The Princess Diaries Collection

Though I am definitely several years past teenage-hood myself, I still like to read the occasional young-adult book, if for no other reason than to think back a few years when life problems were a lot more fun. I picked up this edition, which combines both the first and second books of _The Princess Diaries_ series, last night for a bit of light reading and managed to finish the entire thing (400 some-odd pages) in less than a day. It's been ages since I've wanted to do that with a book. Both books were easy to read and extremely fun. Mia Thermopolis is an average teenage girl. That is, until her dad shows up to tell her that she's next in line, after him, to rule a small European country. Things start happening pretty quickly after that as Mia comes to terms with who she is and how a Princess is supposed to act (thanks to on-going Princess Lessons with her Grandmere, the dowager Princess). All of the characters, from Mia's austere Grandmere, to her slightly flaky Mom and over-the top best friend Lilly are well-drawn, believable and even likeable (each in different ways, of course). A good book can be based on one very strong character, but in my opinion the thing that makes a great book is an entire cast of wonderful characters. You will definitely find those within the pages of these books. What really made me love both of the books so much, though, (even more than just a great cast of characters) was the humor. Ms. Cabot's writing is light and fresh and just what I've been needing for a bit of a pick me up. More often than not I found myself laughing out loud every few pages. I look forward to reading the next books in the series and plan to also look up Ms. Cabot's other work. You should do the same, you won't be disappointed.