From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess Books in Order

From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess is a middle-grade spin-off that brings readers back to Genovia from a new angle. The narrator is Olivia Grace, a 12-year-old princess connected to the royal family from The Princess Diaries, and she is very ready to be taken seriously. Olivia has grown up hearing about royal expectations, and she wants to do the job "right," even if she's still figuring out what that means.

Olivia tells her story in notebook form, with lists, doodles, side comments, and the kind of dramatic emphasis that feels exactly right for middle school. Cabot uses the format to capture what it's like to be twelve: big feelings, quick judgments, and the belief that your latest embarrassment will be remembered forever. It also makes the books easy to fly through, because every page feels like something you're not supposed to be reading.

The main tension is the collision between royal life and regular kid life. Olivia has obligations, etiquette rules, and adults who expect her to behave like a tiny professional. At the same time, she's dealing with friends, homework, and the everyday social puzzles of school, where nobody cares how fancy your title is if you can't navigate lunch.

The Genovia connection is part of the fun. The books play in the same world as Mia's diaries, and you feel that larger royal backdrop even when Olivia is focused on a class project or a friendship crisis. It's a way to give longtime Princess Diaries readers a familiar setting while keeping the story solidly in middle-grade territory.

What makes the series work is that Olivia is both privileged and genuinely lonely. Being "the princess" draws attention, but it doesn't automatically give her real connection. Olivia has to learn how to make friends without trying to manage everyone like she's running a court, and she has to figure out how to handle jealousy and mean-girl energy without losing her temper.

It's funny, a little dramatic, and very readable. The stakes are kid-sized in the best way, and the message is simple: you don't have to be perfect to be worth rooting for.

Start with From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess and keep going in order. The books are designed for younger readers who want the royal-comedy vibe of The Princess Diaries in a voice that matches middle school life. They also work well as a first step into Cabot's world.