THE PRINCESS DIARIES

Just imagine. One September morning you wake up, biggest freshman freak of Albert Einstein High School, five foot nine, flat-chested, and gifted (except in Algebra). By week's end, you've learned that you are the princess of Genovia and begin tortuous princess lessons with your Grandmere, the Queen. The potential for trauma is enormous! Every girl in America is likely familiar with the premise in a much-altered form as the storyline of the Disney feature film, starring Anne Hathaway, narrator of this splendid audiobook. However, in this reading, Hathaway shines in a way that the scanty screenplay didn't allow. As Cabot's Mia Thermopolis, she is smart, she is sassy, and she is the victim of a cruel universe, a girl who nevertheless manages to shine with a wry adolescent wit and abiding incredulity. Hathaway's charming impudence and high energy will thoroughly engage listeners from middle school through adulthood. T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]