This is an early chapter book probably for girls about friendship. Miranda is a princess and Maude is about as far from a princess as you could get. At first they don’t like each other at all, of course they make no attempt to get to know each other either. When Miranda invites everyone from her class except Maud to her birthday party, Maud is hurt and upset. She convinces everyone in the class to boycott the party. When Maud puts herself in Miranda's shoes, things finally turn around for the girls. The story progresses well with some humorous twists and turns to show how they do become friends. Maud and Miranda each have a distinctive personality with certain traits that make them often infuriating, especially to each other. Miranda is the snooty, snobbish, scared, introverted princess. Maude is the impulsive, in your face, extroverted social justice activist. You would never think that they would become friends. When they get to know one another, they finally realize that even though they are very different, they have a lot in common. A great lesson in friendship. This would be a good story for primary or early junior readers, specifically if they are having a difficult time making friends, or if someone new is coming into their class. The publisher, Amulet books, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

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Beginning chapter books often contain lessons about basic life skills—compassion, sharing, making friends, etc.—but this one was in no way subtle about it. It will likely appeal to some within its target age group, but there are other, similar books I would recommend first. ( )