The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries is the first novel in Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries series. It was Cabot's first novel aimed at a young adult audience. The book was orginally published by HarperCollins' imprint HarperTrophy in September 2000. In 2004, it was adapted into a film of the same name.

Acknowledgements

 * "The author wishes to express her gratitude to the people who contributed in so many ways to the creation and publication of this book: Beth Ader, Jennifer Brown, Barbara Cabot, Charles and Bonnie Egnatz, Emily Faith, Laura langlie, Ron Markman, Abigail McAden, A. Elizabeth Mikesell, Melinda Mounsey, David Walton, Allegra Yeley and, most especially Benjamin Egnatz."

Description
Website=
 * "She's just a New York City girl living with her artist mom… NEWS FLASH: Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that's why a limo meets her at the airport!) DOWNER: Dad can't have any more kids. (So there's no heir to the throne.) SHOCK OF THE CENTURY: Like it or not, Mia Thermopolis is prime princess material. THE WORST PART: Mia must take princess lessons from her dreaded grandmère, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne. Well, her father can lecture her until he's royal–blue in the face about her princessly duty—no way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind. But what's a girl to do when her name is PRINCESS AMELIA MIGNONETTE GRIMALDI THERMOPOLIS RENALDO?"

Back of book=
 * "Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra. Is she ever in for a surprise. First Mom announces that she's dating Mia's Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?"

Plot
The Princess Diaries tells the story of Mia Thermopolis, a geeky teenager in her freshman year at Albert Einstein High School, New York. At the beginning of the novel, Mia is given the journal by her liberal painter mother Helen, who has recently begun dating Mia's Algebra teacher Mr. Gianini, and told to write her feelings down; Mia's subsequent entries make up the book.

Mia starts the novel as a 5-foot-9, combat boot-wearing vegetarian who is extremely insecure about her height, flat-chestedness, and inability to "self-actualize" and find her life's meaning. She is constantly harassed by cheerleader Lana Weinberger, has a crush on popular senior Josh Richter, and spends her days with her best friend Lilly Moscovitz and Lilly's brother Michael. However, when her father Philippe (who impregnated Helen with Mia out of wedlock) comes to town, he brings shocking news: he is the prince of Genovia, a small European principality, making Mia a princess, and due to his testicular cancer, she is now also his only heir.

Although initially pressured to move to Genovia, Mia manages to work out a deal with her parents allowing her to finish high school before doing so. However, as part of the compromise, she is forced to attend "princess lessons" with Grandmere (Dowager Princess Clarisse), her hated grandmother. Mia is also given a physical makeover, which alienates Lilly, who is unaware of the circumstances and angry at Mia for not supporting her boycott of a local deli. As a result, Mia begins to befriend Tina Hakim Baba, another girl at AEHS who is socially shunned because of her bodyguard.

Suddenly, Mia's secret is revealed and she is thrust into the media spotlight. Within hours, her popularity at school has skyrocketed- and Josh begins to pay more attention to her. By the next day, he has asked her to the upcoming Cultural Diversity Dance, and she happily accepts, much to the chagrin of her parents and Mr. G, who worry that Josh is too "fast" for her. Grandmere intervenes and forces them to allow Mia to go.

Mia is elated to be going to the dance, but her doubts begin to grow when Josh and his friends are inconsiderate towards her during the pre-dance dinner. Her suspicions about his intentions are finally confirmed when they arrive at the dance, and he kisses her in front of the paparazzi- it is revealed that he only went out with her for the publicity. As they enter the dance, she confronts him, before walking off. Mia spends the rest of the evening with her true friends, and even dances with Michael, who she begins to grow close to. The novel ends the next day with Mia, her parents, and Grandmere on the roof of Helen's Greenwich Village loft, watching the sunset; Mia reflects that her self-actualization can wait until tomorrow, and "for now, I guess I'll settle for what I've got."