Duchessina by Carolyn Meyer.

In which Catherine de'Medici, a young duchess, lives with her aunt in the big Palazzo Medici. But a lot of people hate the Medicis and when Catherine is 8 a mob is at the gates and are threating to get in and tear the place apart they escape dressed as boys in a dung cart. After all that, Catherine is taken to a convent with mean nuns. For months she lives there in dread. Soon a mysterious man comes and brings her to a very nice convent where the nuns are not mean but loving. She makes friends and lives there for 4 years. When the pope tells her to come to to him she must obey and leaves sadly. When she gets to the Vatican she learns that is going to marry the young French Prince Henry who hardly ever notices her. She lives the rest of her in the French palace as Queen Catherine de' Medici of France.

After reading this book I like Catherine much more than I did before (another book I read made Catherine look really bad). She and Henry had 7 kids together who all had their turns to be king or queen. Sadly, King Henry did not love Catherine but a lady named Diane de Poiters and when he died Catherine banished Diane from court. I really liked learning about Catherine de' Medici and her childhood.

Recommended for: people who like drama, nuns, and the Medicis.

Loving Will Shakespeare by Carolyn Meyer.

In which Agnes Hathaway lives with her family in her cute cottage, but much too soon a sickness sweeps across the county and takes Agnes' mother and unborn baby. Her father remarries a mean woman named Joan who does nothing but scold Agnes and her sister, making their lives miserable. Then young Will Shakespeare comes back from a trip all grown up and tells Agnes about his dreams of being a poet. When the time comes for Agnes to marry, her father is dead and her stepmother has betrothed Agnes to her yucky nephew Hob. She gets out of marrying him, and marries Will (who calls her Anne).

I liked to read the story of Anne Hathaway. In this book I learned a lot, like that Anne's real name was Agnes (even my mom didn't know that!) and that Will was 7 years younger then Anne. Their marriage was not a happy one, since Will was hardly ever home and only came home for like two weeks out of the year. Poor Anne and kids! In the end she did outlive him by 8 years.

Recommended for: people who like love stories, and Anne Hathaway.

Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer

In which 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth is living with her brother and governess Kat. She soon learns that her father, King Henry VIII, has died and her younger brother Edward is now king! So she goes to live with Cathrine Parr, Henry's last wife, and is very happy. But then after ruling for 7 years Edward dies of illness and Mary becomes queen. Queen Mary imprisons Elizabeth in a run-down old shack that is wet, windy, and cold and takes Kat away! Poor Elizabeth! How will she get out of this mess and become queen?

This book takes you through Elizabeth's teenage years and into her 20s. I loved reading about what Elizabeth was doing for the years she was a teen. I feel bad for the torture she went through for 5 years of her life. She had vowed not to marry when she was young, which I think is AWESOME! She ruled for 45 years and that time period was called the Elizabethan age.

This book is in the Young Royals series.

Recommended for: people who like spunky girls like Elizabeth Tudor.

Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer.

In which Princess Mary Tudor, first daughter to King Henry VIII, lives peacefully with her mother and father. But when some lady starts to get the King's attention and he forgets about Mary and her mother. Then her father banishes her from the palace and separates Mary from her mother! With little money, dresses that are too small, and living in a lonely house, her life has turned from a great life to the worst nightmare ever. Suddenly her father says he is not married to Mary's mother anymore, and has a child with the evil lady (now Queen Anne), who wants Mary to come back to be a maid to the new Princess Elizabeth. What will poor Mary Tudor, the rightful heir, do?

It is fun to read about Princess Mary's childhood. I read and learned that her father had betrothed her to three suitors (all old enough to be her father! YUCK!) by the time she was ten, and I think it is horrible that women couldn't marry for love. She did become queen when she was 37 and married her second cousin Philip, (who just happened to be 11 years YOUNGER!!) but almost as soon as they married he left her. Poor Mary kind of went crazy in the end after ruling for 5 years and leaving no kids.


This is in the Young Royals series.

Recommended for: people who like historical fiction, and royal families.

Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky

In which young Princess Elizabeth, second daughter of the king Henry VIII, loves to be at court with her lovely governess Kat. But sadly her father hardly notices her, and her mother was beheaded when she was only two. With an older sister Mary who hates her, and younger brother Edward who is almost always sick, her best playmate is Robin Dudley and sometimes Lady Jane Grey who comes to visit occasionally. Together they like to play cards and tennis. But when King Henry dies and Edward becomes the 9-year-old boy king what will happen to Elizabeth...?

Queen Elizabeth is my HERO!!! I love that she never married and was the best ruler of that time. My favorite quote that she said when someone wanted to marry her is "I will have here but one mistress and no master" I want to be like her so much. This book is like Elizabeth's diary. "Long live good Queen Bess" and boy did she! Elizabeth became queen when she was 25, reined for 45 years, and lived until she was 69 years old.

This is in the Royal Diaries series.

Recommended for: people who like Elizabeth, and the whole Tudor family.

