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The Perfect Book for a Princess..... Mar 13, 2001 (20 of 21 found this helpful)
This book kept me amused long after the final page was turned. It tells the story of Mia Thermopolis, who lives with her mom in the suburbs. Her parents are divorced, and her father lives in Genovia. In the story, she learns that her father is a prince--the prince of Genovia! Because her father cannot have any more children, Mia is heir to the throne! In the book, she finds this out and tries to deal with it. The book is written in diary format, which made it enjoyable, because it let me see her thoughts day by day. She is very much like a real teen, at times going overboard with guys, style, and friends. Mia's attitude was well written, the author did a good job finding out how a teen thinks. These things together led me to rate this book a four. I would recommend this book to any girl over age twelve, who like to read about other teen's lives. Because this story revolves around a teenage girl, if you're a guy, this book will most likely not be interesting to you. Also, there are a few spots in this book that wouldn't be appropriate for girls under twelve. All in all, The Princess Diaries is a great read that will keep you smiling until the last page.
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One of the best diaries I've read all year Dec 31, 2001 (20 of 22 found this helpful)
The Princess Diaries gets two enthusiastic thumbs-up from me! This book was extremely cute and funny. The writing was very "authentically teenage" and the characters were an absolute treat. A very quick read and enjoyable to the last page.
High school freshman, Mia Thermopolis, just wants to be normal... Oh, and to have the school's hottest guy, Josh Richter, to fall madly in love with her, but she knows THAT will never happen. Then something very terrible happens: her father, after finding out he can no longer have any other children, tells Mia she is the heir to the throne of his small, European home, Genovia. Excuse me?! So that would make her...a PRINCESS!! Most girls would fall all over themselves with excitement, but for Mia, who just wants to be your average teenage high school freshman, vows to keep this disturbing news all to herself. Well, as if THAT would ever happen...
So cute, so refreshing, so fun to read. Deals with regular adolescent tribulations, as well as some that only happen in dreams, i.e., becoming a princess overnight. I highly recommend The Princess Diaries to teens and grown-ups alike. It has all the best qualities and is a great way to spend an entertaining afternoon. I am not even kidding.
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Teenage Angst at it's Best Sep 23, 2000 (16 of 16 found this helpful)
Not since Judy Blume has a writer so skillfully navigated the mind of a teenage girl. The Princess Diaries tells, through her own words, the story of a typical high school freshman's discovery that she is the princess of a small European principality (a-la Monaco). Mia is a typically gawky 15 year-old with all the problems that come with this age---flat chest, feet too big, bad hair, cute boy doesn't khow she is alive, etc. etc. Meg Cabot does a phenomenal job of making this everyday teenage angst funny, exciting, scary, and exhilarating. As a male reader, Cabot allowed me inside the mind of this difficult teenage phase. Any girl in junior high or high school will love this book, and any guy willing to get past the pink cover will love it too!
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Maybe it's just me... Dec 28, 2000 (13 of 25 found this helpful)
...But I didn't like this book. It wasn't at all what I expected. First of all, it has very little to do with Mia being a princess. That's just a thin disguise for what turns out to be a very standard ugly duckling story. (Unattractive, unpopular girl likes gorgeous guy who doesn't know she's alive; girl undergoes physical transformation, attracts notice of guy, discovers guy's a creep, falls for nice, less-attractive guy.) I thought young adult literature had moved forward from the days when all it took to transform a girl's life was a makeover and a new dress.
There are flaws within the princess theme as well. It's impossible to believe that Mia, deeply immersed in popular culture, had no idea her father was a jet-setting prince. No plausible explanation is offered. And Mia's objections to being a princess are shallow (she'll be mortified if her friends find out) and don't explore the deeper issues intent on such a theme.
However, even taken as light fare, the psuedo-teen speak and the whining become annoying after a while (as well as the superficial multiculturalism of the supporting cast). I recommend Ellen Conford's A ROYAL PAIN for a better handling of a similar theme.
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When will a sequel come out!!!?? Apr 27, 2001 (12 of 15 found this helpful)
This is a great book for young adult girls. It's a modern day Cinderella-esque story about New Yorker Mia Thermopolis who finds out she's the crown princess of the fictional principality Genovia. Mia is an unconventional 14-year old heroine. She finds herself too tall and too flat-chested, she's flunking algebra, and she's never been on a date. On top of that her mother had no problem scoring a date with her algebra teacher. Her life as she knows it is turned upside down when her father, the prince of Genovia, informs her he's no longer able to have children, and she is his only heir. Instead of being thrilled, Mia is embarrassed and resistent as she's subjected to "princess lessons" and being constantly photographed by the press. The book ends nicely, but before Mia takes on any official duties, so a sequel on how she deals with life in Genovia would be interesting. This book was written in diary format and is a fairly quick and fun read.