Princess Lessons

April 1, 2003
Fans of the Princess Diaries will not want to miss Meg Cabot's Princess Lessons: A Princess Diaries Book, illus. by Chesley McLaren, delivered with the series' signature wicked humor (between the paper-over-board covers in a princessiest of pink volume). From Paolo's "Pretty Princess" beauty tips ("I, Paolo, am the one who turned the Principessa Amelia from Ugly Duckling into Swan") to the Dowager Princess of Genovia's strict rules of etiquette ("Princesses always keep their knees close together when sitting. This is so that the populace gathered before you... does not catch a glimpse of your unmentionables!") to tips on fashion from Her Royal Highness Princess Mia herself, this masterguide to monarchy will have princesses sprouting up nationwide. McLaren's chic drawings combine fashion flair with fun asides (such as Mia thrusting a booted leg skyward for her grandmother's "knees together" pointer).

May 15, 2003
Gr. 5-7. So you, too, want to be a princess? Fans of Princess Mia's adventures in the small principality of Genovia may wonder how they, too, can have the accoutrements of princessdom. It's all here between pretty pink covers. Ostensibly written by Mia, this offers the secrets of her princess lessons with Grandmother: the etiquette, table manners, even thoughts about good citizenship. Mia also passes on help from Paola, her makeup artist; Sebastian, her fashion designer; and her best friend Tina, ostensibly a relationship expert. To say the advice here runs the gamut doesn't even begin to describe this book. Some is tongue-in-cheek (tiara maintenance); other bits are useful--how to write a sympathy note (although the example is to someone who has lost a pet cat). Even fans of the Diaries who start out reading this just for Mia's amusing ramblings may glean a few nuggets of decorum along the way. See p.1660 for the latest addition to the Diaries series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2003
Princess Mia, Grandmere, friends, and even enemies (cheerleader Lana Weinberger) offer advice on everything from etiquette and fashion to self-defense and college applications. The sections not authored by Mia still include her amusing commentary (on Grandmere's bra suggestions: "This assumes, of course, that you actually have something to put in a bra, unlike me").

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)