Diary of A Would-be Princess

Green, Jessica. 2007. Diary of a Would-Be Princess.

Jillian James is a fifth-grader who is keeping a required journal for her teacher Mrs. Bright. At first the entries seem forced, but as the year progresses, Jillian seems really to get "into" this whole journaling concept. The journal shows her progress through the year, her changes which are mostly social. For example, Jillian starts out the year as a loner. She doesn't have any close friends. And she definitely doesn't have a best friend. She's definitely not popular like the princesses in her class. But through several school terms, we see her make friends with many other kids in the class. Often she makes friends with those the popular kids deem unworthy of existing. But together, they learn the true meaning of friendship. One thing I really liked about this book was that it showed her relationship with her teacher. Mrs. Bright would make weekly comments at the end of the week. She would offer advice. Provide counsel. Show support. I thought the narrative, Jillian's voice, was very well done as well. Jessica Green has captured some of the frustrations and angst of being that age...of being in school...of life in general. I especially especially loved Jillian's end-of-year speech on procrastination. Overall, this book was fun and enjoyable.

This book was originally published in Australia in 2005.