Mrs Bright says we have to do journal writing EVERY day. Guess what she says?
If you want to be a good writer you have to
WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE,
WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!
This is the journal of Jillian James, class 5B. Jillian’s burning ambition, as well as not having to stay in at recess for not writing enough in her journal, is to be one of the popular Princess Group. The Princesses always look good, are always behaved in class, and sit together on the bus.
Jillian isn’t a Princess. The Princesses accuse her of being a dork, because she sits next to Nigel. Jillian doesn’t want to be a dork and she doesn’t want to be friends with Nigel, even though he comes to her house and helps her with her homework. In a rocky ride through year five, Jillian learns that being a Princess isn’t the only thing in life worth achieving, and that friends can come in different shapes and sizes.
Diary of a Would-Be Princess is a skilfully rendered diary format novel for 8 to 12 year old readers. As Jillian shares her thoughts about her life on daily basis the reader also sees her learning and developing. Themes of bullying, peer groups and acceptance are addressed in such a way that young readers will not feel preached at. A nice touch is the use of weekly notes from the teacher, Mrs Bright, who provides adult insight into some of the problems Jillian faces.
The use of the diary-format is much-used because it is popular with young readers. It provides a first-person insight unmatched by other formats.
Diary of A Would-Be Princess is great reading.
Diary of a Would-Be Princess, by Jessica Green
Scholastic, 2005