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 Atlantis, the princesses are separated and each must find a way to escape. Carly and Arlene realize that their lives are taking different and unexpected directions, too. A satisfying read for Atlantis fans, this novel by award-winning author Lisa Williams Kline offers romance, magic, and a race against time.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2002

Reviews

[Kinzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book really shows the struggles of transitioning from a kid to a pre-teen. The books really highlights the emotional trouble of being a kid and the reality of what middle school is like for most kids. The book also shows the truth about how people can be and how to know a true friend from a fake friend.

[Emily]

“Princesses of Atlantis,” by Lisa Williams Kline, is about two friends named Arlene and Carly, who are writing a novel together which just happens to be about two twin princesses of Atlantis named Eva and Lydia. As the story goes on, the two girls grow apart. Arlene gets into drama and plays while Carly longs to be popular and with her crush. Eventually, Arlene and Carly unconsciously break apart their long time friendship and end up writing the novel separately, only, there’s one problem. Eva and Lydia get into trouble and end up as wanted fugitives of their home to be sacrificed to the rain god Driz, in hopes of the floods stopping. The two sisters go on all sorts of adventures together until they’re ripped apart brutally. Eva gets captured and treated like a prisoner by her own parents while Lydia is with a flying man whom she likes. The two sisters try to send messages to each other through their mind, just like they practiced, and Lydia gets the distress call from Eva and comes to the rescue. As the story comes to an end, so does Arlene and Carly’s differences. The two girls make up and become friends again.

[Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I disliked a few parts but I still think it was good.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Highly uneven. The contemporary story was pretty decent, if a little predictable, but I found the Atlantis chapters kind of painful, honestly.

[DavidO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this book well written and interesting? Yes. Did I finish it? No. It turns out that I'm not only too old for this book, but I'm the wrong sex. It's about girls becoming women. They fight with their parents, have their first period, think that they are ugly, etc. I'm sure if I were 13 I'd love this book. It switches between the real life story and the story the girls are writing abotu two princesses who live in Atlantis presumably right before it gets destroyed. The fantasy part adds a bit of relief between the serious real life parts, I think, and makes the after-school-special material easier to choke down, but still not easy enough for this thirty something male.

[Audreyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's really two stories going on in this book. The main story is about two friends who undergoe some... changes and have some fights and stuff. One girls kinda insecure and stuff, but they both write this story together which is the second story going on. The second story I find more interesting because it's more creative. Two twins are meant to be sacrificed to the rain gods but they do some funk thigns to get out of it.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this story, I was in my early teens and in the process of saying goodbye to a friend. She had moved away and had been growing apart from me, until she outright stopped communicating. I remember reading this book and feeling a bit more okay with what was going on, understanding that sometimes, you just have to let your friends do what they need to do in order to move forward in their lives.

[Sydney Campanella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!