The Princess and the Pauper

By Kate Brian

Review by Laura Caroline

Being a princess is very hard work, according to Princess Carina of Vineland. You never get to go anywhere or wear jeans. But it’s not always easy being a regular person either, especially when you are Julia Johnson and you are about to get evicted from your apartment.

Carina is a princess. Julia is the pauper. The main characters of Kate Brian’s The Princess and the Pauper come from two different worlds, but their worlds are about to collide.

Princess Carina is finally getting the chance of a lifetime, going to Los Angeles, USA. Carina goes to present a speech at Rosewood High School. She meets Julia Johnson, who strangely could be her identical twin. Then, seeking the opportunity to be a regular kid for once, Carina offers Julia $10,000 if she will trade places with her for one day. When Carina doesn’t show up to switch back again, Julia is forced to get on a plane to Vineland when she is still disguised as the princess. Will she be able to keep her cover?

One of the things Carina desperately wants to do in L.A. is meet her email buddy, a musician who goes by the name Ribbit. In order to get to the place where Ribbit is doing a concert, she had to get a ride that is already arranged. The driver’s name is Crazy Dave, and his name describes his well.

I really liked this book. It had a predictable story line, but otherwise I thought it was pretty good. If you like hearing about princesses getting into trouble, and regular people doing things that they normally don’t get to do, this is the book for you!