Publishers Weekly
In her English-language debut, Boie takes the classic story of an average teen girl who discovers she's actually royalty and throws in some nasty political scheming and crazy plot twists, resulting in a fun, attention-keeping read. Fourteen-year-old Jenna lives with her overbearing, etiquette-crazed mother who refuses to divulge information about Jenna's father. Jenna is mysteriously cast to play the role of a princess in a film and is quickly swooped off to Scandia, a mythical European country whose real princess, Malena (who looks just like Jenna), is MIA. Boie propels the story forward by keeping the reader guessing about how the characters-Malena's power-hungry uncle, angry rebels intent on overthrowing him, Jenna's missing father and Jenna herself-fit together. Though some of the political undercurrents might be lost on younger readers, it's easy enough to decipher the good guys from the bad and enjoy the many action-packed scenes. For readers who have dreamed of being a royal or singlehandedly saving an entire country from ruin, Boie's story will hit the spot. Ages 9-up. (May)
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School Library Journal
Gr 6–9—Fourteen-year-old Jenna lives in an unnamed country near the fictional country of Scandia. Her mother won't tell her anything about her past or her father, and she refuses to let Jenna participate in anything "vulgar"—like the movie audition taking place in their town. Jenna goes anyway, and can't believe it when she's picked over her pretty BFF to fly to Scandia to play a princess in the movie—and her mother unexpectedly gives her permission to go. Meanwhile, the real Princess of Scandia, whose father has just died, is missing, and the regent (her uncle) and his advisors are frantic to find her. As her final audition, Jenna is asked to impersonate Malena at her birthday gala. But she soon realizes she is a pawn in something larger: there is civil unrest in the country, the regent and his advisors are up to no good, and the Princess's disappearance has something to do with it. This often confusing story switches narratives to follow different characters and is soon cluttered with people and politics: rebel forces, conspiracy, kidnappings, disguises, bombings, lies, and family secrets. Readers are often many steps ahead of Jenna as she discovers her true identity, and revelations seem obvious. While readers may enjoy the classic "girl turns out to be princess" story in a modern setting, they may also get bogged down in the overly complex plot and tedious pacing.—Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA
Kirkus Reviews
Boie shows why she's such a popular novelist in Germany, with a tale so engaging that readers will shrug off the contrivances she needs to bring it all off. Impelled by the dazzling promises of supposed talent scouts, mousy 14-year-old Jenna slips away from her severely overprotective mother to try out for a role in a nonexistent movie. Only gradually does she come to realize that she's been kidnapped to be a double for the runaway princess of the small northern country of Scandia-an outwardly peaceful land troubled by increasing civil violence. Despite her profound naivete and a nature so timorous that she bursts into tears at the drop of a hat, Jenna will put readers firmly on her side as she escapes her captors, meets the real fugitive princess, helps to scotch the plans of the local warmongers-and discovers some astounding facts about her own hidden background. Reminiscent of Philip Pullman's Tin Princess (1994) in setting, and also in being clever, quick-paced and well stocked with Royals, Boie's U.S. debut carries a full load of reader appeal. (Fiction. 10-13)
