My Tudor Queen

It's not very common to read a historical piece about the Tudors without having to be subjected to yet another tale of Henry's man-whoredom. This is a wonderful, fictional account of before Henry's reign and during his early years as monarch. Court life isn't portrayed too well (it's possibly realistic, but it really takes a backseat to everything else), but politics at the royal level was.

Alison Prince has done a really good job with this book. The story is well written and captures life in Tudor times well. The images and timelines featured after the diary enhance the educational benefits too. Any young person who is finding history boring should grap a copy of the My Story diaries and may be plesantly suprised.

This book is one in the My Story series. The books in this series are fictional diaries of young girls living during different periods of British, Scottish, and Irish history.

Sixteen-year-old Eva De Puebla comes to England in 1581 as lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess who is to marry Prince Arthur, heir to the throne of England. Eva has been chosen to accompany Catherine because she is her close childhood friend. But as the years go by, although the girls remain friends, their lives grow far apart. Arthur dies not long after the marriage, and though Catherine is eventually able to marry the younger brother and new heir, Henry, their marriage becomes strained as Catherine fails to produce a living child. show more Meanwhile, Eva has found happiness in love and marriage and having a child, but mourns for her dear friend's lost dreams.

This book is written in the form of Eva's diary from 1501-1513. I loved this book, especially since I really enjoy reading about this time period, but I did have one complaint. Since the book covered such a long period of time, I feel it could have been at least fifty pages longer. I still recommend it to young readers and teens who enjoy fictional historical diaries. show less

This story, written in diary format, gives an insight into what it must have been like to live in the household of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII. Residing in a strange land and subject to the whims of a King, life could not have been easy for Catherine and her household.
This is a great way for kids to learn about history. The main story is followed by a timeline and some pictures from the period. Worth getting for your tweens.