What I like best about THE PRINCESS IN MY HEAD (Aignos 2018) is that both the novel and the screenplay come together in one book.  Young readers can actively participate in the story by reading parts out loud, staging scenes and even creating their own musical. 

Two “princesses” – one in a Renaissance world and the other in modern time - are learning to lead and inspire, each in her own way.  This is a theme I visit in my adult mysteries also: the evolution of personal strength.  The heroines gain insight and wisdom from each other, from a valiant Knight (in the Renaissance), a detective (in modern day), from their parents (oh no!), and even from their adversaries.  Throughout the story the two grow to trust each other – that Princess in their head – and rely upon shared ideas and inspiration. 

The use of two different timelines provides readers an opportunity to compare and appreciate the different living conditions and perspectives.  When Princess Aqualine tasks her countrymen to make her Gators, she unwittingly causes them to develop a miraculous substance that just happened to emerge about that time in Europe. While miraculous advancements happen often with our modern-day scientists, four hundred years ago even simple things we see and use today were a wonderment.