Royal Diaries Read Along

What I’m Doing

Scrunchies and braids and middle grade – oh, my! Over the next 20 months, I’ll be indulging my inner princess and reliving one of my favorite series: The Royal Diaries, from Scholastic Press.

Why I’m Doing It

I’ve always been a nut for nostalgia. Get me talking about anything from American Girl Dolls to Country Mouse and City Mouse to Twister and I won’t stop. The Royal Diaries series was a favorite of mine – I constantly read and reread these pieces of historical fiction as a child. I wanted to be these princesses. I wanted to write books like these. I’d copy the entries down into my own diary as if my life was just like theirs.

These are the books that got my hooked on historical fiction. I learned from these books. I learned about cultures of royalty all across the world. I learned from Marie Antoinette what “dauphin” means. I learned from Eleanor that drinking unclean water can lead to serious health problems (after I spent two weeks trying to tell my mom that I thought I had a worm in my brain until she told me that was unlikely, as I lived in suburban New Jersey). I learned about young women who struck out on their own – whether because they chose to or because circumstance demanded it.

And I’m interested to see how it feels now. I don’t think I read all 20 as a kid (though I’m sure I read at least 14). So, I’ll be reading each one and keeping my own (not so royal) diary as I go along. Thinking about how they reflect upon my life – then and now. And sharing what I feel with you! Part reread, part review, part journal entry.

Also, I like a long project. I like the feel of something to return to month after month. It’ll be interesting to see if or how my life has changed at the end of this project.

How I’m Doing It

Over the next 20 months, I’m going to read (at least) one diary a month, starting chronologically. Below is my schedule but I’ll be updating it as I go! If you want to read along with me, I’m so happy to have you. (They’re kind of hard to find, but I was able to get the missing books from my collection used via Amazon! You just have to get crafty – make sure you browse all of the used options & you’ll definitely find some cheap ones) . Click on the princess’ name to learn a bit more about them!

Did you read any of The Royal Diaries? Which were your favorites?

One thought on “Royal Diaries Read Along”

  1. kdoesbookreviews says:
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    Definitely was a huge fan of these, along with the “Dear America” kid’s books. Excited to follow this journey! My personal favorite was probably Anastasia, along with the animated film of it 🙂

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