Cabot has seen success with both demographics and is a #1 New York Times bestseller.
Cabot worked as an assistant residence hall director at NYU for 10 years before publishing the wildly popular The Princess Diaries series, which spawned two smash-hit movies starring Anne Hathaway.
Despite her many accolades, and selling over 25 million copies of her novels in 38 countries, Cabot often states her biggest achievement is how she has helped her readers discover a love of reading, which they have often expressed to her in written correspondence.
As well as The Princess Diaries, other popular series and books by Cabot include the 1-800-Where-R-U?
The series was then adapted into the Lifetime series ‘Missing,’ Avalon High, which was adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie, and several novels that followed the epistolary format of The Princess Diaries by being told completely in text messages and emails such as the Boy Next Door series (Boy Next Door/Boy Meets Girl/Every Boy’s Got One/The Boy is Back).
If you love Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries series, then you’ll love the works of similar authors Sophie Kinsella and Jennifer Weiner. Read here to find out which books you need to check out.
Books By Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot is a prolific author with 80 books to her name! However, let’s recap some of her most popular series.
Heather Wells was once a teen pop superstar until she gained a few pounds and her record deal was canceled, and her famous boyfriend broke up with her.
She has now moved in with her brother and taken on a job at a freshman dorm at a college in New York (Cabot drew on her own experience working at NYU for this series).
But with the nickname ‘Death Dorm,’ this isn’t your normal college…
Themes: Body image, romance, mystery, self-discovery
Jennifer Weiner is also a #1 New York Times bestseller, with her books spending over 5 years on the New York Times bestseller list and over 11 million of her books being available in 36 countries.
Her most notable works are her debut novel, Good in Bed, and In Her Shoes, which was adapted into 1 2005 movie starring Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, and Shirley MacLaine.
The Littlest Bigfoot tells the story of 12-year-old Alice Mayfield, who feels overlooked by her family and uncomfortable in her own skin.
She is sent to a boarding school and feels more ignored than ever. All Alice wants is a friend.
One day she rescues the feisty, mysterious Millie Maximus. But Millie is no ordinary girl…
Millie is a Bigfoot and is part of a centuries-old clan that lives deep in the woods.
While Millie has been told humans are dangerous, she is fascinated by the human world, and that her bravery and natural singing talent will be appreciated outside the woods.
Pros
Excellent messages about bullying and accepting others.
Has a fantasy element
Jennifer Weiner taps into the middle-school voice perfectly.
One of Weiner’s most famous books, In Her Shoes, tells the story of Rose and her sister Maggie.
Rose is a 30-year-old attorney who secretly loves romance novels, while Maggie is 28 years old and absolutely gorgeous with dreams of fame and fortune.
Rose and Maggie initially think they have nothing in common with each other besides their shoe size and childhood trauma, but they soon realize that they are more alike than they first thought.
Sophie Kinsella is a successful author who has sold over 45 million copies of her books in over 40 languages and over 60 countries.
Kinsella’s first novel – Confessions Of A Shopaholic/The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic – was a runaway success when it was published in the year 2000 (To learn more about the Shopaholic series, read here).
Many readers connected with the book’s protagonist, Becky Bloomwood, a fun, ditsy, yet feisty journalist who works for a finance publication, but struggles to get a grasp on her own finances.
In 2014, she also published Finding Audrey, her first foray into the young adult market. It’s about a teenage girl who struggles with severe social anxiety and a rather dysfunctional family.
Kinsella then leaned more into children’s literature by publishing her first illustrated book, Fairy Mom and Me, in 2018, which tells the story of a fairy mother and daughter.
Becky Bloomwood has a shopping problem. She can’t resist a sale, buy-one-get-one-free offers, or splashing the cash on a pair of designer shoes.
She knows her spending is getting out of hand, and her dad tells her she either needs to cut back or get a better-paying job, but cutting back feels impossible, and trying to make more money just gets her deeper into trouble.
With her credit card bills mounting up, her cards being declined, and her letters from the bank growing more serious in tone, she has no idea what she’s going to do.
Can she solve her financial woes, get control of her life, and even find love?
Pros
It has been compared favorably with Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Funny and engaging.
Easy to read.
Cons
The main character is divisive among readers, with some finding her very unlikable.
Finding Audrey tells the story of a teenage girl struggling with social anxiety, and trauma from past bullying that makes it almost impossible for her to leave her house.
However, with the help of her brother’s friend – Linus – she’s going to overcome her anxiety.
While this novel is very raw and heartbreaking in places, it’s also funny, romantic, and uplifting too.
Pros
Readers have praised the book for its portrayal of anxiety and the teenage experience.
Many readers have also praised Kinsella’s writing style in this novel.
Despite the serious subject, there is a lot of humor in the novel.
If you’re a fan of Meg Cabot, we hope our article has inspired you to check out work that is similar to hers!
Cabot is a prolific writer, with many books under her belt, but if you’ve devoured all the books she has published so far, then the novels of Sophie Kinsella and Jennifer Weiner should satisfy your Cabot cravings!
While Weiner’s The Littlest Bigfoot and Kinsella’s Finding Audrey are for a younger audience, we believe the former book would be a great gift for a child in your life, as it contains relevant, poignant themes for tweens.
We could also say the same about Finding Audrey, but we believe even older readers will get something out of Finding Audrey, and many readers found that Audrey’s experience resonated with theirs when they were teenagers.
If you’re new to Kinsella and Weiner’s work, then you can’t go wrong with starting with two of their most famous books – Confessions Of A Shopaholic and In Her Shoes!
Both have been adapted into successful Hollywood movies, but as always, if you haven’t watched the movies, we recommend reading the books first (see also “Authors Like Sherry Thomas“).
Both are humorous and uplifting reads, with themes of personal responsibility, taking control of your life, and familial bonds.
Much like Cabot, Kinsella and Weiner are successful, prolific writers, so if you love the books we’ve recommended, both authors have plenty of other books for you to dive into (see also “Authors Like Ally Condie“)!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Books Does Mag Cabot Like To Read?
Cabot states on her website that she loves all types of ‘chick-lit,’ memoirs, and mystery novels. She also loves YA novels and is also an avid magazine reader.
Why Are Meg Cabot’s Book Titles And Covers Different In Other Countries?
Cabot’s book titles, covers, and even some of the content differ from location to location due to the needs of publishers in different countries.
Ayo-ige Motunrayo is an avid reader and a prolific writer. She is also a registered nurse. She has written a plethora of short stories and poems, and her poetry and stories have been featured on RT Book Reviews, Pen on Fire, and Commune Writers. She is also the author of an e-book, Nothing puzzles God, and she is currently writing her debut novel.
She is the only female of 4 children, and she is keen on being a voice for the voiceless in America and beyond, employing her tool as a young Nurse and burgeoning writer. She loves reading, because to her, books are a passage to an idyllic reality and foster hope for the benign and beautiful.
