Princess in Pink (Princess Diaries Series #5)

Chapter One\ Tuesday, September 23\ Sometimes it seems like all I ever do is lie.\ My mom thinks I'm repressing my feelings about this. I say to her, “No, Mom, I'm not. I think it's really neat. As long as you're happy, I'm happy.”\ Mom says, “I don't think you're being honest with me.”\ Then she hands me this book. She tells me she wants me to write down my feelings in this book, since, she says, I obviously don't feel I can talk about them with her.\ She wants me to write down my feelings? Okay, I'll write down my feelings:\ I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE'S DOING THIS TO ME!\ Like everybody doesn't already think I'm a freak. I'm practically the biggest freak in the entire school. I mean, let's face it: I'm five foot nine, flat-chested, and a freshman. How much more of a freak could I be?\ If people at school find out about this, I'm dead. That's it. Dead.Oh, God, if you really do exist, please don't let them find out about this.\ There are four million people in Manhattan, right? That makes about two million of them guys. So out of TWO MILLION guys, she has to go out with Mr. Gianini. She can't go out with some guy I don't know. She can't go out with some guy she met at D'Agostinos or wherever. Oh, no.\ She has to go out with my Algebra teacher.\ Thanks, Mom. Thanks a whole lot.\ Wednesday, September 24, Fifth Period\ Lilly's like, “Mr. Gianini's cool.”\ Yeah, right. He's cool if you're Lilly Moscovitz. He's cool if you're good at Algebra, like Lilly Moscovitz. He's not so cool if you're flunking Algebra, like me.\ He's not so cool if he makes you stay after school EVERY SINGLESOLITARY DAY from 2:30 to 3:30 to practice the FOIL method when you could be hanging out with all your friends. He's not so cool if he calls your mother in for a parent/teacher conference to talk about how you're flunking Algebra, then ASKS HER OUT.\ And he's not so cool if he's sticking his tongue in your mom's mouth.\ Not that I've actually seen them do this. They haven't even been on their first date yet. And I don't think my mom would let a guy put his tongue in her mouth on the first date.\ At least, I hope not.\ I saw Josh Richter stick his tongue in Lana Weinberger's mouth last week. I had this totally close-up view of it, since they were leaning up against Josh's locker, which is right next to mine. It kind of grossed me out.\ Though I can't say I'd mind if Josh Richter kissed me like that. The other day Lilly and I were at Bigelows picking up some alpha hydroxy for Lilly's mom, and I noticed Josh waiting at the checkout counter. He saw me and he actually sort of smiled and said, “Hey.”\ He was buying Drakkar Noir, a men's cologne. I got a free sample of it from the salesgirl. Now I can smell Josh whenever I want to, in the privacy of my own home.\ Lilly says Josh's synapses were probably misfiring that day, due to heatstroke or something. She said he probably thought I looked familiar but couldn't place my face without the cement block walls of Albert Einstein High behind me. Why else, she asked, would the most popular senior in high school say hey to me, Mia Thermopolis, a lowly freshman?\ But I know it wasn't heatstroke. The truth is, when he's away from Lana and all his jock friends, Josh is a totally different person. The kind of person who doesn't care if a girl is flat-chested or wears size-ten shoes. The kind of person who can see beyond all that into the depths of a girl's soul. I know because when I looked into his eyes that day at Bigelows, I saw the deeply sensitive person inside him, struggling to get out.\ Lilly says I have an overactive imagination and a pathological need to invent drama in my life. She says the fact that I'm so upset about my mom and Mr. G is a classic example.\ “If you're that upset about it, just tell your mom,” Lilly says.\ “Tell her you don't want her going out with him. I don't understand you, Mia. You're always going around, lying about how you feel. Why don't you just assert yourself for a change? Your feelings have worth, you know.”\ Oh, right. Like I'm going to bum my mom out like that. She's so totally happy about this date, it's enough to make me want to throw up. She goes around cooking all the time. I'm not even kidding. She made pasta for the first time last night in like months. I had already opened the Suzie's Chinese take-out menu, and she says, “Oh, no cold sesame noodles tonight, honey. I made pasta.”\ Pasta! My mom made pasta!\ She even observed my rights as a vegetarian and didn't put any meatballs in the sauce.\ I don't understand any of this.\ Things to do\ 1. Buy cat litter\ 2. Finish FOIL worksheet for Mr. G\ 3. Stop telling Lilly everything\ 4. Go to Pearl Paint: get soft lead pencils, spray mount, canvas stretchers (for Mom)\ 5. World Civ report on Iceland (5 pages, double space)\ 6. Stop thinking so much about Josh Richter\ 7. Drop off laundry\ 8. October rent (make sure Mom has deposited Dad's check!!!)\ 9. Be more assertive\ 10. Measure chest\ Thursday, September 25\ In Algebra today all I could think about was how Mr. Gianini might put his tongue in my mom's mouth tomorrow night during their date. I just sat there, staring at him. He asked me a really easy question--I swear, he saves all the easy ones for me, like he doesn't want me to feel left out or something--and I totally didn't even hear it. I was like, “What?”

