--- title: The Princess Diaries: 100 Best YA Books of All Time description: Find out why 'The Princess Diaries' by Meg Cabot is on TIME's list of best YA books of all time. canonical: https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084706/the-princess-diaries/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-08-11T11:36:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-02T23:52:20.249Z og:title: 'The Princess Diaries' Is on TIME’s List of the 100 Best YA Books og:description: Here’s why it made the list og:url: https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084706/the-princess-diaries/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc793de04dc736172/698a1bcd22fb85bdc8e2c6a1/the-princess-diaries-best-YA.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 'The Princess Diaries' Is on TIME’s List of the 100 Best YA Books og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'The Princess Diaries' Is on TIME’s List of the 100 Best YA Books twitter:description: Here’s why it made the list twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc793de04dc736172/698a1bcd22fb85bdc8e2c6a1/the-princess-diaries-best-YA.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Aug 11, 2021 # The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff  Mia Thermopolis already had a complicated life: she was failing algebra, crushing hard on her best friend’s brother and trying to survive the unbearable awkwardness of high school as a 5 ft. 9 in. freshman. So, when her estranged father reveals she’s the heir to the throne of a tiny country—and will receive princess lessons from her uptight Grandmére—she’s more than a little overwhelmed. Written as a series of journal entries that are simultaneously hilarious, relatable and heartfelt, _The Princess Diaries_ follows Mia as she navigates adolescence and begins to figure out her own views on public service, one’s duty to family and the importance of friendship. Meg Cabot’s hit book, published in 2000, spawned 10 sequels and two [beloved movies starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews](https://time.com/4415308/6-lessons-princess-diaries/)—and cemented Mia as one of the young-adult genre’s great heroines. —_Madeleine Carlisle_ **Buy Now**: _The Princess Diaries_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780062998453) | [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062998455/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0062998455&linkId=232282b5acda9a8d40b7aa6f27ca7100) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084706/the-princess-diaries/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084706/the-princess-diaries/"},"headline":"The Princess Diaries","datePublished":"2021-08-11T11:36:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:52:20.249Z","description":"Find out why 'The Princess Diaries' by Meg Cabot is on TIME's list of best YA books of all time.","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084706/the-princess-diaries/","keywords":["Books","Lists","best YA books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc793de04dc736172/698a1bcd22fb85bdc8e2c6a1/the-princess-diaries-best-YA.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc793de04dc736172/698a1bcd22fb85bdc8e2c6a1/the-princess-diaries-best-YA.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-ya-books/6084706/the-princess-diaries/","name":"The Princess Diaries"}}]}] ```