Just when Mia thought she had the whole Princess thing under control ... Things get out of hand, fast: Since Mia's the brand-new crown princess of Genovia, indomitable dowager princess Grandmère arranges a national primetime interview for her. With just a few innocent remarks, Mia manages to enrage her best friend Lilly, practically get one of her teachers fired, and alienate the entire country of Genovia. (Population 50,000, but still!) There's the havoc of the interview's aftermath and her dreaded princess lessons at the Plaza. Plus an unexpected announcement from her mother, and intriguing, exasperating letters from a secret admirer. Mia is swept up in a whirlwind of royal intrigue the likes of which hasn't been seen since volume I of The Princess Diaries. What's an heir to the royal throne to do? Fifteen-year-old Mia Thermopolis, the witty, lovable star of Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries , has had it with princess lessons, also known as torture sessions: "Do they really think anyone in Genovia cares whether I know how to use a fish fork? Or if I can sit down without getting wrinkles in the back of my skirt? Or if I know how to say 'thank you' in Swahili? Shouldn't my future countrymen be more concerned with my views on the environment? And gun control? And overpopulation?" To make matters worse, she's getting these lessons from Grandmère, a rather judgmental woman who dresses her pet in chinchilla bolero jackets and has eyeliner permanently tattooed on her eyelids. Princess in the Spotlight further records Mia's path to princessdom: her artist mother's relationship with her algebra teacher (how awkward), her forced television interview, broadcast to all of America (how humiliating), and her crush on her best friend Lilly's brother Michael (how excruciating). The result is another thoroughly entertaining diary of a very human, very self-deprecating, very unprincesslike princess. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson Gr 6-9-A sequel to The Princess Diaries (HarperCollins, 2000), in which Mia, 14, discovered that she is a princess. Now she is reluctantly adjusting to the trappings of royalty: she has a bodyguard, she rides to school in a limousine, and she takes "princess lessons" from her paternal grandmother. Written in diary format, the story opens with a bombshell: the teen learns that her mother is pregnant. Worse yet, the baby's father is Mia's algebra teacher. They soon announce that they are getting married. At first, Mia is a little apprehensive, but slowly she becomes accustomed to the idea. When Grandmre learns about the wedding, she begins to plan a huge state affair. The plot careens along with outrageous characters doing outrageous things, but in the context of the story, "outrageous" seems quite normal. In the end, mother and algebra teacher elope, and even though Mia's secret admirer is not who she hoped he would be, her friend's brother does seem interested in her. With The Princess Diaries a Disney movie released during the summer, this title should be popular. Marlyn K. Roberts, Torrance Public Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Gr. 7-10. In the Princess Diaries (2000) (now a movie), readers were treated to 27 days of Mia Thermopolis' musings and ranting about her mother's dating habits; her life as a flat-chested, five-foot, nine-inch high-school freshman living in Greenwich Village; and the discovery that she's heir to the throne of a tiny European principality. This book covers the next 13 days in Mia's life, and it's just as good as its predecessor. The action is fast, furious, and laugh-out-loud funny as Mia takes more princess lessons and flirts online with an admirer she hopes is Lilly's brother, Michael; Mia's mother and Mr. Gianini announce they are going to have a baby; and Grandmere plans the wedding. Through it all, Mia remains as smart, sassy, self-absorbed, worried, and wistful as ever. Readers who loved the first volume will be equally pleased with this one and eagerly await the four books to come. After all, there's a month till Mia is presented to her subjects, and she still doesn't realize that Michael likes her. Chris Sherman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "If girrrrl heroines are what you want, the hilarious Princess Diaries has a winner in sassy Mia." -- Twist "It's got all the bubbly and frivolous pleasure of imported champagne, and readers will drink it in." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series, The Princess Diaries. More than 25 million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. Meg lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband.