Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Princess Diaries

Meg Cabot, I must say is an amazing author. Does she just sit around all day writing as Princess Mia? Seriously! There are 9 books plus numerous bonus books out and at least 1 more to come. (that I know of.) After reading all 9 plus most of the extra in-between books, here's my review:

We start out with the diary of an average flat-chested fourteen-year-old freshman. She's definitely not happy with how life has been turning out, but she's not in any mood to change her routine. Contrary to what you may believe after seeing Disney's portrayal of the book, Mia's father is NOT dead. And her grandmother? MOST DEFINITELY NOT Julie Andrews. Her Grandmére is a total witch! So anyway, the first book, Princess Diaries is basically the beginning. She's told she's a princess (by her father, actually.) Now, why is she a princess if her father is still alive? Well...see, he got cancer...and...had...his...well, hopefully you get the idea. He can't make babies anymore and Mia's his only (illegitimate) child.


If you've seen the movies, you'll know that Anne Hathaway did not play a freshman, she was supposed to be almost sixteen. What about Lilly and Michael? Lilly is indeed Mia's best friend, but way bossier. They are constantly fighting. CONSTANTLY. Michael is probably the closest character in the movie. He is actually a senior when Mia is a freshman and they start going out. That doesn't exactly happen immediately though. It actually doesn't happen a little later.

There is a guy mentioned in nearly every book. That is the-guy-who-hates-it-when-they-put-corn-in-the-chili. Who is this guy? Well, you find out later...if you read!

Every single day after school Mia must go to Princess lessons with her grandmére. This lady loves sidecars (a type of drink) and cigars and takes crap from no one. Grandmére is one of those people who you feel the need to either impress or run away from. This dowager princess isn't exactly loving or caring, but she does her best to see that Mia becomes the best princess she can be.

As the series continues throughout Mia's freshman, sophmore, and junior years in high school, her friends change, her views in life change and her styles of writing change. There are haters, like the person who created http://www.ihatemiathermopolis.com/. (it's a real site! go ahead and click on it!) Then there are people like her dear friend Tina Hakim Baba who are with her through thick and thin.

While some parts get a little shallow and some teenage girls get a little sassy, the entire book is kind of like having a best friend right in your hands. When there are problems, I always find myself thinking what I would do in her situation, or relating to the current situation. I mean, okay, she's a princess and all, but she's still a normal girl.

sites to click on:

http://www.megcabot.com/
http://www.ihatemiathermopolis.com/ (it's hard to understand unless you've read the books. The posts are actually mentioned and accurate.)
http://www.miathermopolis.com/ (just found out about this, actually. This part doesn't come in until book 10 so I guess we'll all have to wait to completely understand!)

Friday, November 7, 2008

TWILIGHT!!! nearly here!


If you are here reading this, then you probably know that I LOVE Twilight. I cannot wait for the movie! Here's your countdown to Twilight the movie!