The Princess Diaries Volume IX:
Princess Mia
by Meg Cabot

    PRINCESS MIA by Meg Cabot
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  12/26/07
    Publisher:  HarperTeen
    Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Meg Cabot has done it again. PRINCESS MIA is Volume IX in THE PRINCESS DIARIES series. I’ve been
    hooked on Cabot’s humor and the voice of Mia Thermopolis since Volume I, and this second-to-last in the series
    has me mourning the fact that it will soon be over.

    With Michael breaking up with Mia, and Lilly giving her the silent treatment, Mia has hit an all-time low. She
    refuses to talk with anyone, go to school, or even get out of bed. But never fear - depression “Mia-style” is pretty
    entertaining. Days of wearing Hello, Kitty pajamas, watching reruns on TV, and destroying her vegetarian ways
    by binging on any available meat in the frig, will have readers grinning and chuckling aloud.

    When friends and family members realize their efforts to get Mia back into the real world have failed, she is
    forcibly taken to her first-ever therapist appointment. Once she adjusts to the fact that her therapist’s name is
    indeed Dr. Knutz, and that he has a penchant for dressing like a cowboy and telling horse stories, she recognizes
    that he might actually be able to help her survive her depression.

    The usual cast of characters is still in place, with some expanded roles for characters like the “hot” J.P. and the
    previously irritating Lana. Grandmere provides her own wacky brand of humor, especially as she deals with
    Mia’s depression and a sudden growth spurt that give Mia a much more “womanly” figure.

    Plot twists offer readers romance, mental health issues, important social engagements, and challenging “princess”
    decisions. Mia manages to deal with everything in her always entertaining and quirky way. Fans old and new are
    sure to have a great time reading PRINCESS MIA.