Party Princess

Really great series for younger children. It goes through topics in an age-appropriate way and follows Mia as she is growing up.

The 7th book in the Princess Diaries series was just as funny and great as all the rest of Meg Cabot's books. I won't give you the play by play of the book, but basically, Mia is once again faced with many different problems. Michael thinks Mia is not much of a party girl, which she isn't, but Mia tries to prove to him she is. Of course, Grandmere is once again all up in Mia's business, this time trying to help her raise money for the senior class graduation after Mia throws the school budget on recycling bins. Also in this book, you finally find out about The-Guy-Who-Hates-It-When-They-Put-Corn-In-The-Chili, who has been barely mentioned in all the other books. All around, the 7th Princess Diaries is awesome! you laugh all through this book, and I personally can relate to Mia's teenager experiences. If you haven't read this book, you don't know what you're missing!

In this book, Mia's 'government' of the Albert Einstein High School goes broke, and her grandmother has yet another outrageous idea to make up the money. Of course, aside from all drama at school, there are the guys. Mia does some of the wrong things at the wrong time, putting a bit of a rift between her and her boyfriend, Michael. Lilly ends up with a crush on a guy she never considered going out with before, let alone talking to. In this book, the whole group makes a new friend, wind up in a play, Lilly finds a new boyfriend, and Mia and Michael get closer than ever. I have always been a fan of the Princess Diaries, and I had to pick up the book as soon as I could. I finished it within a few hours, and I was laughing from beginning to end. Meg Cabot writes this the same way that teenagers think, making the idea of a princess living an almost-faerie tale life realistic. The way everything is described is highly entertaining, and it is just impossible to set the book down. The relationship between Mia and Michael makes my heart melt, every time they fight they end up closer. The book is adorable and hilarious, romantic and actually dramatic-- it's just a fun, easy read!

Girls - or in Mia's case - Princesses just want to have fun. But that is somewhat of a hard situation when you're Mia Thermopolis - Princess of a small principality known as Genovia, as well as one of the biggest over-analyzing worriers on the face of the earth. So while Mia would love to be thinking only about her boyfriend's upcoming college party, Mia is sitting around worrying about having her face pummeled in by short, strong-as-an-ape, Amber Cheeseman - senior valedictorian - who is totally going to freak out once she finds out that Mia - class president - has already used all of the money in the student government budget for high-tech recycling bins, and has no money left to rent Alice Tully Hall for the senior dinner. As if that weren't bad enough, Mia is freaking out over the prospect of being at a party with a bunch of college girls. College girls who talk about intellectual things - like books - as opposed to the latest rerun of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and who smoke cigarettes and drink beer. Mia is nothing like these girls, so she knows that she won't fit in with the other party guests. That is, unless she tries to become one of these "college" types - with a little help from...Lana Weinberger! Now, Mia has bitten off more than she can chew, and is making a fool of herself left and right - first with Michael, her boyfriend; then with the entire student population at Albert Einstein High School; and now, thanks to Grandmere's bright idea to raise some money for the student government, in front of a bunch of celebrities. The life of a princess is, obviously, not as easy as it looks. At least not if you're Mia Thermopolis - sophomore failing Geometry. Wow! I was amazed with Meg Cabot's newest addition to THE PRINCESS DIARIES series, for I highly doubted that she would ever be able to outdo the previous novels in the series. I will admit: I was wrong. PARTY PRINCESS has become, quite possibly, my favorite novel in the entire series, due in large part to the fact that Mia is finally growing up a bit. She is no longer the shy, soft-spoken girl she used to be; she is forming into a wonderful Princess who will, undoubtedly, rule her country someday with pride. She has finally begun standing up to some of her friends, and taking charge of situations that affect her directly. She is becoming an adult - that is, when she's not watching the Lifetime Channel for Women. As the longest book in the series thus far, Cabot has made each page delectable, and hard to put down. PARTY PRINCESS bubbles like champagne, and will leave you with the same effect: giggling from beginning to end. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Having been disappointed by Princess Diaries 4 and 5-though I loved 6-I approached Party Princess with some trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised! The story is interesting and funny, and Mia as a character shows some new maturity that I found very refreshing! Now, I didn't want to post any spoilers, but I realize that a lot of parents will be reading the reviews of this book to see if it is appropriate for their children. The last book, Princess in Training, dealt very famously and controversially with sex. This did not bother me, but it did bother a lot of parents. Party Princess does make a few off-hand references to the topic of Mia and Michael's-somewhat non-existent-love-life, but nothing graphic and nothing disturbing at all. What I think is going to make some parents edgy is a scene where Mia, at age 15 (and 10 months) has a beer at a party. PLEASE do not stop your children from reading Party Princess because of this. Meg Cabot portrays Mia's experience with alcohol VERY negatively-I'm 17, and this scene doubled my resolution to never touch liquour. Sometimes embarassment is scarier to teenagers than injury. Party Princess is a funny, edgy, and sweet book. I truly enjoyed it.