The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess (Miranda And Maude # 1)

When Princess Miranda Rose Lapointsetta's royal tutor decides to retire, she must head to school and join the class in 3B. Maude Brandywine Mayhew Kaye is also in 3B and has the luck, or misfortune, of being seated next to her fancy new classmate. The girls soon realize that they are too different to be friends and quickly become enemies. Princess Miranda hates nothing more than hardboiled eggs. Maude is very proud of the chickens she raises with her father and brother at her ramshackle treehouse. The rivalry escalates as the girls passive-aggressively try to tolerate sitting next to each other, and ultimately culminates with Miranda discovering unflattering pictures of herself in Maude's journal, which leads her to not invite Maude to her royal birthday party. At its core, this is a book about feeling different, making uninformed judgments about others, trying new things, and finding acceptance. Simple cartoon-style illustrations are a nice break from the text and add life to the characters. Advanced vocabulary and an overuse of umlauts may confuse and deter brand-new readers and English language learners. VERDICT With so many books available about unlikely friends and understanding people's differences, this is an additional purchase.—Erica Deb, Matawan Aberdeen Public Library, NJ

Miranda, a quintessential princess, has led an isolated castle life, educated by a "very old royal tutor... who came at noon, napped at one, and left promptly at two." Now her parents are sending her to school, which Miranda knows she will "absolutely, positively hate." She's right: academically, she lags behind the other third graders, who stare and snicker at her, and she gets off on the wrong foot with loner Maude, who roller-skates to school, raises chickens, and aspires to be a social justice advocate. When Miranda excludes Maude from her birthday party, Maude galvanizes her peers to boycott the fete, a move that--in a satisfyingly ironic finale--creates a bond between the princess and non-princess, and each finds her first friend. Von Innerebner (the Ellie Ultra series) includes telling details in the expressive black-and-white illustrations that help limn the differences between the two girls (such as Miranda's abhorrence of hard-boiled eggs versus Maude's love of them, thanks to her beloved hens). With a light touch and humor, Wunsch (The Movie Version), launching the Miranda and Maude chapter book series, underscores the value of eschewing stereotypes. Ages 7-10. Author's agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. Illustrator's agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. (Aug.)