Customer Reviews

Stealing Princes (Calypso Chronicles)

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4 star:		(1)
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Fourteen-year-old Calypso Kelly (otherwise known as "The American Freak) has never felt as if she fit in with the rich, British girls who attend school with her at St. Augustine's English Boarding School. Sure, she's got a few close friends, but some of the other students are SO stuck-up. Like Honey O'Hare, Calypso's worst enemy, and dorm mate for the year. Honey has despised Calypso from the very first day she arrived at St. Augustine's, and has been out to saboatage her forever. Like it's Calypso's fault that she's more than a year younger than every other girl in her grade, and she doesn't have as much expendable cash. Anyway, Calypso has been flirting with two very fit (hot) boys over text messages all summer. And when Honey finds out, she decides to ruin the relationships that Calypso has created. Including the one with her boy toy Prince Freddie. Unfortunately, Calypso has no idea what's going on, and when she turns to her friends for help, she realizes that they're too caught up with their new pal, a real life Princess, to care about her petty problems. This is sure to be one super tough semester at St. Augustine's.

Tyne O'Connell truly has the writing chops to pen stories about a group of rich, snooty teenage girls attending an ultra-chic private school. Her characters are hilarious, and truly bring the story to life, what with their catty viciousness and obsessiveness over how they look. Once again, Calypso and the crazy predicaments will keep readers on the edge of their seats laughing out loud while reading this book, and for days after. I can't wait for the next installment about Calypso and her crazy friends, as this book leaves quite a cliffhanger. A must read!

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Calypso is back...after a summer in America with Star and Georgina, she returns to St. Augustine in the middle of two text romances: Prince Freddie and Billy! However, she finds out she has to share a room with evil Honey O'Hare and aloof rich girl Portia, while Georgina and Star get to room together with a real princess, Indie. Calypso is off to a rough start. All her friends drop out of latin, leaving her alone. She feels like Star and Georgina are drifting away from her....but she makes friends with Indie and Portia, and everything goes better. Then she makes a mistake and alienates herself from everyone. Freddie isn't texting her, and Billy is acting weird. Is Freddie secretly seeing Portia? Will everyone get to go to the royal ball with Freddie except for her? And why is Honey now the only person who will talk to her? Will Calypso get her friends back, get her guy, and be able to keep up her fencing?

This book will make you laugh out loud. But it's funny in this British, sophisticated, sublime way. Over the top, yet understated. Honey O'Hare has to be the most outrageous mean girl ever. I just love Calypso. Can't say enough about this book.

I read this book in 3 days. What a blast. The British girls really know boys -- but it's the girls who are so hilarious. Don't miss this one this summer.

The second in a series of four (so far). This book has more depth to it than others you might compare it to (Princess Diaries, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, etc). The narrator, Calypso Kelly, is an American born girl who's mother has forced her to attend a British boarding school.

Calypso discovers at the begining of this book, to her horror, that she does not share her room with anyone this term that she had hoped for. In fact, she is sharing with the dreaded Honey O'Hare, who has made every year for Calypso miserable, since Calypso's mother has forced her to attend St. Augustine's.

Also sharing the room is Portia, a new character who could be a friend, could be an enemy. And plays the role of both in Calypso's mind. Portia (now that Star has quit fencing) is the only other girl who is on Calypso's level, fencing wise. On the other hand, she had pizza with Prince Freddie. (uh-oh, competition)

In this book Calypso is essentially stripped of her friends, without them in her dorm room and with them picking up other interests besides those they share with her. It is a well done portrayl of what happens when friends start to grow up. It definately reminded me of some of my middle school experiences.

I love all of the british slang that is in the book, and how Calypso walks the line between American and British. A very fun read without being overly fluffy.

I wouldn't reccomend this for younger readers because it does have some coarse language in it, 14 the youngest, 15 is probably the target audience.