13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Going down-hill, August 28, 2005
When I first started reading the Princess Diaries series, before it became famous for the movie, I really enjoyed the books. Mia genuinely seemed like an individual. I loved the descriptions the author gave of New York. Unfortuantely, each subsequent book has been losing that special flare, and now the characters seem like completely different people altogether. (I haven't enjoyed a Meg Cabot book after the movie came out--all of her series seemed to change, especially the Mediator series.) In this book, Mia repeats the same thing over and over, perhaps to take up page space where a real plot could have taken place. The actual subject doesn't bother me in the least, but she obsesses over it so much, as if she's a 12 year old who's never heard of sex before. I also agree with another reviewer about the stereotypes that Meg Cabot incorporates. Mia always says she herself is a freak, but when someone at school does it, she gets mad. Also, as someone else said, Mia spends 4/5 of the book being shy and then becoming someone else at the end, only to be a whiney shy person at the beginning f the next, as if nothing happened at the end of the previous book. The English class sub-plot was highly improbable--what kind of English teacher who be swayed by the (bad) speech of a student? English teachers teach persuasive writing and should be able to hold their beliefs. This book didn't really seem to have a plot, just many subplots. I can't really say any major event took place in this book. Nothing really happened, except Mia worrying througout the whole book. I don't think I'll be reading the next installment.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still Makes Me Laugh!, April 7, 2005
Mia is back in this latest Princess Diaries book. In this installment of our favorite self-actualizing princess, Mia is starting her sophomore year of High School. Unfortunately she's starting it without her boyfriend Michael who is now in College. He's a college guy and according to archenemy Lana he's going to expect her to "do it". Not only that Lilly has nominated her to run for Student Council President against Lana. Not to mention the snail incident and the fact that her mom and step-dad are taking Rocky to Indiana to meet the grandparents. Plus she gets a B in ENGLISH!! Really, it's more than a princess can take!
As always this tale of Mia is loaded with humor and pop culture references. I loved this volume of Mia's life. Mia is growing up and standing up for herself. But her insecurities and paranoia that make her a realistic teen are still in tact. Meg Cabot's writing style keeps me laughing. I was not disappointed.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Princess in Training- a Major Letdown, August 10, 2005
A Kid's Review
I despised this book. Even at Midnight I wasn't tired enough to put aside the numerous and visible flaws of this book. The series has been going downward from the first, and I believe (and hope) that this is the low point and that it's only upwards from here, but I doubt it. This review may contain a few spoilers.
First, I hate the stereotypical cheerleaders in these books. No, I'm not a cheerleader and I don't approve of the fact that it's just girls in tight uniforms cheering and doing difficult gymnastics while a boys' football game is happening (it should be separate, if at all). But Lana and her cheerleader friends are rich, snobby and mean to poor little Mia. Meg Cabot shouldn't promote stereotypes like this.
Also, Mia's whining and obsessions are becoming tiresome. I mean in book 5 she's obsessing over how Michael doesn't want to go to the prom, and now she's obsessing over Michael wanting to have sex. It's getting old, if you haven't noticed.
Third, Mia gets a B in English. And she obsesses over it. How it crushed her hopes of being a writer (tragedy!) But finally, after her wonderful and moving speech at the presidential debates, her English teacher decides that pop culture references are fine to have in her schoolwork!!! No one is convinced that easily. And she shouldn't be either.
Also, what is with Mia's fixation with the care of her little brother? I mean I know what it's like to care for someone, but you gotta feel sorry for that kid when he gets old enough to know about the world, she probably won't let him eat anything for fear of E. Coli and won't let him go out for fear of injury.
And yeah, this book isn't reality, but it is supposed to be fairly realistic, not so fake you get a headache reading it. Reading this book is, in my opinion, a waste of time. Thanks for reading.
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