Review: Meg Cabot / Jenny Carroll YA series
I was quite stressed this last month, and looking for some total fluff to get me past exam time. I fell upon a treasure trove of light reads after picking up The Princess Diaries. I had wondered if it was as fluffy as the cover looked, and it actually isn't. The author does a quite an apt job of describing the realities of being a teenager learning about friendships, dating, your parents dating, and what you owe to your family versus what you owe to yourself. Even the princess gimmick isn't total cotton candy fare, and has the reader consider that the usual ideas of the life of a princess are probably FAR from reality. Apart from some good ideas on how to write from the point of view of a teenager, I also had a few great laughs, so plowed throught he first four in the series. There are several more Princess novels and some other associated books, as well as the movies.
1) Princess Diaries,
2) Princess in the Spotlight
3) Princess in Love
4) Princess in Waiting
At the same time I started reading two other series by the same writer, which were originally written under the name Jenny Carroll.
The first series, 1-800-WHERE-R-U, is now a TV show, 1-800-MISSING, with a suspicous number of Canadian actors, including Catriona Scorsone and Gloria Reuben. Maybe it is filmed up here. Anyways, from the little I saw of the show, it isn't much like the first four books in the series at all. The first four books in the series are funny, quirky and full of action (with some girl ass-kicking that is much more realistic than that found on Buffy: Vampire Slayer). The books go beyond just entertainment by adressing issues including duty and patriotism vs. personal rights, corruption, paramilitary activity, racism, gangs, and social strata. Of the three series I liked this one best because of the issues raised. Only four are currently published, and the series might be ended.
1) When Lightning Strikes
2) Code Name Cassandra
3) Safe House
4) Sanctuary
The Mediator series is similar to the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series in ass kicking content and a bit of supernatural ability, and also raises some world issues. I liked the take on how a teenage girl might deal with a new step family. So far I have read the 2nd, 4th and 5th books of the series listed in order below. The 6th book was recently published.
1) Shadowland
2) Ninth Key
3) Reunion
4) Darkest Hour
5) Haunted: a tale of the Mediator (published with the author as Meg Cabot)
6) Twilight: a tale of the Mediator (published with authorship attributed to Meg Cabot)
1) Princess Diaries,
2) Princess in the Spotlight
3) Princess in Love
4) Princess in Waiting
At the same time I started reading two other series by the same writer, which were originally written under the name Jenny Carroll.
The first series, 1-800-WHERE-R-U, is now a TV show, 1-800-MISSING, with a suspicous number of Canadian actors, including Catriona Scorsone and Gloria Reuben. Maybe it is filmed up here. Anyways, from the little I saw of the show, it isn't much like the first four books in the series at all. The first four books in the series are funny, quirky and full of action (with some girl ass-kicking that is much more realistic than that found on Buffy: Vampire Slayer). The books go beyond just entertainment by adressing issues including duty and patriotism vs. personal rights, corruption, paramilitary activity, racism, gangs, and social strata. Of the three series I liked this one best because of the issues raised. Only four are currently published, and the series might be ended.
1) When Lightning Strikes
2) Code Name Cassandra
3) Safe House
4) Sanctuary
The Mediator series is similar to the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series in ass kicking content and a bit of supernatural ability, and also raises some world issues. I liked the take on how a teenage girl might deal with a new step family. So far I have read the 2nd, 4th and 5th books of the series listed in order below. The 6th book was recently published.
1) Shadowland
2) Ninth Key
3) Reunion
4) Darkest Hour
5) Haunted: a tale of the Mediator (published with the author as Meg Cabot)
6) Twilight: a tale of the Mediator (published with authorship attributed to Meg Cabot)
posted by Lu Hill at 9:09 p.m.
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