4 Stars
ARC Review: Notebooks of a Middle School Princess (Notebooks of a Middle School Princess #1) by Meg Cabot
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Series: Notebooks of a Middle School Princess #1
Author: Meg Cabot
Published May 21st 2015 by Macmillan Children's Books
Goodreads Synopsis
The first in a brand-new, funny, heart-warming illustrated Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot.
Olivia Grace is completely average. Or so she thinks . . . until Her Royal Highness, Princess Mia Thermopolis turns up at her school one day and whisks Olivia away to New York City! In a limo, no less! Where you can eat all the cookies you want and the ceiling lights up pink and purple - like a disco! But discovering that your father is actually the Prince of Genovia is quite a shock. Especially since it means you're a descendant of the Kingdom of Genovia, and a princess. Olivia's got a lot to learn about her long-lost family - and everyone's got a lot to learn about her!
Olivia chronicles her transformation from ordinary girl to princess in her notebook, with illustrations from Meg Cabot, who studied Fine Arts as an undergraduate.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
I really loved being thrust back into the Princess Diaries world. I remember reading that series when I was younger, and as soon as I saw Meg Cabot was delving back into the world, from the PoV of a new character, I knew I had to read it! I was so happy when I saw I was approved on NetGalley for an eARC.
Though I don't normally read children's books - I tend to read more YA (that's why the blog is called Sophie Reads YA) - I really enjoyed how sweet Olivia was as a protagonist, and how innocent her character was. Meeting old characters from the Princess Diaries world, particularly Mia, was amazing, and the interactions of Olivia with her newly found family was everything I could ask for. I can't wait to see how their family dynamic continues to grow as the series progresses, as the family begin to become a proper family, and I hope that Olivia will be part of Cabot's upcoming book, Royal Wedding.
The book was quite short, just under 200 pages, but I felt the story progressed at a steady pace, perfect for readers of the intended audience. The story line was quite inventive, you could obviously tell that it was a first book in the series, as there was a lot of setting the scene and introducing the characters, but I definitely felt that the potential for really great story lines have been set up for future instalments.
After reading this book I realised I definitely need to re-read the Princess Diaries series, which I hope to do this summer to prepare for Royal Wedding, but I'm really looking forward to reading further books in this series.
Dates Read:
April 10 to 12, 2015
Rating
4 Stars
