The Princess & the Pauper [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Kate Brian (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Julia isn't like the other students at the Rosewood School. She takes a bike to school, and goes home every night to her mom and her cat in a run-down apartment. While the others obsess over a visit from some princess, Julia worries about keeping a roof over their heads. Then Princess Carina shows up at Rosewood, and Julia finds her answer.

For ages 10-14.

Available only in Young Adult 3.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Keep that tiara handy, because the princess craze is in full swing. Disney after-school specials, Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries series, and even many classics tap into girlhood fantasies of switching places with a beautiful, glamorous royal whose wish is everyone else's command. In Kate Brian's The Princess and the Pauper, however, the "pauper," a 16-year-old from L.A. named Julia Johnson, isn't remotely interested in being a princess until she's offered $10,000 to swap places with one, money that could keep she and her mom from being evicted from their run-down L.A. apartment.

The story begins when Carina, crown princess of Vineland, meets an American rocker dude named Ribbit on the Internet and desperately wants to hook up with him in L.A. when she's on a "goodwill tour" of the U.S. When she visits L.A.'s Rosewood Academy, her friend Ingrid discovers Julia, who looks enough like Carina to take her place and fill in for her on the night of the Toadmuffin concert. The makeovers go well, but the scheme (surprise!) goes terribly awry. The utterly sheltered princess ("who makes Rapunzel look free") wakes up the morning after the concert with a hungover Ribbit in a beat-up van on the way to Texas, and Julia ends up falling in love with the "duller than biology" Markus Ingvaldsson, the boy Carina is destined to marry. While the princess does manage to squirm out of danger in the desert, the two imposters don't manage to reconnect before the plane leaves for Vinelandia with the wrong girl on it.

The narrative switches back and forth from rebellious, sarcastic teen Julia's voice to rebellious, sarcastic teen Carina's, which, as it turns out, aren't as different as their backgrounds would suggest. Popular culture and L.A. references abound--the princess compares herself to Buffy "when she had to hide her whole secret slayer life" and Julia describes a world of Crest Whitestrips and Kelly Osborne haircuts. While predictable and a bit too familiar, The Princess and the Pauper will no doubt appeal to girls who haven't quite yet had enough of the trials and tribulations of an unlikely princess. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-Julia is a poor scholarship student at the exclusive Rosewood Academy. Carina is the Crown Princess of the tiny European country of Vineland. Bored with ball gowns, embassy parties, and state dinners, she's prepared to do anything to sneak away from her constant chaperones and go to the Toadmuffin concert during her royal visit to Los Angeles. The only thing these teens have in common is their remarkably similar looks. Carina's best friend comes up with a plan: pay Julia to go to the embassy ball. The scheme goes awry, though, and Carina wakes up halfway to El Paso on the Toadmuffin tour bus, while Julia falls in love with the princess's boyfriend. Carina and Julia are both believable characters; one is self-absorbed, while the other is practical but desperate. The story is told from both viewpoints, and there is no indication when the narrative shifts, which can be momentarily confusing. The plot develops quickly and flows steadily toward the predictable but happy ending. A light story generously peppered with modern-day references to movie stars, musical styles, and teenage slang, this novel is perfect for fans of Meg Cabot's "Princess Diaries" series (HarperCollins).
Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 341 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (December 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786261013
• ISBN-13: 978-0786261017
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,622,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a total Jersey girl. I grew up in Bergen County, went to Rutgers University, lived in Hoboken for a year (requisite post-college party time) and then moved back to Bergen, got married, and bought a house ten minutes from where I grew up. I graduated from Rutgers with a double major in English and Journalism, worked as an Editor for four years, then decided I liked writing better and struck out on my own. You've been reading my books ever since!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best!, November 7, 2004

By 

Leleh "leleh" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Princess & the Pauper (Mass Market Paperback)

'The Princess and the Pauper' is one of the best books I've ever read. I read it 4 times.

'The Princess and the Pauper' is a modern day twist on the story 'The Prince and the Pauper'. Carina is the 16 year old princess of a country called Vineland. On a tour in California, she meets her American look-alike, Julia. For $10,000, Julia agrees to switch places with Carina for one day in order for Carina to go to a rock concert and meet her online boyfriend Ribbit. Everything went perfectly, until Carina finds herself on a bus halfway to Arizona, and Julia finds herself being jetted off to Vineland.

Once you read this book you'll understand why I read it 4 times. It's extremely well written and you won't be able to pull your eyes away from it until you finish. So go to your local library or bookstore and get the book... you won't regret it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read!, May 16, 2004

By 

StarGymnast (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Princess & the Pauper (Hardcover)

"The Princess and The Pauper" is a modern-day fairy tale and a fun, easy, and light read.

Carina, the crown princess of Vineland, has never experienced a normal teenage life. Instead, she feels like a caged bird living in a large palace where she must deal with the ongoing pressures of being a royal. To make matters worse, Carina's family wants her to go out with another royal she doesn't even like, Markus. When Carina meets a guy online named Ribbit and lead singer of a popular band, Carina realizes that her upcoming trip to Los Angeles would give her the chance to meet him and experience what it would be like to live like a regular teen for once.

Meanwhile, instead of worrying about meeting guys, Julia Johnson is too busy worrying about how to keep a roof over her and her mothers' heads. They lived in a run-down apartment unsuitable for living in and were in danger of being evicted from their home if Julia's mother could not pay the rent that she had owed for the past several months. So when Carina comes to Los Angeles and gives a speech at Julia's school, Carina realizes that they looked exactly alike and she could use Julia to meet Ribbit. When Carina offers Julia ten-thousand dollars to switch, Julia can't say no. After all, she and her mother really needed the money.

What happens when they switch? Lots of unexpected twists and turns, events, and surprises, even a happy ending! This is a great book for Meg Cabot fans or fans of teen fiction novels.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute Addition to the Teen Fiction Genre, May 12, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Princess & the Pauper (Mass Market Paperback)

Sixteen-year-old Carina, the much-loved, and very well-known Princess of Vineland, has never experienced anything teenage-like. Instead, she is trapped in the Palace learning about her country, visiting hospitals, and being forced to attend balls where she has to dance with boring Markus. So when she meets a rock star named Ribbit online, Carina decides that she just has to meet him in person during her upcoming trip to the City of Angels. That's where Julia comes in.

Sixteen-year-old Julia is a near twin to Carina, but as opposed to being royalty, or even to being rich, Julia is a pauper. Sure she goes to a posh private school, but on scholarship. She doesn't have to worry about things like attending balls, but she does have to worry about how she and her Mother will be able to scrape the rent together for their rat-hole of an apartment, before they're evicted. So when Carina approaches her with the idea to switch places for a day, and offers Julia $10,000 to do it, she jumps at the chance. How hard can being a Princess actually be?

As a fan of all things royal (i.e. THE PRINCESS DIARIES, ELLA ENCHANTED, etc.) I knew that I absolutely had to have THE PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER. What I got was a fun, and enchanting story that has been greatly updated to fit in with today's modern day society. Carina is a fun character, who definitely changes as she sees what it's like to be a non-royal for a few days. However, I found Julia to be much more relateable, as she was much less stuck-up, and was more down-to-earth. THE PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER really gives you a sneak peek into the lives of what a celebrity goes through everyday. With paparazzi, meetings, etc. Fans of the Disney Channel Original Movie MODEL BEHAVIOR will adore this book, as the plots are almost identical.

Erika Sorocco