In West Africa of the 1500s, the Matamba are caught up in a life-and-death battle against Portuguese slave traders. Nzingha, the 13-year-old princess, dreams of leading her people to triumph -- as recorded in this imagined diary, written by Newbery Honor author Patricia G. McKissack. It's a novel in the young-adult "Royal Diaries" series. The book is designed to feel like a real princess's diary, with gold-embossed pages and a sturdy binding.  (WAF64, $10.95)