This German import, translated by David Henry Wilson, takes readers on surprising twists and turns. It starts of when Jenna and her best friend Bea decide to audition for a movie after seeing an announcement for the tryouts. She know that her mother wouldn't want her to do it because it is not the proper thing, but Bea talks Jenna into going anyway.

When they arrive, they learn that they are trying out for the role of a princess in a story. Jenna is surprised to find herself chosen as the leading contender after the director and his staff first meet her. While she highlights that her acting skills may not be up to snuff, they highlight that she just has the perfect presence for the role. They want to jet her off to the Kingdom of Scandia to do a dry run. Jenna knows her mother would really not want her to go, but the director makes a call home and sets things up.

When she arrives in Scandia, Jenna learns that she will be standing in for the real princess for an event. She ooes well, and the production crew wants her to continue doing such events. As time goes by, it quickly becomes apparent to the reader (and less so for Jenna) that something is not quite right in the kingdom. She is drawn into the center of a developing civil war between the rich and powerful south and the poor and used north.

The reader gets glimpses into what is really happening with scenes centering around the princess, her uncle, and the rebels from the north.

I thought the story could have been a little tighter in the telling, but I found it to be really interesting. Jenna has always wondered about her family and why her mother is so into proper etiquette. In her experiences she learns about these things and so much more, including the fact that she has more inner strength than should have thought. The story is a little predictable, but I found that it was more tied to the fairy tale feel of the story rather than anything else. This is basically a modern fairy tale with just a touch of Twain's The Prince and the Pauper thrown in. Of course, you have to suspend belief in realism for some of the plot details, but we have to do that with all fairy tales. I think fans of Gail Larson Levine's books will pick this one up and enjoy.

There are a few times when the language becomes "stiff," but I think that it is do more to the translation from German into English. I have a feeling that the translator stuck to a closer translation, which can leave American readers with a different feel than they are used to.