Shannon Hale
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
Shannon Hale is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.
About Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale is a Newbery Honor winner (Princess Academy) who writes across every format — novels, graphic memoirs (Real Friends), and The Princess in Black, co-written with husband Dean Hale, which detonated the pink-or-brave false choice.
Hale pitched Princess in Black after her daughter was told princesses can't fight monsters; the series answer — of course they can, in black — has sold millions.
Also by this author: Princess Academy · Real Friends · The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party
Official website: shannonhale.com
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.