In 2000 Meg Cabot introduced the world to Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia. Of course when we first met Mia we didn't know she was a princess because she didn't know she was a princess. She was just plain old Mia Thermopolis - a too tall, small-chested, vegetarian, environmentally-conscious teenaged girl with a bad haircut, no boyfriend, crazy grandmother and aspirations of being a writer. If you've read the series you know this because she obsessed over all of these things. Now Mia's about to graduate from high school and about to set off on her own path. But what path will that be?

I am certainly not in the age bracket for these books and I couldn't even begin to explain why I picked up the first one. I suspect it was a combination of a) it was an inexpensive paperback and didn't have much money to spend on books; b) it's written in diary format and I'm a sucker for epistolary novels, and c) I like a good princess story. It didn't hurt that I had liked a couple of Cabot's adult novels either. After reading the first one I was happy that it was a series. Mia was likable. Sure, she was occasionally annoying. She was drama-prone, obsessive, and well, I often wanted to pick her in the pants and tell her to smarten up. I often got frustrated that there wasn't more (or consistent) growth from book to book but then I would remind myself that sometimes Book Y started off the day after Book X ended and well, how much personal growth can there be in two weeks? Plus I figured the fact that I wanted to kick her in the pants was a good thing. It meant I liked her because if I didn't I just would have stopped reading.

And that's just it, you'll either like Mia (even when you want to kick her in the pants) or hate her. If you love her, you'll be a little bit like me - a little bit sad to see this series end. Here's what people have been saying to the final book in the Princess Diaries series.

Teen Book Review:

And, sure, Mia’s the princess of a small European country, but she’s also very much someone you could imagine meeting at school or in the library or at a protest march. She’s someone you could imagine hanging out with and talking to. She’s trying to figure out herself and her future, just like most high school seniors. She’s a very relatable and still very interesting character. I’m sorry to see her go, because even though there’s a nice ending to this story, Mia’s so real that it feels like her story is far from over.

Librarian by day made three observations about this book. I liked her third observation. It's something that's not just for the YA crowd.

#3: True friends forgive.

Mia learns a lot about her friends in the last week she'll have with them. She finds that her lies--about her novel, about college--don't really matter to her true friends. Even more important, as Mia has changed, so have her friends. But they're still friends.

Erika at YAthenaeum grew up with Princess Mia and is satisfied with the ending.

Thinking back on it you can see how much Mia has changed over the course of her high school experience. The difference between ninth and twelfth grade are extraordinary and Cabot captured the high school years perfectly. For example, a girl who in ninth grade begged to go to the prom now is the one realizing that it’s just a dance with bad food.

The Complusive Reader said that the ending is "slightly cheesy" (only appropriate really) but also said this:

Themes of courage, independence, and standing up for yourself are also evident, and Cabot presents them in a convincing style as Mia struggles with the decisions she must make, and her journey through high school and all of her experiences culminate, giving us a Mia who is strong and sure of herself.

A Mia that is strong and sure of herself. I think that's really all one could ask for a character that they've watched go through the perils of high school.

One of the most clever, if not downright brilliant, things I've heard about in a long, long time is the publication of Princess Mia's book. Yes, really. A fictional character not only wrote a book in the novel in which they appeare, but we can read it too. Ransom My Heart, the historical romance that was Mia's senior year project, has been published by Avon! Ok, so it says that it was with help from Meg Cabot. And Cabot's name appears a wee bit bigger on the cover than Princess Mia's, although that could just be because her name and title are longer than Cabot's. Mia even launched her own blog to celebrate the publication. Rowena at the Book Binge reviewed it and here's what she had to say:

Telling you that I enjoyed this book doesn't do this book any justice. I mean, sure, I enjoyed the book. I liked the book, but that just doesn't seem like enough. I liked this book like I like Jordan Farmar from the Lakers (a lot), I liked this book like I like Mango a Go Go smoothies from Jamba Juice, I liked this book like I like David Beckham. Are you seeing the pattern here? I really enjoyed this book.

I think she liked it, what about you? Dear Author's Jane even gave it a B-, which is pretty good. Even better? Meg Cabot is donating the profits from Ransom My Heart to Greenpeace. Princess Mia would definitely approve.

That's not the only charity that is getting a boost from this series. To celebrate the Forever Princess, there's a tiara auction with funds going to the New York Public Library. Books supporting books. I love it. And I love libraries. You know you want the Vera Wang tiara. No? How about the R.L. Stine tiara? And since What Not To Wear's Stacy London designed one I'm pretty sure that means you can wear it everywhere - perhaps to your local library?

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.