The Royal Birthday

Gr 9 Up—This satirical series imagines a world where George Washington drunkenly made the decision to become king rather than president. The books follow his descendants in the royal family during the modern era as they tussle to be crowned the next king. The players in this fight include gluttonous King Jonathan, scheming Queen Donna, irresponsible party animal Prince Trevor, vain Prince Kyle, and calculating Princess Emma. The series humorously integrates details about George Washington and the times in which he lived (for example, each royal needs fake teeth). The appearance-crazed, technology-absorbed royals are used to cleverly critique modern culture through, for instance, their obsession with their GlassPhones and the social networking site RoyalChatterStream. Each entry in the series has an eye-catching, pop-art style cover that will appeal to teen readers.