The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries, Vol. 1) [Hardcover]

Meg Cabot (Author)

Book Description

Series: Princess Diaries | Publication Date: September 19, 2000

She's just a New York City girl living with her artist mom...

News Flash: Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that's why a limo meets her at the airport!)

Downer: Dad can't have any more kids. (So no heir to the throne.)

Shock of the Century: Like it or not, Mia Thermopolis is prime princess material.

Mia must take princess lessons from her dreaded grandmére, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne.

Well, her father can lecture her until he's royal-blue in the face about her princessly duty--no way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind. But what's a girl to do when her name is Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mia Thermopolis is your average urban ninth grader. Even though she lives in Greenwich Village with a single mom who is a semifamous painter, Mia still puts on her Doc Martens one at a time, and the most exciting things she ever dreams about are smacking lips with sexy senior Josh Richter, "six feet of unadulterated hotness," and passing Algebra I. Then Mia's dad comes to town, and drops a major bomb. Turns out he's not just a European politician as he's always lead her to believe, but actually the prince of a small country! And Mia, his only heir, is now considered the crown princess of Genovia! She doesn't even know how to begin to cope: "I am so NOT a princess.... You never saw anyone who looked less like a princess than I do. I mean, I have really bad hair... and... a really big mouth and no breasts and feet that look like skis." And if this news wasn't bad enough, Mia's mom has started dating her algebra teacher, the paparazzi is showing up at school, and she's in a huge fight with her best friend, Lilly. How much more can this reluctant Cinderella handle?

Offbeat Mia will automatically win the heart of every teenage girl who's ever just wanted to fit in with as little fuss as possible. Debut author Meg Cabot's writing is silly and entertaining, with tons of pop culture references that will make teens feel right at home within her pages. This is a wonderfully wacky read. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

"This is how NOT a princess I am. I am so NOT a princess that when my dad started telling me I was one, I totally started crying." Raised in a Greenwich Village loft in New York City by her flaky-but-loving artist mother, ninth grader Mia Thermopolis is shocked to learn from her father that she is now the heir apparent to Genovia, the tiny European kingdom he rules. Her paternal grandmother further disrupts Mia's life when she comes to town to mold the girl into a proper royal. Cabot's debut children's novel is essentially a classic makeover tale souped up on imperial steroids: a better haircut and an improved wardrobe garner Mia the attention of a hitherto unattainable boy. (Of course this boy isn't all he appears to be, and another boyDthe true friend Mia mostly takes for grantedDturns out to be Mr. Right.) A running gag involving sexual harassment (including a foot fetishist obsessed with Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz and a sidewalk groper dubbed the "Blind Guy") is more creepy than funny, and the portrayal of the self-conscious pseudo-zaniness of downtown life is over the top (Lilly's parents, both psychoanalysts, get Rolfed, practice t'ai chi and attend benefits for "the homosexual children of survivors of the Holocaust"). Though Mia's loopy narration has its charms and princess stories can be irresistible, a slapstick cartoonishness prevails here. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) FYI: Plans are in the works for a Disney film to be directed by Garry Marshall and starring Julie Andrews as the grandmother.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1st edition (September 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380978482
• ISBN-13: 978-0380978489
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (526 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write! Books for you, your sister, your best friend, your mother . . . . even for men with good taste!

Most of my time is spent over at my website, http://megcabot.com, so be sure to stop by!

UK, New Zealand, and Australia fans, visit http://www.megcabot.co.uk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Book for a Princess....., March 12, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

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.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teenage Angst at it's Best, September 22, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

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!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best diaries I've read all year, December 31, 2001

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Princess Diaries (Mass Market Paperback)

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.