Books like The Princess Plot

My first comment about this book is that it is an unusual story. I picked it up for my library at a recent book fair and it has a pretty steady circulation; not hot, but definitely not dusty either. Both the book and the blurb are attractive: pink and princessey with a pirate-looking skull; a young girl wins a dream movie role and is catapulted into real danger. For the most part, I would say that the story lives up to this expectation, especially if that expectation is from young dreamy-eyed girls. Jenna finds herself filling in for a young princess who she looks remarkably similar to and discovers that there is very real intrigue, politics, and class issues at stake. In general, I like the way the political problems are handled. They are intriguing and dangerous without the normal political complexity, which works well for a middle-grade novel, even if they are somewhat simplified.However, I do have two problems with the book. First, the resolution of the book is a little too easy, considering the theoretical depth of political problems in the story.And second, there is a crucial part of this story that I just don't believe. Jenna leaves home and hops on a plane with adults she has only just met without ever having spoken with her mother. She just goes off without a thought in her head, which I find troublingly stupid. She tries to phone her mother a few times, but seems content with (faked) texts. First, I doubt Jenna would be able to fly to another country without identification, and secondly, I find it difficult to believe that a girl who is as sheltered as Jenna has been just suddenly chooses to ignores her mother. I think I find her stupidity at the beginning of the book to be annoying, making the rest of her actions unbelievable.However, as long as I can overlook this huge character flaw, I enjoyed the story. It was fast-paced and different: girly-girls rescuing the day among (somewhat) modern kidnappers and gun-wielding revolutionaries with a dose of royalty and celebrity dreams along side.