The Princess Diaries

Rating:
Summary: So much better than the horrible, trite movie ...
Review: Meg Cabot's THE PRINCESS DIARIES takes its readers into the mind of Mia Thermopolis, an insecure, hysterically odd 14-year-old girl, introducing us to her understanding of trends, manners and her take on normal teen problems. She's failing algebra. She's got a crush on the most popular boy in her class, not realizing he's a complete tool. Her body just doesn't seem right to her. Her best friend Lily is a know-it-all. Nothing seems to be going quite right in her life.

And then the book throws Mia and its readers a twist. Mia's actually royalty, the crown princess of a small, fictional European municipality named Genovia, though even she didn't know it. Her father, unable to have more children, tells her one day, thinking that this will bring her joy beyond her wildest dreams.

The author knows teens so well that she deals with Mia's newfound title realistically, though. As a princess, she feels like more of a freak than ever. And when her grandmother, the Dowager Princess of Genovia, shows up to instruct Mia about how to deal with her future as a princess, the situation just gets worse.

This novel is absolutely wonderful, painting Mia as a fully-formed, intelligent girl who, sadly, doesn't realize all of her strengths or jump to any good conclusions about her own self-esteem, even though her good qualities shine through to everyone around her. Any older child who's ever had self-image problems will be able to relate to her plight, having to find the princess inside herself - even though she doesn't always think of herself as one.

In the novel, additionally, Mia is surrounded by a wealth of rich, incredibly funny characters. Alongside Lily, who hosts her own cable-access TV show and frequently makes situations far worse than they actually need to be, there's Michael, Lily's mysterious brother. Also, there's the quirky, amusing, romance novel fan Tina Hakeem-Baba, whom Mia thinks is horribly unpopular because she's the only other girl in school besides Mia with her own bodyguard.

Those of you who only know of this story through the weak, weak movie that Disney made out of it ought to treat yourself to this high-quality book, which deals more realistically with Mia's situation. (A warning, though, some of the topics that the book addresses, like testicular cancer, are not fit for younger children.)

This is the first and best book in a very long, consistently funny series, and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A Princess in the Making
Review: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot is about a teenager named Mia Thermopolis who encounters many problems. Some of her problems include flunking algebra, not having a date to the Cultural Diversity Dance, fitting in at school, and dealing with her mom dating her algebra teacher. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her mom in Manhattan, while her father and grandmother live in Genovia. One day, her father and grandma take a trip to Manhattan and her father tells her that she's the princess of Genovia! Throughout the rest of the book, Mia learns how to deal with being a princess and she learns that it's not that bad.
I would definitely recommend this book, especially to teenage girls. Many girls can probably relate to Mia and her daily struggles. Even though being a princess is every girl's dream, Mia learns that it sound better than it really is and that being a princess takes a lot of hard work, but it's not as bad as she thinks. It's a very entertaining book and it is also very well-written. Overall, it's a really great book!

Rating:
Summary: Great BOOK!
Review: This is a great book! If you liked the movie, this is way way better. Mia has a freak Granmother ( who is the queen of genovia) from wich she finds out, she is a princess. Mia's dad does not die in the book however he does become infertile making her the heir to a genovian throne. Her mom is a hippy like painter and they live in a refurbished firehouse. AKA a very modern life. Mia becomes nyc's very own royal and has many obsticles to over come, while being a princess, like her mother dating her algebra teacher....
This is a great book and the ones to follow it are just as good. I would highly recomend this book!

Rating:
Summary: Finally a NORMAL princess.
Review: I have read many princess books. All focused on things that were what princesses experienced but not us normal people. Finally after I read The Princess Diaries I found a princess that was pretty much like us. A normal teen. Mia Thermopolis has many of the same problems we experience when we get into those wild and crazy teen years. She has to deal with her changing body, her growing height(5'9), having a failing grade in Algebra, and boys. For Mia all this is pretty overwelming, and then she learns that her mother is dating her Algebra teacher! OH NO!! If that isn't enough her dad just happens to mention to Mia that she is the only heir to a small european country called Genovia. Worse it turns out now that she has to take princess lessons from Grandmere! Can princess Mia still remain normal and just be able to get through her teen years the way she wants to?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Mia's sassiness and her humor. I highly recommend people to read Princess Diaries II Princess in the Spotlight and Princess Diaries III Princess in Love!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best diaries I've read all year
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!
Review: The entire Princess Diaries is fabulous. I read these books in a day or a day and a half, and I am not a big reader. I just got the 5th one and am in the middle of readng it. The other four were amazing and I don't see why the 5th wouldn't be. Whatever age you are, you should read this entire series. I highly recommend buying them all nd reading them all at once. These books are amazing and Ihope you get a chance to read them!

