I thought that this book was okay. I felt that it was very biased against Mary Tudor. Mary grew up to be a very bad ruler, but I don't believe that she was as unkind to Elizabeth when they were younger as she is in this story. I think that Kathryn Lasky believes that Mary I was worse then she really was though. In her Mary Queen of Scots diary, she wrote that Mary burned thousands of Protestants whereas all nonfiction books say that she burned about 300. This story took place when Katherine Parr was queen. I think that there were some interesting facts that could have been in this book that were not. For example, Anne Askew was mentioned in the story, but it never said that she was burned on the stake. There were also fictional characters in the story, which I thought was very unneccassary. There were so many interesting people at the English Court during this time that I though they should have used only real people. The amount of times that they bathed back then is interesting, but I didn't think that the authur should have gone on and on about it as she did. When I was younger and first read about that, I believed that all the people back then must have been gross and dirty. But now I've read plenty of nonfiction books which say that they bathed more then we give them credit for. This book was interesting though. There aren't very many books on this topic for young readers, so it's worth reading.Read full review
This book just got me interested in English history!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
These books are incredibly interesting, particularly for young teenage readers. I remembered reading them in my childhood as enjoyed how they made history accessible; partly through the simpler language used, but also by creating a fictional story around historical facts written in an interesting diary format. A great read for those who enjoy teenage historical fiction.
This was a fun book to read. It gave a good sense of life in England from a young unwant but caring royal ex-princes view. You will feel like you are really reading a young Elizabeths' Diary, sharing in her private thoughts. If you enjoy reading about the great queen of England as an adult and all her triumphs and troubles, you will love reading about her early years, trying to get a strong promiscuous single minded father to notice her.
Better than described!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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