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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I love the movie but somehow this book was even better than the movie!!
This was definitely a fun read. I have watched the movie multiple times and I did like the move.
As always the book is slightly different and since its a series, I liked the focus of this book. It did sound a little dull in the middle, but over all it was nice to read the thought process of a 14 year old girl who just figured out she is a princess :)
As always the book is slightly different and since its a series, I liked the focus of this book. It did sound a little dull in the middle, but over all it was nice to read the thought process of a 14 year old girl who just figured out she is a princess :)
I wish I had read this before seeing the movie. I really enjoyed this book, but I had a really hard time letting go of the characters from the movie. The book is quite a bit different - and the grandmother/queen in the book is no Julie Andrews!! Once I was able to get past that, though, I really enjoyed it. A fun, clever book.
If you're going into this book thinking it will be exactly like the movie version starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, I am sorry to say that you will be sorely disappointed as they share very little in common besides names, and even then they can be changed slightly.
If you go in with an open mind, however, I think you will be pleasantly pleased.
Mia is a freshman at Albert Einstein High School, living in New York City with her mother. Her mother thinks that she needs to learn to open up more, and so she gives Mia the diary as a way to learn to express herself. We learn very quickly all the shortcomings that Mia sees in herself, and they are brought up constantly throughout the book. As someone who kept a journal in middle school and high school, which is also when this series started for me, the writing style was very familiar and the issues that she was talking about were things that I could relate to, outside of her finding out that she is a princess. She doesn't have a lot of friends, she gets teased at school, and her mother is slightly hair brained so she is constantly having to take on a more adult role taking care of bills. Her father is pretty absentee being a diplomat for his country of Genovia, but he is still alive and talks to her from time to time.
One day her father comes back to New York and informs her that his cancer he had has made him unable to have children and because of this she is now the heir to the throne of Genovia. This is where some of the unbelievability comes in, because she even states that she did a report on Genovia and had seen a picture of the prince but didn't recognize him as her father because he had sideburns and a full head of hair. I have seen pictures of my father from when he was younger, and let me tell you, he doesn't look so different that I wouldn't recognize him. Maybe the mind just sees what it wants to.
Her grandmother comes to New York as well and starts to give her princess lessons, including a full makeover for Mia. She is not the kind matronly grandmother that we got with Julie Andrews who was understanding, she was strict and unkind, completely judgmental and steam rolled over everyone. Honestly I could have seen Julie being a bit more Mary Poppins with the role with her being more pompous and such it could have worked, but they wanted to make her kinder.
Lily is more judgmental as well, and when she and Mia get in a fight it isn't just two seconds of screen time it lasts through the majority of the book. Mia makes a new friend in Tina, but feels the loss of her best friend. Michael is more of a presence in the book, helping Mia with her math work and talking to her about her issues with Lily. He isn't in a band but does play guitar, and they do have a slight flirtation. I think one of the reasons they might have aged up Mia for the movie though is because he is a senior and she is a freshman. There is a bit of a hint of a romance, though they never kiss or anything, and that kind of age difference, especially in high school, can be a bit much. Not as bad since she knew him her whole life but still some "ehhh" factor.
I am not sure how teenagers today would react to this book, especially since I am sure so many know it only from the movies. It is a product of it's time, talking about Britney Spears and her latest album, mentioning that not everyone has a phone or pager, and Princess Diana had just died three years before so the stalking of Mia by the paparazzi does bring up that topic though it is becoming topic of conversation again recently with her documentary and The Crown.
This book was clearly written with a series in mind, because though Mia grows as a friend, the princess stuff feels left in the air and relationships have just started to grow better. It is a great book though, and still one of my favorites of all time
If you go in with an open mind, however, I think you will be pleasantly pleased.
Mia is a freshman at Albert Einstein High School, living in New York City with her mother. Her mother thinks that she needs to learn to open up more, and so she gives Mia the diary as a way to learn to express herself. We learn very quickly all the shortcomings that Mia sees in herself, and they are brought up constantly throughout the book. As someone who kept a journal in middle school and high school, which is also when this series started for me, the writing style was very familiar and the issues that she was talking about were things that I could relate to, outside of her finding out that she is a princess. She doesn't have a lot of friends, she gets teased at school, and her mother is slightly hair brained so she is constantly having to take on a more adult role taking care of bills. Her father is pretty absentee being a diplomat for his country of Genovia, but he is still alive and talks to her from time to time.
