Meg Cabot is the author of The Princess Diaries series as well as several other series and bestselling novels for teenagers. Her books have sold millions of copies round the world. She has lived in various parts of the US and France, but now lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband and one-eyed cat, Henrietta. Caroline Goodall is well-known internationally for her many film roles, which include the multi-oscar-winning Schindler's List directed by Stephen Spielberg, Disclosure, Hook, White Squall , Cliffhanger and The Mists of Avalon. She has starred in both The Princess Diaries films. Her television work includes The Sculptress, Quantum Leap, Poirot and Remington Steele. Amber Sealey is an experienced and versatile film, television and stage actress having worked in both the US and UK. Trained at the University of California (Santa Cruz) and the Central School of Speech and Drama, UK television roles include Heatwave, Blue Murder and Goldman Sachs. She recently performed with Shunt Theatre Company's "Tropicana" at the Royal National Theatre.
This first book in Cabot's best-selling series introduces New York teen Mia Thermopolis, who must prepare to someday take the throne of a European principality. Despite Mia's klutzy leanings, her imposing grand-mere is determined to mold her into a proper princess. Listen Up: Long before she was an Academy Award nominee, Hathaway played Mia in the Disney version of The Princess Diaries. Fans of the source material bemoan the liberties Disney took with the story. With this audio recording, listeners can enjoy a stellar performance by Hathaway in the original.-Angelina Benedetti, King Cty. Lib. Syst., WA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Gr 7-9-Insecure Mia Thermopolis, 14, discovers that she is actually Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo of Genovia. In her diary entries, which cover almost a month, she writes about going to a private school in New York City and living in Greenwich Village with her avant-garde artist mother. She fights with her best friend, struggles to pass algebra, and worries that she is the only one without a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance. On top of that, her divorced mother begins dating her teacher; her father visits and reveals that she is his heir; her intimidating grandmother gives her "Princess lessons"; and she has to contend with the embarrassment of having a bodyguard and reporters who follow her everywhere. Readers will relate to Mia's bubbly, chatty voice and enjoy the humor of this unlikely fairy tale. More accessible than, though perhaps not as clever as, Louise Rennison's Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging (HarperCollins, 2000), this funny, fast-paced book should appeal to hip young women, including reluctant readers.-Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Youthful actress Hathaway, who stars in the forthcoming (Aug. 3) Disney film version of Cabot's novel, reprises her role as the reluctant royal Mia Thermopolis on this perky audio adaptation. Hathaway convincingly voices every nuance of exasperation, humiliation and anxiety that Mia feels as a gangly, flat-chested high-school freshman facing some king-size changes in her life. Mia thinks things can't get much worse when her artist mother starts dating her algebra teacher. But her "normal" days as a stressed student are numbered when she learns that her father is the prince of a small European principality called Genovia and she is not only a princess, but is next in line for the throne. Soon, the whole school and all of Manhattan know about Mia's title, something her never-married parents had agreed to keep from her. She's faced with taking princess lessons from her authoritarian grandmother, putting up with a bodyguard and fighting off paparazzi and false friends. Contemporary phrasing and slang and Hathaway's comfortable mastery of both give this recording a kick that's sure to capture a teen audience. Ages 12-up. (June) FYI: A sequel, Princess in the Spotlight, was released simultaneously as a HarperCollins hardcover and a Listening Library audiobook, also read by Hathaway, on July 1. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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