Prince of the Palisades

Gr 9 Up–Seventeen-year-old Prince Jadon, of the island nation Rêverie, is Black, openly gay, and in trouble. Thanks to his former best friend, a video of Jadon drunkenly criticizing Rêverie’s prime minister has gone viral. Protective of his American-born mother, Jadon refuses to explain that the prime minister covertly insulted her. His father declares that Jadon, who is in Los Angeles, cannot come home until he has become the prince his people deserve. As a result, Jadon and his older sister, Crown Princess Annika, settle in a Los Angeles mansion with their security staff, and Jadon enrolls at Willow Wood Academy. There he navigates making friends, falling in love with pink-haired Reiss, and figuring out how to become the prince his father wants him to be. But what about the prince Jadon wants to be? Full of snarky humor and the glitz of royal living, this book also offers heartfelt struggle, heartbreak, and heartwarming romance. Jadon is a sympathetic character, trying to balance duty, privilege, self-expression, future hopes, family, relationships, race, and sexuality. On the downside, while most characters are distinct and interesting, readers may find it hard to remember the numerous students at Willow Wood beyond Reiss. Swearing and mild sexual experiences are consistent with the older teen characters. Reiss, his family, and characters from Rêverie are Black.