\ From Barnes & NobleThe Barnes & Noble Review\ Princess Mia is dreaming about the prom -- and contending with a hotel workers' strike -- in the fifth, supremely hilarious episode of Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries. This time, Mia's in the pink about the upcoming Albert Einstein H.S. prom, and she's crossing her fingers that Michael will ask her to go. (They're in love, so why wouldn't he ask her, right?) But during Seven Minutes in Heaven at her b-day party, Mia learns that Michael is not the prom-going type. Good grief, what's a princess to do? To make matters worse, Grandmère has gotten a busboy fired due to a mishap with her pooch, Rommel, at a swanky restaurant, so when all of the city's busboys go on strike, it causes a chain of events that result in Grandmère crashing at Mia's mom's place, her pal Lilly Moscovitz picking up a picket sign, and the prom being brought to a screeching halt. Thankfully, staunch yet boy-wise Grandmère has a plan to change Michael's mind and put everything back on track, making Mia the happiest "prom princess" on this side of the Atlantic -- and readers more starry-eyed than Molly Ringwald in her prettiest pink frock. Following up the brief Volume IV and a Half and introducing a new addition to Mia's family, this knee-slapping fifth volume makes the series glitter brighter than ever, placing yet another jewel in Cabot's crown. Shana Taylor\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIn the fifth book in the Princess Diaries series, high school drama centers on the prom for Mia Thermopolis and her friends. A citywide strike threatens the very existence of the prom and various friendships are tested. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ VOYAIn this fifth volume of the Princess Diaries, Mia Thermopolis returns as the well-known New York teen-turned-princess. This time around, Mia contrives to convince now-boyfriend Michael Moscovitz to take her to the prom, even though he has no inclination to go. But normal teen angst is not all that a princess has to face. Mia struggles to return New York to working order after her grandmother's dog trips a busboy and gets him fired. Mia's best friend Lilly takes on his cause and creates a standstill in food services throughout the city. And if that is not enough, Mia must talk her father into not forcing her to spend the summer in Genovia-and away from Michael-while she anxiously awaits the birth of her new sibling. Life as a princess is never easy. Fans will flock to pick this latest edition off the shelves. Cabot returns with the same wit and humor as her loyal readers have come to expect. One might wonder, however, how much longer Mia will struggle with her royal crown. Her antics are still highly entertaining, but little happens to help Mia grow as a person in this latest edition. In fact, Mia gets most of the solutions to her problems handed to her. Still readers identify with Mia as a regular teen-albeit a princess-and will love her frank dialogue. This one is a must-have for libraries looking to boost their summer reading collection. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, HarperCollins, 256p., and PLB Ages 11 to 15. \ —Joyce Doyle\ \ \ \ \ KLIATT\ - Paula Rohrlick\ To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2004: Starting a new Princess Diaries book is like opening a box of chocolates. It's springtime in Manhattan, and high school freshman Mia—who is also the heir to the throne of the principality of Genovia—is turning 15. There's a lot on her mind, as usual, in this latest entry in the droll and lively series, and Mia's diary entries fill us in on all the details. An incident in a restaurant with Mia's imperious grandmother has led to the firing of a busboy and a consequent citywide hotel, restaurant and porters union strike, incited by Mia's best friend Lilly. Lilly has also taken up with the handsome busboy and dumped her sweet but nerdy boyfriend, Boris. Mia's mother is about to have a baby, so home life is hormonally charged. And Mia's boyfriend, Michael, shows no interest whatsoever in going to the prom, to Mia's dismay. The fun is in the telling; as my 16-year-old daughter, a fan of the series, commented, the plot isn't really the point. Giddy fun for a female audience; will appeal to younger or less mature teens not quite ready for the more adult Gossip Girl novels. