Teen Ink

Your world is in chaos. Suddenly, your life changes in just a few minutes and you are not who you thought you were. This is the scenario of Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.

Mia, a 14-year-old freshman living in New York City with her artist mother, is a normal teen. Her main problems are dealing with the non-vegetarian food at her school, making sure her cat, Fat Louie, doesn’t eat ­another sock, and her social life, which is sadly lacking.

This all changes one day when Mia goes to meet her dad at the Plaza Hotel and he reveals that he is the prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and she is the sole heir to the throne. Mia is horrified that she will one day rule Genovia. Plus, this means she will have to take lessons from her insane grandmother to learn how to be a princess. Even worse, Mia still doesn’t have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance!

The Princess Diaries is one of my favorite books. I love the use of pop culture and humor, as well as loveable Mia, whose worries and thoughts are so strangely similar to mine that I can’t help but relate to her. It has an excellent plot, full of twists and fascinating details as well as excellent characters.

The book, as you may have guessed from the title, is ­written as Mia’s diary. Her ­personality makes her words speak to you like an e-mail or note from your best friend.

I loved The Princess Diaries from its first page. Its characters and plot pull you in and don’t let go until you’ve read the last word. I would recommend this book to any teenager who is the mood for a laugh and a little romance.