Summary: Daughter of a fallen queen, young Princess Elizabeth lives a complicated and dangerous life. She fears her father's famous temper but loves him dearly, noting that she would trade all her jewels just to be noticed by him. She also loves her brother Edward, heir to the English throne, but doesn't like her older sister Mary, who torments her and conspires against her. Kat, her governess, is so worried for Elizabeth's life that she spends hours checking their room for poison whenever they move to a new palace. Court intrigues swirl around her, the French are threatening an invasion, and Kat is clamoring for her to have another bath--that makes nearly six in three months! Through Elizabeth's diary, author Kathryn Lasky brings the Tudor world to life: glittering banquets of peacock, eel, and swan; palaces so stinky that "everyone goes about with their noses buried in pomander balls to hide the stench"; archery contests, where Elizabeth excels; and Latin and logic lessons... where she needs a little work.
About:
Author: Kathryn Lasky
Pages: 240
Published: 1999
Review:
This is a fictional diary of Elizabeth I, before she was the great "Virgin Queen." In this story, she starts eleven-years-old, probably around the age appropriate for readers of this diary.
I enjoyed it, and found it to be quite, quite accurate. I actually have little problems about it, as, one has to bear in mind the audience/age group it is meant for. I also really enjoyed all the background information in the back of this book. There are biographies about her mother/stepmothers, her father Henry VIII, ancestors, and a bit about her reign. I found this very helpful/resourceful.
My minor issues with this book come with some short, unnecessary entries, like "Rained again... something, something..." They seemed quite pointless to me. Also, Elizabeth's voice seemed a bit childish. I suppose she was eleven-thirteen throughout the years this story took place, but her childishness was more modern, a bit too modern for 1544-1547, in my opinion. Still a good, informational, and entertaining read, though, and I would recommend it to any curious young adult.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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