It would seem that 14-year-old Mia Thermopolis ("five foot nine inches tall, with no visible breasts, feet the size of snowshoes") has the kind of life every Manhattan teenager could only dream of: She is, in her spare time, the princess of the European country of Genovia. Alas, the Royal Privilege is more like a Predicament. Not only does she have to endure daily princess lessons from her critical Grandmère ("It isn't as if I'm going to show up at the castle and start hurling olives at the ladies-in-waiting"), but her new stepfather is also her algebra teacher, her mother is pregnant and vomiting, she doesn't like her boyfriend very much, and she's convinced the real love of her life--her best friend's older brother--thinks of her as a kid. Written in diary form like Louise Rennison's award-winning Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, Meg Cabot's endearing and often hilarious novel Princess in Love--third in the series after The Princess Diaries and Princess in the Spotlight--is sure to appeal to teen readers who will be able to relate to Mia--a young woman who would like people to know that "behind this mutant facade beats the heart of a person who is striving, just like everybody else in this world, to find self-actualization." (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-In this frothy tale about the heir to the throne of Genovia, 14-year-old Mia wrestles royally with algebra at her New York City high school (her stepfather is her teacher), while learning Genovian protocol from her rigid grandmother, adding to the usual tale of teenage angst and drama. Through her diary entries, ranging from December 6 to her departure on December 20 for the tiny European nation that she will someday rule, readers follow Mia's ups and downs. Typical boyfriend troubles, a date for the Nondenominational Winter Dance (formerly Christmas Dance, which offended some students), and relationships with her friends are all part of the mix. Cabot has crafted characters who are recognizable in a plot that is fun to follow. A treat.
Lisa Denton, Oneida-Herkimer School Library System, Utica, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 6-9. Fans of the first two installments of The Princess Diaries will be just as delighted with this new volume. Mia's voice is as strong as ever and the story line is more satisfying than the plot of Princess in the Spotlight. The diary picks up with a blow-by-blow account of Mia's two Thanksgiving celebrations and concludes with a jubilant entry written aboard the Royal Genovian jet on December 20. In between, readers will be captivated by two weeks' worth of Mia's fretting about her upcoming algebra final, her presentation to the Genovian people, and Kenny's tardiness in inviting her to the Albert Einstein High School Nondenominational Winter Dance. She also obsesses about Michael's relationship with his brilliant lab partner and gets even with her grandmother and an enterprising fashion designer. It's a good thing three more volumes of the diary are forthcoming, because Cabot has secured Mia's position as teen readers' new best friend. Chris Sherman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series, The Princess Diaries. More than 25 million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. Meg lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband.
