ISBN: 9780060294656
New York: Harper Collins, 2001
Plot - Mia Thermopolis, having been informed when we first met her in The Princess Diaries that she is a real princess who will one day inherit the throne and run her family’s country, Genovia, is about to become a big sister. Much to her shock and embarrassment, the father is her Algebra teacher. Mia hopes no one will find out, as she always does when it comes to the facts of her family life, at least until her mother and Mr. G. have gotten married. But when her Grandmare begins planning a splashy wedding her mother will hate and Mia babbles a bit too much in a national television interview, her hopes for privacy are once again dashed. Throw in a secret admirer’s communiqués and Mia’s growing crush on her best friend’s big brother, Michael, and Mia might wish her mother’s morning sickness were all she had to worry about.
Critical Evaluation - The most shining quality of Meg Cabot’s Princess in the Spotlight is her ninth grade narrator’s voice. Mia Thermopolis tells it like it is, utterly unselfconsciously, with the self-doubt, confusion, rigid judgments, and spot-on assessment of the world around her that only a ninth grade girl can offer. At times, the reader may have to remind him or herself that yes, this narrator is wholly unreliable and that that is just as it should be. The story itself is fun, light, and carries a bit of suspense, but does not quite reach the hilarious heights that its predecessor did. No matter, though, readers will be relieved to most likely enjoy this installment in Mia’s adventures knowing that more is to come.
Reader's annotation - If you thought Mia had a bit more on her plate than some ninth grade girls, wait until you read what's in store for her when her mother spills the beans and Mia is interviewed on national television.
Information about the author - Meg Cabot, who used to write under the pen names, Patricia Cabot and Jenny Carroll, did not like high school, much like her Princess Diaries protagonist, Mia. She has a degree in Art, and ended up marrying the guy who told her to do that in college instead of Creative Writing so she wouldn't get burned out on what she truly loved. Before her first book, Where Roses Grow Wild, was published, she had to spend three years sending out query letters every day just to get an agent, and then the agent presented her book for a full year before a publisher agreed to take it on. Ms. Cabot was born in Indiana, but now lives in Key West with her beloved cats and her husband whom she refers to in her blog as He Who Shall Not Be Named.
Genre - Chick Lit
Curriculum Ties - Excellent possibility for English classes' reluctant readers during free choice genre reading
Booktalk ideas
- Character Focus: Become Mia by describing yourself as "a ninth grader, tall, not exactly fully developed, and, oh yes, just found out that I'm a real live princess and will have to actually run a country!" Read the passage on pg. 28 "And what about G & T...," including wondering about herj mother's telling Mr. G. about being pregnant.
- Focus on the on-going plot line of Mia and Michael. Read pg. 121 "CracKing:...Listen, what are you doing Friday night?" through her thinking, "Okay. Not a date." Will she realize what's happening in this book, finally. Read it to see.
Challenge issues - No issues.
If a challenge were to occur, the librarian should become familiar with the book, share both professional and local teen reviews of the book, and refer to the library's Collection Development Policy.
Why I included this book - I included it because the first one was great, I thought, and I know that kids in my school library absolutely love a series. This one is worth reading, and a fun follow-up to its predecessor.
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