The Princesses of Atlantis

by Lisa Williams Kline

Twelve-year-old best friends Carly and Arlene write about the final, cataclysmic days of Atlantis in a story that parallels the growing tensions between the girls. The heroines of their fantasy novel are twin princesses destined for sacrifice to the Rain God. In real life, Carly develops a crush on a boy and Arlene feels betrayed; in Atlantis, Princess Eva is imprisoned in a tower while Princess Lydia falls in love. As the floods threaten to destroy...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812628551
• ISBN13: 9780812628555
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Cricket Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

A great fantasy for your middle grade daughter

The Princesses of Atlantis follows Carly and Arlene through the trials of middle school while at the same time immersing us in the fantasy world that they are creating. The two girls are writing a book about Lydia and Eva, two girls growing up in a doomed Atlantis. The books chapters alternate between the world of Carly and Arlene and the world of Atlantis and this is what makes the book unique. The adventures of the girls in Atlantis are affected by what happens in the real world. When Carly and Arlene have a falling out and cease writing together each girl writes chapters on their own. Carly wants more Romance and Arlene wants more adventure. A plot that mirrors their real lives as Carly longs to be a part of the popular crowd by wearing makeup and going to parties with boys.Some of my favorite details include the circular palace in Atlantis that rotates so that the king can view all of his subjects in the course of a day (castle in the round). I also love Carly's attempt to write with her cat in her lap. Writers work with cats in their laps according to Carly. Tell that to my cats! Of course the cat has different ideas. Then there is the geeky boy, Marty, with the amazing voice who steals the show at the class production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." The book is very unique in that we are heading towards two independent conclusions. What happens to the relationship between Carly and Arlene and how will Eva and Lydia fare with the destruction of their home in Atlantis? You will find yourself anxiously awaiting both answers.This is a wonderful fantasy novel for your middle grade daughter. I suspect a lot of boys will enjoy the fantasy aspect of the novel, though I suspect they won't be old enough (or mature enough) to appreciate Carly's experience with the arrival of her first period. I found that it worked very well as a read aloud to my boys(6 and 9), because I was able to skim the section they weren't ready for without adversely affecting the book. They are now plotting their own versions of Atlantis, along with rotating castles.

cliched, but still good

I picked up this book from the library on a whim. I wasn't expecting a great deal - books about the troubles of Middle School tend to be boring, cliched, and too numerous. I was pleasantly surprised. In some ways this book is just like any one of those; there are plenty of cliches to go around. However, some of the observations here are dead on, and reading this brought back some vivid memories from when I too was an insecure middle schooler who wrote. Overall, I enjoyed it greatly, and I'd recommend it to anyone who had a rough time in that stage of life (which is virtually everyone, I guess...).