesses, the Academy competition becomes the least of the village’s problems. It is Miri’s mammoth task to reconcile the girls, get rid of the bandits and restore peace to the village. A tale of fantasy and friendship, this story explores what happens when worlds collide and one humble villager is forced to take on riches, riots and royalty.