The Princess Diaries, Vol. II: Princess in the Spotlight

**The Princess Diaries, Vol. II: Princess in the Spotlight** is the second volume of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot.

It was released in 2001.

## Book Description

Just when Mia thought she had the whole Princess thing under control.

Things get out of hand, fast:

Since Mia's the brand-new crown princess of Genovia, indomitable dowager princess Grandmère arranges a national primetime interview for her. With just a few innocent remarks, Mia manages to enrage her best friend Lilly, practically get one of her teachers fired, and alienate the entire country of Genovia. (Population 30,000, but still!)

There's the havoc of the interview's aftermath and her dreaded princess lessons at the Plaza. Plus an unexpected announcement from her mother, and intriguing, exasperating letters from a secret admirer. Mia is swept up in a whirlwind of royal intrigue the likes of which hasn't been seen since volume I of The Princess Diaries.

What's an heir to the royal throne to do? But what's a girl to do when her name is PRINCESS AMELIA MIGNONETTE GRIMALDI THERMOPOLIS RENALDO?

## Opening Quote

*When things are horrible - just horrible -*

*I think as hard as ever I can of being a princess.*

*I say to myself,*

*"I am a princess."*

*You don't know how it makes you forget.*

A Little Princess*, Francis Hodgson Burnett*

## Timeline

Begins on Monday, October 20, 2003 and concludes on Saturday, November 1, 2003. It occurs during Mia's freshman year.

## Plot Summary

The Monday after the Cultural Diversity Dance, Helen tells Mia that she is pregnant. Mia is panicked at this news but heads to school. Lilly can immediately tell that something is wrong but doesn't know what. Mia realizes her mother has not even told Mr. Gianini this information yet. When she gets home she gives all of their beer and coffee to Ronnie before heading to princess lessons. Grandmère reveals that she has arranged for Mia to be interviewed by Beverly Bellerieve on TwentyFour/Seven Saturday. Helen tells Mr. Gianini that she is pregnant and they decide to get married.

Tuesday morning Mia wakes up with a sore throat and has to stay home from school. Lilly brings Mia her school work and keeps her up to date on what's going on at school, such as Lana Weinberger and Josh Richter getting back together. When Mia is still sick the next day, Phillipe takes her to Dr. Fung to get antibiotics and codeine. On Thursday she is still home sick from school but she receives an anonymous lover wherein the author calls her the "Josiest girl" he's ever met, and Mia is immediately intrigued. After watching an episode of Baywatch Mia becomes concerned that she is betrothed to a foreign dignitary, which Lilly clears up by asking Phillipe who is confused by the question. She gets e-mails later in the day from her friends saying they missed her at school, including one from Michael with an animated Fat Louie that he signs "Love, Michael" and another one from a user called JoCrox, which she realizes is shorthand for Josie Rocks. Feeling slightly better and determined to discover JoCrox's true identity Mia forces herself to go to school Friday, but is sent to Principal Gupta's office for giving Michael some of her codeine after he complains of a headache.

Having been well enough to go to school, Mia is forced to go to her interview with Beverly Bellerieve, but due to a combination of codeine and nerves she misunderstands a question that Beverly asks her and inadvertently reveals that her mother is pregnant with her algebra teacher's baby, which sends her father and grandmother into a panic. Mia spends the night at Lilly's, hoping to avoid her mother out of guilt, and is dared to drop an eggplant out of the Moscovitzs' sixteenth story window, which Lilly films for her public access show, Lilly Tells It Like It Is. After Mia drops the eggplant, Michael pulls her to the ground to keep her from being implicated and tells Lilly that she cannot air the footage on her TV show or Mia will be in trouble.

On Monday Lana asks Mia and Michael if they are dating, which causes a raucous response from Lilly, which elicits more laughter from Lana. After school, Mia discovers that her grandmother has begun planning an elaborate wedding for Helen and Mr. G, even flying in Vigo, the Royal Genovian Event Planner. Mia is horrified, as her mother had initially planned getting married at City Hall on Halloween dressed as King Kong with Mia as maid of honor dressed as the Empire State Building. That night the TwentyFour/Seven interview airs and immediately Mia is flooded with calls from her friends. Lilly is upset that Mia called their friend group freaks and revealed that Mrs. Hill does not monitor their Gifted & Talented class. Shameeka calls and says that she has to cancel the Halloween party she was going to have as her father is now convinced that the school is full of sex addicted alcoholics and is threatening to transfer her to another school. Tina calls and is happy that Mia mentioned her by name on the show - seemingly Mia's only supportive friend. Michael later messages Mia to tell her everything will be fine and invite her to a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween night. The next day at school Principal Gupta calls Mia into her office to discuss if she is unhappy at AEHS and suggest she join extracurriculars, which Mia points out she has no time for. Mia discovers that Lilly is not speaking to her, though Boris Pelkowski reveals she is writing a book. In Biology Mia's lab partner, Kenny, asks her if she is planning on coming to Rocky Horror.

