Princess Ashley

by Richard Peck

In her new high school, where her mother has taken a job as counselor, Chelsea experiences joys and sorrows as she makes choices about new friends and learns they are not always what they seem.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

Richard Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder. For his cumulative contribution to young-adult literature, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1990.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate to fit in at her new school, a teenage girl does everything she can to join the popular crowd, lead by the seemingly perfect Ashley. But who are her real friends, and how long will it take her to realize that shoving aside her loving parents isn't the way to impress anyone?

Like most of Peck's books, this has wonderfully real characters, and whole scenes that, even after ten years or more, stand out in my head. It looks like Gossip Girl fluff, but is really an insightful look at popularity, at personality, and at loyalty.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Time was, Richard Peck's best-known works were his books from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s about teenagers, in situations both mundane and supernatural. He came to prominence for children's literature after winning a 1999 Newbery Honor for A Long Way from Chicago and the 2001 Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, but many still viewed him as a writer for teens. In 1987's Princess Ashley, fifteen-year-old Chelsea Olinger is the new girl in town, and hopes her assertive mother won't ruin sophomore year at Crestwood High. Chelsea quickly falls in with Ashley Packard and Craig Kettering, two kids at the height of the sophomore popularity curve. She also makes friends with Pod Johnson, though their relationship is playfully adversarial, but Ashley and Craig could really take Chelsea places at Crestwood if she plays her cards right.

Chelsea finds that Ashley is in charge of all the popular tenth-grade girls, planning events and setting the social agenda. Craig is Ashley's boyfriend, but at times she struggles to corral him. He gets in trouble for a series of anonymous pranks that first year, but doesn't mind; it adds sheen to his rebel image. By the time junior year starts, Craig is known for secretly selling alcohol to students at school functions. Chelsea's mother worries about her bond with Ashley and Craig, but Chelsea makes it plain she wants her mother to stay hands off.

Becoming a romantic item with Pod turns into a definite thing for Chelsea that year, but Ashley exerts even more gravity in her social sphere. Her charisma leads Chelsea to compromises she otherwise wouldn't make. Ashley, at the same time, is unable to free Craig of his drinking, which becomes a serious vice. After he's arrested for providing alcohol to minors, he shrugs at the consequences. His parents are beginning to take it seriously, but Ashley is still protecting him. Will the walls come tumbling down before senior year, and what will the lasting effects be for all of them?

There's admirable subtlety to Richard Peck's style, but Princess Ashley moves slowly, bogged down in details that don't drive the story. The presentation of high school as a time of self-discovery and potentially devastating personal choices has merit, and there are a few effective plot surprises, but I found myself disinterested in the action and characters. I respect all the author accomplished in his career, but don't see myself ever seeking Princess Ashley to reread.

[Emily A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like the literary equivalent of a Molly Ringwald movie. Take that however way you want it.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every suburban high school has a Princess Ashley, but only a select few are allowed into her inner circle. When Chelsea moves to town, she's so thrilled to be let in, she can't see how much she's being used. The voice of warning comes through a class clown named Pod, who adds a few surprises of his own to the plot.

In his book on writing Invitation to the World, Richard Peck wrote that of all his books, Princess Ashley was his best researched, and he didn't have to go any further than the halls of the high school where he taught. Even if you're no longer a teenager, you'll appreciate this spot-on picture of teen social politics.

[Season Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this book since grade school!

[Rebecca Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good! Peck hadn't got his students yet but Pod is a try original character

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was barely alive when this book came out and my high school days occurred in the early 2000s. So, there wasn't a lot of parallels between Chelsea's life and my own. I did read this book pre-fifth grade and it shaped how I thought high school would be... meaning, it scared the crap out of me.
I recalled very little of the story-line, just that Ashley wasn't a clear-cut villain and all books should have a well-defined bad guy when you are 7-9 years old.
Rereading this showed me how badly I missed the point of the book all those years ago.
Ending seemed abrupt, almost as if it was missing a few pages.
Nice trip down memory lane at 5am on this uber rainy morning.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just Meh for me and Chelsea the main character, whom we are supposed to relate to was too much of a follower for my taste. Even when things were right in front of her she chose to ignore them, which made me hate her.

The best thing about this book was the 1980's references and things that I recognized having lived in that time.

One great character was Pod, Chelsea's boyfriend.

[Faith Wiechers · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of Richard Peck's books, the characters are very must alive. I've read only his rural children's books and this one is very different. Set in the late 80's, Chelsea (an uncommon name then) is trying to find her place in a new high school. A few twists and surprises make this book hard to put down.

[Akilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like I didn't know the characters very well even as I knew almost everything about them. A brilliant commentary on how shallow teens can be? I don't know, but it just made the book okay and the ending have less impact.

[Brewsoise Beertrothed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chelsea seethes with resentment. She loathes the fact she must start all over again and her mother for precipitating their move. Adrift in the choppy breakers of adolescence, Chelsea clings to the first life preserver thrown her way. Can she beyond the obvious to the truth?

[Arlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was good, but I didn't really care for it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was in high school.

[Michelle]

Listed as Q4 = Exceptional!, P4 = A book everyone wants to read

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pod was the best character, the rest of it was bleah. I kept waiting for some horrific or bizarre event to occur, but the novel just sort of stewed without really going anywhere. The saddest part was her dog, Lucy, gets run over by the popular guy and she still doesn't stop being friends with his girlfriend. Poor dog.

Moral, don't be a follower. Duh.

[Ericka Clou · Rating 4 out of 5]