The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Bibliography
Cabot, M. (2000). The princess diaries: A novel. New York: Harper Trophy.

283 pages

Plot
Mia Thermopolis is a 14 year old freshman at Albert Einstein High School in Manhattan. She lives in a loft with her mother and cat, Fat Louie, in Greenwich Village. She is a plain girl just trying to go through the motions in high school. However, when her father arrives from Europe, she realizes that her ability to just get by high school will never happen. Mia’s father is the crown prince of Genovia, a small principality along the border of France and Italy. After having survived a bout with cancer, Mia’s father is now unable to have any more children, leaving Mia the sole heir to the throne. But being a princess is harder than it looks and Mia had to fight to be herself in high school let alone high society.

Review
Written in a journal format, Cabot’s novel is very realistic in tone and prose in creating a believable 14 year old girl living in Manhattan. Mia is just trying to survive high school let alone being a princess. The novel is rife with cultural references, slang and even content, in Mia’s insecurities about her social life. The plot, though very much a fairy tale, allows readers to wonder what they would do if they were suddenly declared royalty. However, the book itself is a bit dated, with tweens probably accessing Cabot’s work through the Disney movie of the same title with Anne Hathaway. Nevertheless, it is a quick read especially suitable for tween readers.

Genre
Had a hard time coming up with this, I guess Chick-Lit.

Reading Level/Interest Level
This book would appeal to girls in grades 5th – 8th.

Similar Content
Other Meg Cabot Books
Heist Society by Ally Carter

Personal thoughts
The book was a quick read, very much a pleasure read. Not great, but I could definitely see how it would be entertaining to tween girls.

Subjects/themes
Family Life
School
Friends
Crushes

Awards
No known awards

Series information
First of the Princess Diaries Series.

Character names/descriptions
Mia Thermopolis: The 14-year-old protagonist, who realizes that her father is the crown prince of a small principality in Europe.

Phillippe Ronaldi: Mia’s father

Helen Thermopolis: Mia’s mother, who has raised her since birth.

Grandmere: Mia’s grandmother and the queen of Genovia

Lily: Mia’s best friend

Annotation
What if you woke up a normal 14 year old freshman and went to bed a princess?