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick\ \ \ \ \ Children's LiteratureThe princess market is thriving, as Cabot's widely-selling series has proven. Readers will envy the life of a princess living in New York City with a burly bodyguard to escort her to school in a limo and a brilliant senior boyfriend who suffers detention in order to sing his song to her in the middle of class. This series addition is strong on good writing and humor but weak on plot. Mia stews passively for most of the novel over her boyfriend's failure to invite her to the prom. Grandmere's dog causes havoc in a restaurant, a silly incident that promotes a socially conscious subplot concerning the status of service workers in the city. Cabot lightly touches on the theme that life is rife with ethical dilemmas, which may enlighten the materialistic reader. Mia herself barely escapes devoting her summer to princess duties in her tiny country. The diary form is effective in rendering the instant messages and scribbled notes circulating among Mia and friends, but becomes awkward at moments of crisis. And the verbal play often seems beyond the capacity of the heroine, who is presented as an ordinary student. The mild sexual content, limited to Mia's hopes of getting to second base, and the absence of drug use will relieve parents. But real freshmen who date seniors are likely to experience greater sexual pressure. An entertaining addition to the popular series. 2004, HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 12 up. \ —Ann Philips\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTTo quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2004: Starting a new Princess Diaries book is like opening a box of chocolates. It's springtime in Manhattan, and high school freshman Mia—who is also the heir to the throne of the principality of Genovia—is turning 15. There's a lot on her mind, as usual, in this latest entry in the droll and lively series, and Mia's diary entries fill us in on all the details. An incident in a restaurant with Mia's imperious grandmother has led to the firing of a busboy and a consequent citywide hotel, restaurant and porters union strike, incited by Mia's best friend Lilly. Lilly has also taken up with the handsome busboy and dumped her sweet but nerdy boyfriend, Boris. Mia's mother is about to have a baby, so home life is hormonally charged. And Mia's boyfriend, Michael, shows no interest whatsoever in going to the prom, to Mia's dismay. The fun is in the telling; as my 16-year-old daughter, a fan of the series, commented, the plot isn't really the point. Giddy fun for a female audience; will appeal to younger or less mature teens not quite ready for the more adult Gossip Girl novels. (The Princess Diaries, Volume V). KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, HarperTrophy, 275p., Ages 12 to 18. \ —Paula Rohrlick\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalGr 5-9-In volume five in the series, Princess Mia has a new problem to overcome-how to get to the senior prom when boyfriend Michael thinks it's the height of lame. More drama erupts when Grandmere brings her poodle to Mia's 15th birthday party at a fancy restaurant. He gets loose, a busboy from Nepal gets fired, Mia's best friend starts a protest on his behalf, and the subsequent restaurant workers' strike shuts down the entire food and hotel industry, including the prom venue. Grandmere refuses to take responsibility, but finds an alternate prom site, and Mia manages to get the gig for Michael's new band. Thus, she gets to go to the prom. Fans will eat up this newest installment in the life of a teenage royal, and they won't mind Mia's whining and often shallow insistence on the importance of the dance over a fight that might end her long-standing friendship with her best friend, and Grandmere's immature behavior. Mia is an engaging if sometimes not very memorable heroine, and the conversational tone of the diary entries makes this a fun, lighthearted read.-Linda Bindner, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \