From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess

This was super cute, and I'm stoked that there's a mixed-race princess, and that she briefly but openly discusses some of the issues that might pop up there. (Like, was she a SECRET princess because her white prince dad was ashamed of her black mom? No it was just because her black mom wanted Olivia to have a normal childhood.)

I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the OG Princess Diaries series–for my own tastes as an adult reader, teen Mia is funnier and more relatable than tween Olivia, and Mia's books are understandably more complex than this one, which is basically just setting up the premise that Olivia is a secret princess–but I think this is a cute book that a lot of tweens will dig.

PS did anyone else think the way they talked about Qalif was a little weird? Like the fake Middle Eastern country that treats women like 2nd class citizens as a counter point to the fake European country of Genovia? IDK felt kinda weird and uncomfy? But not a huge part of the book, just something to ponder.

Clearly I'm not a part of the intended audience, but pretty sure young readers who are into princesses will love this book. While it feels a bit bland for me, it was nice to see a part of Genovia by the end of the book. The little illustrations are really nice too.