Book Review: Princess Mia

Book Review: Princess Mia
By Meg Cabot

Like any book Meg writes, this book is witty, heart-wrenching as well as something you don’t want to put down. This is book 9 in the Princess Diary series and Princess Mia deals with a lot. Seriously, practically every huge topic for teens comes up. We’re talking best friend break ups, boyfriend break ups, depression, cyber-bullying, cliques, what to do with a boy who says he loves you, growth spurts, publicity (okay, not many teens have to deal with that), having to grow up before you are fully ready, approaching your biggest fears with grace and dignity, family and so much more.

While this may give you the impression that this is a heavy book, somehow it isn’t. The tone is light and sticks to diary, email and text format. Princess Mia has ‘voice’ as well. A voice that is wry, ironic, truthful, strong and funny. With that combo, it is hard for these sharp topics to bite in an unpleasant way. Cabot knows how to reach teens and how to entertain them, offer solutions to typical teen problems without being preachy, boring or overwhelming. She uses Mia. If Mia can do it, why can’t you? Right?

If you know a teen, buy her the book–heck the whole series. It’s good stuff. And if you don’t have biases against good fiction aimed at a younger audience, pick it up yourself. It’s a good read.

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Teacher, Meg’s Distracting Me Again!

Why it is dangerous to follow the links on Meg Cabot’s blog ( http://www.megcabot.com/diary/index.php) when you are trying to get some work done:

1. You end up laughing at some crazy kid using his cat as entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGkQkVQt7ak&feature=related

2. You end up laughing at a librarians blog and then trying to post your own comment, which doesn’t go through, so you give up.

http://librarianavengers.org/worship-2/

3. You discover Patrick Swayze has cancer. And then you move on.

4. You end up following a link to Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Ward-Cleaver-Jenny-Gardiner/dp/0505527472/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204826739&sr=8-1

5. And then you end up going to Chapters to find out what the book is actually about.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Sleeping-with-Ward-Cleaver-Jenny-Gardiner/9780505527479-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527sleeping+ward+claeaver%2527&sterm=sleeping+ward+claeaver+-+Books

6. And then you end up trying to figure out if Ward Cleaver is that TV character from that show you’ve never seen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Cleaver 

7. You follow a link to an author’s site and realise that there is just too much to read on the Internet and you will never get back to work, so close everything down again, promising yourself you will go look at it all again later.

http://www.thedebutanteball.com/ 

8. You end up writing a blog entry so you can share the crazy links.

And then you notice that Sting’s song ‘Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot’ is song number 666 on winamp’s playlist. I’m just saying. That’s all. I’m not implying that Sting is evil or anything. Or that your soul is going to pilot you straight to hell or anything. Really, I’m not. I’m sure it is just a quirky little coincidence.

Oh my god! It’s a sign!!!!!!!!!!!

(Kidding.)