[.ca] Princess in Waiting (ISBN 0786256826)

From Amazon.com:
The fourth volume in Meg Cabot's popular Princess Diaries series, Princess in Waiting begins in the tiny country of Genovia, where 14-year-old Mia, the unlikely royal, is on winter break trying not to bite her fingernails. Being a princess and fighting for the installation of parking meters is tough, when all you really want to do is go back to your regular life in New York City and see your dreamy boyfriend Michael. Of course, Mia is soon back in the city, trying not to fail Algebra II and trying to stay afloat in a sea of self-doubt. Could it be true that she is merely a "massive reject" covered with orange cat hair? For that matter, is finding her missing lucky Queen Amidala underwear as important as finding her secret talent? Mia's frank, funny diary entries range from "Things to Do" lists ("Stop obsessing over whether or not Michael loves you vs. being in love with you"); lists of the valuable lessons of romantic heroines ("3. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice: Boys like it when you are smart-alecky."); transcripts of instant-messaging rounds with Michael; to poems ("Like the Millenium Falcon in hyperdrive/ our love will continue to thrive and thrive") and general irrational tirades. Whether or not Mia ever achieves her much-sought-after "self-actualization," teens will enjoy reading her over-the-top, up-to-the-minute-hip diary. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson

Waiting for it to end..:
This book is certainly not my favorite of Cabot's. It was rather dull, really. The whole thing was a trip to the made-up country Genovia and Mia obsessing over Micheal. The whole thing really bugged me actually. It was just like, stop already! Up til this point I was a huge fan of the series. But this one let me down big time. If you're like me, you may want to stop reading at the third one.

The Bomb!!!:
This book is really good. It is so cool how Mia can totally use the phone to call from Genovia to where Micheal is. I think Mia has good ideas on her parking meter and her stop lights.This book will blow your mind away when you read it. It is that good. Ha Priscilla.

Seriously lacking:
I love The Princess Diaries, but this book was a major dissapointment to me. PD1 was fabulous, PD2 was just as fabulous, and PD3 was incredible... but PD4 was just awful. What happened? The plot was so weak, drawn out, and boring (especially during the first 70 or so pages, when Mia is in Genovia) and Mia seemed to turn into a whiny, boy crazy little twit. She was not the same Mia who I loved to read about so much. I am pleased with Meg Cabot restoring my faith in Mia in Princess in Pink though. Its not as good as the first three, but close.

I really liked it!:
Ok, perhaps it wasn't the best of the series but I really liked it. Even with all her Royal Problems, Mia does sounds like a normal teen that is insecurea about hereself and her relationships like we all were at that time. I didn't find it boring. I loved the ending.

Funny and cute, but a bit empty:
I am a big fan of the Princess Diaries series, but I felt that this installment had the story spread a bit too thinly, and some of the jokes were overplayed. The story begins with Mia spending winter break in Genovia, performing her royal duties and listening to Grandmere's criticism. She causes chaos when, on a public address, she improvises her script and remarks how parking meters would be an enormous help to the Genovian economy. Everybody (and Grandmere most of all) jumps on her because a princess is not "supposed to" advise the country on such matters as parking meters. She mentions it too much, and it got quite boring after about 40 pages of parking meter troubles. Next came the Kate Bosworth worries. Mia had just started going out with Michael Moscovitz, but when she doesn't see him for tewnty days, she starts panicking that he might be seeing a "surfer-girl Kate Bosworth-type with one blue eye and one brown eye." I found this very funny at first, but 20 mentions made it go stale. Much of the rest of the book involves Mia obsessing over whether or not Michael will dump her if she cancels her date with him. But I have to give this book a lot of credit for the lists Mia makes with Lilly and Tina (always one of my favorite parts of the book - this book includes Mia's list of hottest guys with comments by Lilly), the warped advice that Grandmere gives Mia and her attempts to follow it, the clever mentions of the movie made about Mia's life (a hint at the real Disney movie, perhaps?), and, of course, the ending. I read the ending three times because it was so sweet and romantic! All in all, this was a pretty good book. I wouldn't put it on a list of award nominees, but it certainly isn't a waste of time. Borrow this from the library when you get the chance, it's sure to be fun even if it isn't spectacular.