Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Author: Lindsey Leavitt

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Rating: 8.5/10

Summary: When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you


a) run

b) faint

c) say Yes!


For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C--that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge," she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don't know? Or when a princess's conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off--and you know she would want you to change his mind?


In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl's dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.


My Thoughts: You know how sometimes you just need that short, fun, feel-good book that may be too young for you? Princess for Hire is that book. It's also the perfect book to give to your younger sister or cousin or that 6th grader on the bus with no friends. Basically, Princess for Hire is just a book that you should read.

Desi is a character I couldn't help but love. I mean, the poor girl wears a groundhog costume as a job! And while not all of us have an attorney for a dad, I imagine most of us have had a "best friend" turn on us and a crush that makes us feel all fuzzy inside. On that note, there's a piece of Desi in all of us, which makes the story so much fun because we've all been in her shoes. Well, maybe not in her shoes because I don't think any of us have found ourselves thrown into the a princess's life before but, you never know!

Desi's realistic-ness aside, the plot of Princess for Hire was great as well. Even though it's been compared to Ella Enchanted and the Princess Diaries, I found it to be 110% unique. I will admit that at first, I thought it was going to end up being cheesy but it ended up being everything but cheesy. Like Kay Cassidy's The Cinderella Society, Princess for Hire is a little bit of empowering, along with fun and light. Many of the situations that Desi found herself in also made me laugh out loud. The various personalities of the royal families also added humor and depth to the story.

I truly enjoyed Princess for Hire and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read!