Mellani and her younger siblings do not know a happy family life. Their parents regularly get drunk and tend to violent outbursts. The children live in constant fear: of their violent father, of hunger, of school, of their mother, and for their mother. Out of fear, Mellani rejects all offers of help and escapes into an inner world where she is a princess who is respected and takes care of her people responsibly. When the situation escalates, it is these inner images that guide Mellani. The novel "I Am a Princess" was awarded the Children's and Youth Literature Prize of the State of Styria in 2012.