Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess by Meg Cabot
| Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess by Meg Cabot | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: A socially-awkward tween girl learns that she is actually a princess and her whole world is turned upside down when her half-sister Mia pays a visit. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 192 | Date: May 2015 |
| Publisher: Macmillan | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1447280651 | |
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The author of the hugely successful Princess Diaries has written a brand-new series for younger girls, telling the story of awkward middle-school student Olivia Grace. She discovers that her father is actually the Prince of Genovia, making her...a princess! Not everyone responds well to the news, however, and poor Olivia is soon thrown into a world of jealous bullies, intrusive paparazzi, disgruntled relatives and a whole new family she never knew existed.
Notebooks of a Middle School Princess is a charming rags-to-riches tale of a rather ordinary girl suddenly caught up in a series of extraordinary events. Olivia's day doesn't start too well, when she is cornered by a school bully, threatening to beat her up after school. Events take a strange turn when a stretch limo arrives and out steps the famous Princess Mia Thermopolis who whisks a stunned Olivia away to a brand new world of decadence and luxury. Olivia struggles to process the bizarre things that are happening to her, as she tries to juggle her new life and her 'normal' life back home.
Olivia is a sweet protagonist and instantly likeable. Most young girls will be able to relate to her. She is a bit clumsy and not particularly academic, but has a passion for sketching and is a gifted artist. Young readers will enjoy reading about her transformation from schoolgirl to princess. The illustrations compliment the narrative well and I loved the cuddly cat sketches.
My only slight reservation about the book is the fact that Olivia never really learns to deal with her problems herself. An encounter with a bully is swiftly remedied by a fortuitous plot twist and Olivia's difficulties with her real-world family are simply cast aside upon the discovery of a royal parent. Despite the modern setting, Olivia is still a damsel in distress that needs rescuing, rather than relying on her wits and intelligence to deal with issues. The idea that money and fame are seen as a solution to all of life's problems doesn't seem to be a particularly wise message to send out to young girls.
The book is the first in the new Princess Diaries series, so maybe some of these issues will be ironed out in future books as Olivia comes into her own. It will be interesting to see how she develops as a character and develops her artistic talent. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and thank the publisher for my review copy.
Young princess fans may enjoy Princess Hannah and the Little Black Kitten (Tiara Club) by Vivian French.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess by Meg Cabot at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess by Meg Cabot at Amazon.com.
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