Princess in Training: Princess Diaries, Volume VI (edition 2005)

Review to follow.... ( )

One of the things I mentioned in the All-American Girl reviews is that Mia is a very immature character compared to other Meg Cabot heroines, and it shows in this book. It also doesn’t help that the major subplot is lifted from Ready or Not, although Mia’s approach to the sex question is vastly different from Sam’s. The one thing I did like about this is that you see Mia’s confidence growing, with the main plot of her being thrust into the student council president race. She actually does speak up on issues, without Lilly or other friends pushing her to do so. It’s a direction I really hoped would show up in later volumes (which I’ll get to when I get to them). The subplot with Michael and the question of whether or not that they should “do it,” on the other hand, really illustrates her immaturity. Mia continuously freaks out at any mention of committing the “act,” but without sitting down and talking it through with her boyfriend. I am also not a fan of the subplot with Ms. Martinez—while I can sort of see and understand Mia’s reaction of “OMG HOW DARE SHE NOT THINK MY WRITING IS BRILLIANT!!”, I’m not a fan of the obvious offense of “Pop culture references aren’t high literature.” (Which becomes more egregious once you learn that it was meant to be a take that at some of Meg Cabot’s critics.) There’s a lot of wasted potential in the book, particularly in making Mia grow as a character, and it really shows in the writing. ( )

Mia seems to be growing up significantly. She isn't as shallow and self-obsessed as she's been in previous chapters, though she still blows everything way out of proportion and harps on the tiniest things. Grandmere, as always, is still my favorite character, though I'm developing a deeper respect for Tina. ( )

I found that as the series went on, I was getting tired of Mia's way of handling things. I understand she's 15, but the whole freaking out about every little thing between her and Michael and worrying about him breaking up with her all the time, made me wonder how and 18 year-old could date someone so immature? Mia's main problems in this book are running for student body president and wondering whether or not Michael expects her to have sex with him some day. I really don't think she handled the sex situation well and I got tired of reading her freak-outs on almost every page. I feel like she was actually becoming less mature as she aged, and this book wasn't as entertaining as the first and second were. ( )

2011-10-04