A review by ayari10
Princess in Training by Meg Cabot

1.0

I HATED this one. By far my least favorite of the series so far. Meg Cabot makes very understandable anxieties so over the top they're ridiculous and unrealistic. Contemplating having sex for the first time, running for student body president, public speaking, receiving criticism for writing, anxiety about the environment, a growing family. All those have such rich possibilities for being explored but Cabot's insistence on Mia's slapstick childish behavior cheapens and diminishes all of them. I am so angry.

Spoiler-ish thoughts:

Is Mia a NYC teenage girl in the early aughts or an ex-Amish shut in stepping out into the world for the first time? Her views on sex (not her being hesitant to do it for the first time) are ridiculously conservative for a girl with her background and mother.

Half of this book takes place on Sept 11 but no mention of 9/11 other than an anti-war protest? Okay...

What teenage girl thinks of Danielle Steele as the epitome of a writer?

Mia was wrong about the snails and the tidy tying up was pathetic.

Also, Ms Martinez was not wrong to try to steer Mia into writing about more serious topic for school assignments. Mia needs to toughen up and learn to take criticism if she wants to be writer.

Having just had a baby, I would send Mia to live with her father if she did half the things Mia does to Helen regarding Rocky.