Undercover Princess

July 1, 2018
Being a princess is all that Lottie imagined, except that someone is out to get her.Lottie, 13, has always found solace in the classic fairy tales, and her most cherished possession is her dead mother's tiara (a "pristine object of magnificence, so incongruous in her humble home...that appeared to glow with a glittering grandeur"). Accepted into the opulent and prestigious boarding school Rosewood Hall, Lottie is determined to succeed. She is stunned to learn that her roommate, Ellie, is an actual princess who abhors the role, and her residence at the school is supposed to be top secret. Lottie eventually takes on the part of Portman, one hired to act in place of a member of royalty to protect their true identity. It's a dream come true, with fancy dresses, royal balls, and a handsome prince--but it's also fraught with danger. A toxic sigil is hidden under her bed, and threatening notes begin appearing in places like cupcake frosting. Lottie might be lost as events proceed into very treacherous territory but for her wits, a little help from the mysterious bodyguard Jamie (a "dark" and "wild" multiracial boy whose Pakistani mother died in childbirth, making him one of the few characters of color), and her deep friendship with Ellie. Lottie and Ellie are both white. YouTube personality Glynn takes this wish-fulfillment premise and spins it with all the subtlety of cotton candy--lit'rature this is not. "Cinderella" meets Mean Girls while at Hogwarts. (Fiction. 9-14)

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July 16, 2018
Rooming together at posh British boarding school Rosewood Hall are Ellie Wolf, Crown Princess of Maradova, who is masquerading as a normal girl, and Lottie Pumpkin, a normal girl who masquerades as the Princess of Maradova to protect Ellie’s anonymity. When Rosewood starts buzzing about royalty-in-hiding in attendance, and someone leaves threatening messages for the fake princess, life becomes filled with intrigue for both girls—each new threat becomes more menacing as the person behind them gets closer to revealing Ellie’s secret. Lottie is full of fairy tale fantasies, and Ellie loathes her princesshood, making them both an unlikely pair and a perfect match. Unflappably upbeat Lottie proves herself valiant when danger arises, willing to face down Ellie’s enemies with the bravest of hearts. Morose and unfriendly Ellie, meanwhile, proves herself good-hearted. With a message of kindness, YouTube star Glynn’s middle grade debut, a series opener, is a story of devoted friendship and fierce loyalty that is sure to win readers over. Ages 8–12.

January 1, 2019
Lottie Pumpkin gets into Rosewood Hall, the boarding school of her dreams. Princess Ellie convinces her parents to let her attend incognito. The two girls become roommates, and when rumors start that Lottie is the princess, they run with it, even when the real princess's life is threatened. Readers will delight in this endearing tale of friendship, mistaken identities, and living the princess fantasy.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)