American Royals

July 22, 2019
In this drama’s reimagined United States of America, George Washington was crowned king rather than becoming the country’s first elected president. Now, hundreds of years later, his descendent, Princess Beatrice Georgina Fredericka Louise of the House of Washington, the first female heir to the crown, is 21 and expected to find a husband. Her parents, the King and Queen of America, have vetted several potential candidates, whom she is expected to meet at the upcoming Queen’s Ball. There, her tabloid-headline-grabbing twin siblings, Samantha and Jefferson, 19, who have just returned from a postgraduation tour around the world, will make their first official public appearance. Samantha invites her childhood best friend, Nina, as her guest, but Nina is secretly in love with Jefferson, whose ex-girlfriend, meanwhile, has a plan to win him back. Written from multiple perspectives, McGee (The Thousandth Floor) crafts a deliciously soapy American royal family. Though much of the doomed-relationships story arc feels familiar, McGee’s characters are well-crafted and flawed, giving the narrative emotional texture that elevates it above the dramatic formula. Ages 14–up.

Narrator Brittany Pressley delivers all of the drama befitting America's royal family in this delightful alternative history. Pressley's narration deftly shifts point of view and conveys the stress of social expectations as well as the joys of new romance. As Queen Beatrice grapples with the pressures of being the future regent, Pressley gives her a voice that wavers between reluctance and confidence. Princess Samantha has the tone of a rebellious cool girl, and Sam's twin, the handsome Prince Jefferson, is perfectly charming. Others in the Washington siblings' orbit, particularly the social-climbing Daphne and shy Nina, have appropriate emotional tones. A satisfying plot is made all the more so by a well-chosen narrator. E.A.N. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine