Mia Thermopolis is your average urban ninth grader. Even though she lives in Greenwich Village with a single mom who is a semifamous painter, Mia still puts on her Doc Martens one at a time, and the most exciting things she ever dreams about are smacking lips with sexy senior Josh Richter, "six feet of unadulterated hotness," and passing Algebra I. Then Mia's dad comes to town, and drops a major bomb. Turns out he's not just a European politician as he's always lead her to believe, but actually the prince of a small country! And Mia, his only heir, is now considered the crown princess of Genovia! She doesn't even know how to begin to cope: "I am so NOT a princess.... You never saw anyone who looked less like a princess than I do. I mean, I have really bad hair... and... a really big mouth and no breasts and feet that look like skis." And if this news wasn't bad enough, Mia's mom has started dating her algebra teacher, the paparazzi is showing up at school, and she's in a huge fight with her best friend, Lilly. How much more can this reluctant Cinderella handle?

Offbeat Mia will automatically win the heart of every teenage girl who's ever just wanted to fit in with as little fuss as possible. Debut author Meg Cabot's writing is silly and entertaining, with tons of pop culture references that will make teens feel right at home within her pages. This is a wonderfully wacky read. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly
A teenager living in modern-day Greenwich Village in New York City discovers that she is now the heir apparent to the throne in a European country, in this novel, soon to be a motion picture starring Julie Andrews. Ages 12-up. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-9-Insecure Mia Thermopolis, 14, discovers that she is actually Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo of Genovia. In her diary entries, which cover almost a month, she writes about going to a private school in New York City and living in Greenwich Village with her avant-garde artist mother. She fights with her best friend, struggles to pass algebra, and worries that she is the only one without a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance. On top of that, her divorced mother begins dating her teacher; her father visits and reveals that she is his heir; her intimidating grandmother gives her "Princess lessons"; and she has to contend with the embarrassment of having a bodyguard and reporters who follow her everywhere. Readers will relate to Mia's bubbly, chatty voice and enjoy the humor of this unlikely fairy tale. More accessible than, though perhaps not as clever as, Louise Rennison's Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging (HarperCollins, 2000), this funny, fast-paced book should appeal to hip young women, including reluctant readers.Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Just imagine. One September morning you wake up, biggest freshman freak of Albert Einstein High School, five foot nine, flat-chested, and gifted (except in Algebra). By week's end, you've learned that you are the princess of Genovia and begin tortuous princess lessons with your Grandmere, the Queen. The potential for trauma is enormous! Every girl in America is likely familiar with the premise in a much-altered form as the storyline of the Disney feature film, starring Anne Hathaway, narrator of this splendid audiobook. However, in this reading, Hathaway shines in a way that the scanty screenplay didn't allow. As Cabot's Mia Thermopolis, she is smart, she is sassy, and she is the victim of a cruel universe, a girl who nevertheless manages to shine with a wry adolescent wit and abiding incredulity. Hathaway's charming impudence and high energy will thoroughly engage listeners from middle school through adulthood. T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Teens like novels written in diary format, and you can bet they'll be lining up for this hilarious story about a gawky 14-year-old New Yorker who learns she's a princess. Mia spends every available moment pouring her feelings into the journal her mother gave her: she writes during algebra class, in the ladies' room at the Plaza (much nicer than the one in Tavern on the Green), in her grandmother's limousine. She writes down her thoughts on everything--from algebra and her mother's love life to her jet-setting father's announcement that she's the heir to the throne of the principality of Genovia. Then, of course, she records Grandmother's efforts to turn her into a princess, her dealings with classmates, the press, and a bodyguard, and also her attraction to the most gorgeous guy in school and her attempts to be assertive and happy with her new life. She whines; she gloats; she cheers, worries, rants, and raves. Reading her journal is like reading a note from your best friend. Cabot has a fine grasp of teen dialect (and punctuation), an off-the-wall sense of humor that will have readers laughing out loud, and a knack for creating fully realized teen and adult characters that readers will miss when the story ends. Chris Sherman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

Feast your eyes on this royally ravishing boxed set! Princess Diaries fans can now get the first three books in Meg Cabot's smash-hit series in one box. Princess Mia's aristocratic antics are sure to charm the socks off any princess wannabe.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Meg Cabot fans can now get the first three volumes of the best-selling series starring Princess Mia! A perfect gift for any princess, this boxed set contains paperback editions of Volumes 1-3: The Princess Diaries, Princess in the Spotlight, and Princess in Love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly