I cannot wait to read more in this series. This was an adorably written story about friends, who very well could not have been. One of the characters is an actual princess (think Princess Diaries) and friendship prevails regardless of social status.

I didn't realize, going into this book, that one of the characters was a literal princess. I had assumed that she was simply hyper feminine, fond of princess-y things. It actually works better the way it's written. We see the parallels as well as the differences between the two families. The varied parenting approaches and personalities lead the kids into conflict. They see each other as weird, aggressive, noisy, snooty, etc. We see the negatives of judging one another on a single encounter, on a preconceived notion. And I liked the balance between a strict interpretation of justice and the moral right. I had a few problems with it but I can mostly respect the plot. And it provides a number of opportunities to start deeper conversations with young readers.
On a side note, it drove me a little buggy that the glasses that Maude affects to wear just happen to be the exact prescription that Miranda needs. Not to mention the fact that Miranda's vision is poor enough that she needs lenses strong enough to cause Miranda physical pain but no one notices. But that's more of a logistical annoyance than a real problem.

This is a solid story of the misunderstandings and assumptions that almost keep two girls from becoming best friends. Readers have the opportunity to glean empathy and an understanding of the value of communication vs. assumptions.

My daughter and I read this together. It kept her attention really well compared to other books we've read together. I thought it was a cute story and can't wait to read more from the author.

The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess is an illustrated chapter book written by Emma Wunsch and illustrated by Jessika Von Innerebner. This series starter is currently scheduled to be released on August 7 2018. Princess Miranda does not want to go to school. She wants to shoe shop, plan parties, and decorate the castle. Maude cannot wait for school. She loves rules and social justice and getting good grades. She also loves hard-boiled eggs, much to Miranda’s dismay. When a tense first week of school results in Maude getting excluded from the Royal Birthday Party, Maude decides she’s found her first fight for social justice: a birthday boycott. This hilarious, heartfelt chapter-book series teaches empathy, and reminds us that your very best friend could be one desk away.

The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess is the start of a sweet early chapter book about dealing with changes, school, and being yourself. I loved the set up. Miranda is a princess that loves pink, nail polish, and party planning. She does not want to go to school, and when she does her head hurts and she just wants to go home. Maude loves learning, rules, and hard boiled eggs. These two seem to have nothing in common, and clash right away. Miranda needs to learn to get along with other children, and to consider how others feel. Maude needs to stop and think about how others feel as well. When they each take a moment and consider other people, a friendship is formed and thrives, showing readers that empathy can bridge almost any gap and bring wonderful surprises. I like that readers get multiple points of view, so they can see why Miranda is as unhappy and uncomfortable at school- and we can see why Maude holds on to her eggs and unusual ways. I also like that even after the friendship is formed, we see that not every day is perfect, and the pair each still needs to grow and learn about themselves, each other and the world.

The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess is a wonderful easy chapter book with lovely illustrations. The book encourages young readers to think about how others feel, and how great things might come from breaking out of our own comfort zones.

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. There are some things that bothered me about this story though. The initial way the girls treated one another was rather mean and not something I would want to promote in children. In fact everyone in the class treated them both badly. I also didn't like that Miranda was not encouraged to speak up or tell her parents how she was feeling. The birthday party they planned was also very extravagant and when nobody showed up, it just was forgotten. For someone writing about a child who wants to be a social justice advocate, this seems counter productive. Maybe as an adult I am seeing more than a child would. 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.

This was a fun first book of a new series about two girls who appear to be totally different as they make their way to become friends. My daughter looks forward to more books from the series.

a great fun read for kids with a good strong message about friendship and being true to yourself, would recommend

The first in a series of books for children, Miranda and Maude are two friends who are the opposite of one another and this is the beginning of their story in this sweet and charming book. (Spoilers ahead!)

The characters are really crafted well, in that though they are meant to be opposites, you can see they have a lot in common and that is something that’s really important in the story. Maude is a tomboy who likes to go out and get dirty and Miranda is a princess who likes her nail polish and party planning, but they both are adventurous and introverted and their friendship makes sense.

The plot is pretty good and easy to understand as the story unfolds, I’m surprised they didn’t get the butler to pick up all her classmates or something for the party, but actually it all works out and makes for a great end to the tale. I also like the sort-of-epilogue where we see Maude and Miranda hanging out - the moment with the glasses is really cute!

A really nice story about difference and friendship, I look forward to more in this series.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).

Princess Miranda's parents decide it's time she went to a real school. She likes everything just so. She meets Maude who does things her own way. They clash and have a difficult time only to find out they really are the same in the ways that count. This is the first of hopefully many fun adventures for Miranda & Maude.

I recommend this book for children that are 3rd-5th grade. This book is great for anyone that has read the Ivy+Bean book series. I love how the story shows how opposite attract with friendship. Each character stands out in her own way and that helps carry the story along. The book is not too long for children to read, and it will keep them engage all the way to the end. I can't wait to see what else these two are going to do next.

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing me a copy of “The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess (Miranda and Maude #1) " by Emma Wunsch, Jessika Von Innerebner in exchange for my review. This was a fun chapter book and an excellent start to the “Miranda and Maude” series.

Each character has a distinctive personality with certain traits that make them sometimes infuriating but overall adorable. I honestly enjoyed reading about all the characters, including the parents and the classmates. It is very true that close friendship are mostly between two opposites, even though it might not always start that way. Miranda is the snooty, snobbish, scared, introverted princess. Maude is the impulsive, in your face, extroverted protestor. You would never think that both of them would get along. At first they don’t like each other at all. The story progresses well with some humorous twists and turns to show how they do become friends.

There’s only one part that irked me. I am a bit peeved that all the festivities done for the birthday party went to waste. I realize it’s a children’s book and Miranda is rich beyond means, but I just cringed when all that food and entertainment was wasted. Considering that there is so much poverty in the world, kids might feel it is ok to waste food and not appreciate niceties after reading this. But that is just my opinion.

However, putting that aside, this book is delightful! Another aspect that I liked was that this shows that someone doesn’t have to act a certain type to make friends. You could be shy, strong, talkative or quiet, but be yourself and people will befriend you. The good thing about having friends with a completely different personality than yours is that they could open your eyes to different perspectives.

Younger readers would love to read this book and its successors in the series. There are so many possibilities for future stories that I can think of between these two. In fact, I can even see a possible animated television series based off it. Emma Wunsch has created a wonderful concept for a chapter book series. Jessika Von Innerebner has enhanced the book with cute whimsical illustrations. I simply LOVED her illustrations! Below is an example the various expressions she uses on the children.

<img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-502" src="http://www.rajivsreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/20180515_002MMEW02.jpg" alt="" width="469" height="428" />

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Overall, I thought this was a cute book and am sure it will do well as a series! I rate it 4/5 stars.

This was a cute book! The characters are lovable and you hope they can resolve their differences to become friends. This is the start of a new series and I look forward to reading about Miranda and Maude's adventures.

This is a cute early chapter book about friendships. You could say it is The Odd Couple, for the early chapter kids.

The premise is that the princess has to go to school, and she doesn't want to be there. She feels like an outsider, because she has always been home schooled, and loves to organize things. And Maude is a tom-boy type, who loves her chickens, and her animals, and hard boiled eggs, which the Princess hates. They do not get along, at first, mainly because of that initial misunderstanding.

Of course, there would not be a story if they never got along, so this story, the first in what appears to be a series, is how they became friends.

The other kids, however, are not very fleshed out, though I suppose they dont' have to be. I expect they will be as the book series continues.

The drawings are fun as well, as evidence below.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-412" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-17-at-12.05.47-PM.png" alt="Princess and not" />

I found the story very quick, and fun, as the anger builds up, and you can just see it all coming, but don't care, to reach the surprise ending. Good for young readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.