Review Detail

What worked: This is a refreshing twist on the whole teen finds out she's a Japanese princess. Izumi 'Izzy'Tanaka never felt like she belonged in her mostly white Northern Californian community. When she finds out the truth about her father's identity, that he is in fact the Crown Prince of Japan, she emails to find out the truth. That's when all the fun happens! Izzy finds herself in Tokyo amidst the royal family, paparazzi, and not too nice cousins.

I really liked Izzy. She's spirited, lovable, and determined to find her Japanese father. Her encounters with her father are awkward at first. She really tries to reconcile with her Japanese heritage, but the tabloids and even some within the royal palace aren't too welcoming. The Mean twin cousins go out of their way to make her feel like a 'Gaijin'-foreigner. Then there's the cute guard assigned to her-Akio-who sets her heart a flutter whenever he's close by.

Izzy's struggles trying to find out where she fits in are very realistic. She finds she's too foreign to be Japanese and never American enough back in the states. The relationship between her and Akio starts off as indifferent to one that is much more. I also liked Izzy and her father's bubbling relationship. It's not perfect, but both try to get past things like thousands of years of tradition that stand in the way.

Emiko does a great job showing readers Japanese food, culture, language, and a blossoming romance set amidst court drama and more!

Japanese Princess Diaries with a spunky, endearing heroine whose search to find herself leads her to a royal family and coming to terms with what she really wants out of her life.