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Unabridged Digital Audiobook
Runtime: 5 hours
Read by Kathleen McInerney
In her Princess Diaries series, author Meg Cabot has chronicled the life of Mia Thermopolis, an average teenager who discovered that she was heir to the throne of a small European country. Cabot has since begun a new series with Mia’s half-sister, called From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess. And the audio edition of the second book, Royal Wedding Disaster, attends Mia’s wedding with her younger sister.
The story catches up with Genovian princess Olivia after she’s moved into the palace with her long-lost family. Having spent her entire life as a totally average kid, living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in New Jersey, it was quite a shock to discover that she’s actually a princess—and she’s been busy learning how to act like a princess ever since. Meanwhile, not only is Mia settling in as the new ruler of Genovia, but she’s also pregnant with twins and planning her royal wedding. Life at the palace is pretty crazy—and it gets even crazier for Olivia when she’s sent off to study at the Royal Genovian Academy.
The Middle School Princess series has all of the royal mishaps and learning experiences of the Princess Diaries series. Olivia is a normal kid who’s trying to get accustomed to being a princess—just like Mia once was. And as she moves to Genovia to live with her family, she deals with a lot of the same things that any other girl does. She may be a princess, but she still has to go to school, where she has to deal with mean girls and not-so-welcome admirers. She still has little tiffs with her best friend, too. And young readers will be able to relate to all of those normal, everyday issues.
At the same time, though, Olivia is also a princess. She gets to live in a huge palace, she gets to wear fancy dresses and attend fancy parties, and she has her very own pony. She even gets to be in a royal wedding! And that adds a little bit of whimsy to the regular, everyday girl drama.
Olivia is a lovable lead character. She has her fears and insecurities, but she’s also smart and strong, and she’s gradually learning to stand up for herself. She’s surrounded by other likable characters, too—like her regal but spunky Grandmere and reptile-loving Prince Khalil (and, of course, her older half sister, Mia). And that charming cast of characters comes together to tell a royally entertaining story.
The mix of everyday dilemmas and fairy tale fantasy makes this series another hit for Meg Cabot. And Royal Wedding Disaster is a fun-filled adventure that will spark young readers’ imagination.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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