Cordially Uninvited

Children with royal aspirations (or at least fascinations) are a natural audience for Roy’s (Yellow Star) amusing novel about Claire, an 11-year-old American, whose cousin is about to marry the prince of England—and Claire gets to be a junior bridesmaid. Upon arriving in England, Claire is a bundle of nerves, worried that she’ll mess up during the ceremony (“I had a knack for embarrassing myself. It was horrible enough to do it in front of my classmates, but my cousin’s wedding was going to be a much, MUCH larger audience”). Her fears seem to be well founded, since another bridesmaid, Pandora, is bent on making Claire look like a fool. Claire must toss her anxieties aside to save the day when she finds out that Pandora and her aunt are plotting to break up the royal engagement. Although Roy’s plot twists are over the top—the project has the campy feel of a Disney Channel TV movie—readers caught up in Claire’s adventures aren’t likely to mind. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group. (Apr.)