Rating:
Summary: Princess Dairies
Review: The Princess Dairies is a very exciting series. I am going to tell you about the first book. The beginning of the story takes place in Manhattan. Mia is the main character who is six feet tall, has very large feet and is just awkward looking. She lives with her mom in an apartment. One day her dad came over and he had some very exciting news. Mia was the princess of Genovia. Her dad expected her to be very excited about being a princess, but she is not excited at all. She cannot believe she is a princess. And now she has to take princess lessons from her crazy grandmother.
Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse she finds out her mom is dating her algebra teacher. Will she ever find happiness? Read this book to find out.

Rating:
Summary: A really good book
Review: I thought this book was very good. It's funny and entertaining enough that you always want to keep reading!
This book is about Mia Thermopolis, a 14-year old outcast whose life changes when she finds out that she is a princess.
Her father, the prince of Genovia, was diagnosed with cancer, making him unable to have any more children; this meant only one thing: Mia is the heir to the throne.
Mia is unwilling to fulfill such a task, making it very hard for her family to turn her into a true princess. However, with much work and perseverence, Mia makes it through training and becomes beautiful and graceful, while in the midst of everything, trying to deal with friends, family, boys, and school.
I really enjoyed reading this book! I would DEFINITLEY reccomend it to girls who are going through their teen years, trying to deal with the things Mia did. I give it 5 stars!

Rating:
Summary: Great Books!!!
Review: After seeing the movie, The Princess Diaries, and hearing that they were based on a book i right away went out and bought the books. I was stunned that these books were much better than the movie. Reading about a funny teenager who suddenly finds out she's a princess is very entertaining. While reading these books I became so involved that when she started to go out with some (i won't mention just incase some who wants to reads these books) i was so happy that i felt like i was going out with him. I hope that whoever reads this goes out and reads these books. They are truely great books!

Rating:
Summary: A Princess?!?!?!?
Review: Mia Thermopolis is your average ninth grader with your average every day schedule: get up, go to school, dream about hot senior (who happens to be Josh Richter), fail algebra, and go home. She has enough on her hands as a teenager living in New York City. However, when her dad comes to visit, he comes with major news; news Mia will NOT like. It turns out that Mia's father is Artur Christoff Phillipe Gerard Grimaldi Renaldo, the prince of Genovia. Mia is already shocked by this news, but that's not the end of what her dad has to say. Oh, no. He also says that Mia herself is not just Mia Thermopolis. She is Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, the princess of Genovia. This becomes almost more than Mia can bear. I mean, she already has enough going on in her life just being a teenager!

I think that this book should be read by all girls everywhere. It is so easy to relate to, and it's really comical! Mia has all the problems of an average teenage girl, and realizing she is a princess does NOT make those problems any better. In fact, they became a whole lot worse! Meg Cabot is so realistic when she describes Mia's situation-at-hand. Mia does NOT want to be a princess and she does NOT want everyone at school to know that she's a princess, either. As if THAT'S ever going to happen! To make matters worse, Mia's mom has started dating her algebra teacher, Mr. Frank Gianini. Algebra just happens to be the class that Mia has a big, fat F in! How is Mia ever going to survive her freshman year at high school let alone the rest of her royal life?

Meg Cabot wrote this book in the form of a diary. I think that this makes it a lot easier to understand Mia's point of view and how she really feels about the whole situation. Besides her diary, Mia has another source to tell her feelings to: her best friend Lily Moscovitz whose family happens to be made up of psychologists. As nice as it seems to have someone evaluate her feelings all the time, Mia gets tired of all the reasons that she's feeling the way she is. Can't she just be angry about the whole princess thing without it being based on some Jungian tree of self-actualization? Why did her dad have to have cancer? The cancer's gone now, but it left him unable to have any children, making Mia the next heiress to the throne!

The Princess Diaries was such a wonderful book. No matter what type of person you are, you will find some way to relate to this book. Mia is a down-to-earth girl who just wants to be able to pass algebra and get through high school without drawing attention to herself. I give this book two enthusiastic thumbs up. It is one of those books that you just can't put down once you start, and if you have to, you're left in suspense until you pick it up again! I congratulate Meg Cabot for writing such a neat book. It made me want to read the other sequels, which were just as enjoyable. Read this book - you'll be glad you did!