One day her father comes back to New York and informs her that his cancer he had has made him unable to have children and because of this she is now the heir to the throne of Genovia. This is where some of the unbelievability comes in, because she even states that she did a report on Genovia and had seen a picture of the prince but didn't recognize him as her father because he had sideburns and a full head of hair. I have seen pictures of my father from when he was younger, and let me tell you, he doesn't look so different that I wouldn't recognize him. Maybe the mind just sees what it wants to.
Her grandmother comes to New York as well and starts to give her princess lessons, including a full makeover for Mia. She is not the kind matronly grandmother that we got with Julie Andrews who was understanding, she was strict and unkind, completely judgmental and steam rolled over everyone. Honestly I could have seen Julie being a bit more Mary Poppins with the role with her being more pompous and such it could have worked, but they wanted to make her kinder.
Lily is more judgmental as well, and when she and Mia get in a fight it isn't just two seconds of screen time it lasts through the majority of the book. Mia makes a new friend in Tina, but feels the loss of her best friend. Michael is more of a presence in the book, helping Mia with her math work and talking to her about her issues with Lily. He isn't in a band but does play guitar, and they do have a slight flirtation. I think one of the reasons they might have aged up Mia for the movie though is because he is a senior and she is a freshman. There is a bit of a hint of a romance, though they never kiss or anything, and that kind of age difference, especially in high school, can be a bit much. Not as bad since she knew him her whole life but still some "ehhh" factor.
I am not sure how teenagers today would react to this book, especially since I am sure so many know it only from the movies. It is a product of it's time, talking about Britney Spears and her latest album, mentioning that not everyone has a phone or pager, and Princess Diana had just died three years before so the stalking of Mia by the paparazzi does bring up that topic though it is becoming topic of conversation again recently with her documentary and The Crown.
This book was clearly written with a series in mind, because though Mia grows as a friend, the princess stuff feels left in the air and relationships have just started to grow better. It is a great book though, and still one of my favorites of all time
I shouldn’t have enjoyed this book as much as I did. But it was so fun! The technology (dial up internet) and slang brought me right back to my own years as a teenager in the late nineties. Sugary and empty, but also really fun.
First off: this book is WILDLY different from the movie, that being said I actually really enjoyed the book.
You have to remember what it's trying to portray: the diary of an awkward 14 year old.
I know Mia might not be relatable for a lot of people, but she really reminds me of myself when I was in high school. I started high school 5'10", size 12 shoes, fat, vegetarian, and flat chested (I left a 6'1", size 12 shoe, fat, vegetarian, with a c-cup if anyone is curious).
While Mia DOES talk about her chest a lot, it's honestly something a lot of girls think about in their pre and early teens! That's why bra stuffing is a thing.
I haven't read the other books yet, but I'm hoping they grow up with Mia and become more mature in a similar fashion that Harry Potter grew with the characters.
I found the book quite funny at times especially since it is INCREDIBLY juvenile, it's quite accurately in the mind of a hormonal teen from my perspective.
Definitely not a book for everyone but I really enjoyed it.
You have to remember what it's trying to portray: the diary of an awkward 14 year old.
I know Mia might not be relatable for a lot of people, but she really reminds me of myself when I was in high school. I started high school 5'10", size 12 shoes, fat, vegetarian, and flat chested (I left a 6'1", size 12 shoe, fat, vegetarian, with a c-cup if anyone is curious).
While Mia DOES talk about her chest a lot, it's honestly something a lot of girls think about in their pre and early teens! That's why bra stuffing is a thing.
I haven't read the other books yet, but I'm hoping they grow up with Mia and become more mature in a similar fashion that Harry Potter grew with the characters.
I found the book quite funny at times especially since it is INCREDIBLY juvenile, it's quite accurately in the mind of a hormonal teen from my perspective.
Definitely not a book for everyone but I really enjoyed it.
This is a good first entry to the series. It's charming, it has just enough drama and the characters are not too bad - yet. It's a nice and easy story with a unique premise.
I love this whole series - nothing deep, but they make me laugh
This book was great! The movie was a huge part of my childhood, and even though the two are very different, I still enjoyed the book a lot! I cannot wait to read more of this series :)
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funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No