When Mia arrives home her maternal grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw Thermopolis, and her cousin, Hank, are in the loft. Helen is panicked as she does not get along with her parents and has recently discovered Grandmère's wedding scheme. She calls Phillipe and tells him to get rid of her parents, so he puts them in a hotel, although Mia is instructed to take Hank with her to school the next day. She continues to receive e-mails from JoCrox and cannot figure out who he is (though she continues to hope he is Michael). Mia brings Hank with her to school, and every girl in school is enamored with him. Halfway through the day Hank and Lilly disappear and are not heard from until the evening, leading Mia to believe that they may have been kidnapped by Libyan terrorists. At princess lessons Mia tries on her bridesmaids dress, which looks just like Glinda the Good Witch's dress from the Wizard of Oz. That night Lilly Tells It Like It Is airs, and although Lilly edited the footage of Mia dropping the eggplant so that her identity was obscured, she included footage of Mia half asleep, which Mia did not know she had filmed, answering questions about what she will do when she assumes the throne.

The next day Hank stays home from accompanying Mia to school, but halfway through the day Lilly goes missing again and when they resurface Lilly refuses to tell Mia where they were or what they were doing. Mr. Gianini moves into the loft ahead of the wedding and Mamaw is present at Mia's princess lessons, scheming with Grandmère for the wedding.

On the morning of Halloween (and Grandmère's supposed wedding) Mr. Gianini does not show up to class, instead having a substitute teacher, though he was in the loft that morning. Hank shows up in the middle of lunch having undergone a makeover and revealing that he has received a contract with Ford to become the newest underwear model for Calvin Klein. He credits Lilly for making him realize his dreams and passionately kisses her in thanks. Boris punches him in the face for kissing his girlfriend but only manages to hurt his own hand. Mia calls Mamaw to let her know that Hank is ok, and is surprised to hear that the wedding is still happening.

Mia returns home and discovers that many of her mom's toiletry items are missing and calls her father, who assures her that everything is fine and that Mia should continue getting ready for the wedding. At the wedding Phillipe reveals that Helen and Frank have eloped to Cancun, and gives Mia a letter that Helen wrote her that morning admitting that she kept Mia in the dark so that Mia would not have to lie to Grandmère, that she and Frank wanted Mia to be there for their wedding, and that they plan on having a small celebration when they return from Mexico. Grandmère, distraught over the embarrassment, barricades herself in her room, and neither Vigo nor Phillipe can get her to come out. Mia is able to coax her out using what she has learned in her princess lessons.

Phillipe tells Mia she should be doing something fun for Halloween, but Mia has no costume to wear to Rocky Horror, which means that the theater wouldn't even let her in. Martha Stewart, who was attending the wedding, overhears her and pulls a glue gun out of her bag, fashioning a crown and a wand to go along with Mia's pink dress and turning her into Glinda the Good Witch (Lars is already able to pass for James Bond). Mia and Lars race to Rocky Horror where her friends are waiting and fortunately Michael purchased 2 extra tickets in hopes that they would make it on time. Mia maneuvers so that she will be sitting between Michael and Lars, but she somehow ends up between Michael and Kenny with Lars sitting in the seat behind her. Both Kenny and Michael check during the movie that she is laughing and enjoying herself. Afterward the whole group goes to Rock the Clock to get pancakes where Kenny reveals himself to be JoCrox and asks Mia out. Mia agrees to be polite, and Kenny puts his arm around Mia, which Michael immediately notices and looks alarmed at. Michael declares it's late and he wants to leave and Mia jumps up after him, asking Lars to call the car. Kenny insists on paying for Mia and Lars' food, while Michael refuses to be reimbursed for the tickets, which embarrasses Mia as she has two boys paying for her at once. Everyone piles into the limo for rides home and Michael stops Mia before they get in and tell her that she looks really nice in her dress.