Kristina: The Girl King by Carolyn Meyer

In which Kristina, the young princess of Sweden, is being raised by her loving aunt. Her father's wish was that she would learn to be a prince (instead of a princess), and she loves it! She and her cousins live, learn, and play together. But then her insane mother (who insisted on sleeping next to her husband's corpse for a year) comes back and wants Kristina to live with her! Kristina relunctantly agrees and her mother's first reaction is to start sobbing all over her, then she tells her she NOT very pretty. Poor Kristina! Will she be able to get away from her weird mom?

This book is like her diary. I liked this book a lot because I had never heard of Kristina before. She does not want to be a princess, but a prince, and inspired by Queen Elizabeth, she plans to never marry. She never did marry and abdicated the throne after 10 years of ruling. I loved reading about this tomboyish girl.

This is in the Royal Diaries series.

Recommended for: people who like strong-minded girls, loving aunts, and wise teachers.

Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine by Kristiana Gregory

In which Eleanor, the daughter of a duke, lives peacefully with her sister and grandmother. She is 14 and just wants to have fun with her younger sister Petra. But when her father goes on a religious trip and does not come back she must marry the young prince of France, Louis. After the wedding she learns that her father-in-law has died from illness and now she is the 15 year old queen!

This book is written like it is Eleanor's real diary and it is fun to see the days, months, and sometimes even years go by. I would like to say that Eleanor of Aquitaine is my 27th great-grandmother, which made the book even more fun to read.

This is in the Royal Diaries series.

Recommended for: anyone who likes historical fiction!

The Last Girls of Pompeii by Kathryn Lasky

In which Julia, a young Roman girl with a deformed arm, and her slave Sura live their life in Pompeii, planing for Julia's older sister's wedding. But strange things are happening: Why does the garden pool ripple on such a still night? Or why do the girls smell sulfur in the evening? What about the small earthquakes that everybody ignores?

We all know the ending to Pompeii but this book really brings life to the family drama and mystery of that time period. Kathryn Lasky, the author, actually went to a Pompeii dig site and saw the bodies of what she turned into the characters that you read about in this book. This book is so fun to read.

Recommended for: people who like Pompeii, smart girls, and the goddess Venus (a.k.a Aphrodite)

Talking to Dragons by Patricia C.Wrede

In which Daystar, son of Cimorene, leaves home with a mysterious sword and his own common sense. He meets a fire witch named Shiara. Together they battle wizards and evil fire witches. On the way, they meet Morwen, a strange witch with a lot of cats, a very empty-headed princess, a young dragon, a small golden lizard named Suz, and a weird magician. When they finally get to the castle, they meet the dragon Kazul who explains everything.

This book is filled to the brim with adventure. You meet a lot of old and new characters in this book which is fun. Daystar is a great character. My brother and I loved this book!

This is book four in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

Recommended for: people who like fire witches, mysteries, and magical battles.

Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

In which Morwen, a witch with nine cats, has a problem with an overgrown rabbit and goes to the king and queen of the enchanted forest for help. But when she arrives there is trouble. The wizards have stolen Mendanbar's magic sword. So Cimorene, Morwen, Telemain, Kazul, a six foot blue floating donkey named Killer, and some very sarcastic cats go to steal the sword back. On the way they meet a farmer growing a magical crop and a fire witch.

This is a very funny and adventurous book. I love Morwen's cats (I have four cats) and wish I could be one. I think this might be my favorite book out of the whole series and I hope it will be your favorite too!

This is book three in the Enchanted Forest chronicles.

Recommended for: People who like sarcastic cats, animals who have been turned into other animals, and cool witches.

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

In which Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted forest, meets Cimorene and they go searching for a kidnapped dragon. They have many adventures, meet a magician with a large vocabulary, and get a chance to melt some evil wizards.

I liked this book as much as I liked the first book. There is so much adventure in the book. (I don't know how you can fit it all in there)Cimorene is back with her spunkiness, which I bet you will really enjoy too!

This is book two of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

Recommended for: people who like magic carpets, Rumpelstiltskin's grandkids, and caves full of wizards.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

In which Cimorene HATES being a proper princess and runs away to seek adventure. She meets the dragon Kazul and becomes her cook and cleaner. Together Kazul and Cimorene meet Wizards (Bad), Witches (Good), knights, and other princesses. They learn some interesting facts (like how to melt a wizards with soapy lemon water) and have a great adventure!


I absolutley love this book! I Love Cimorene's spunk and how much of an improper princess she is. I just finished reading it to my brother and he loves it too. It is great for the whole family to read this book.


This is book one of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.


Recommended for: People who like spunky princesses, Dragons who are allergic to wizards, and magic spells.

The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B.Kerr

In which 12 year old twins John and Philippa Gaunt go to London to meet their uncle Nimrod and learn they are djinn. Their adventure leads them to Egypt where they learn how to use their new powers. Uh oh! In Egypt they run into the most evil djinn of them all.

I love the adventure (and you will too!) and I am looking forward to reading the last of the series. One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that I had never read about djinn before and it was a new, exciting subject matter.

This is book one in the Children Of The Lamp series.



Recommended for: people waiting for their wisdom teeth, people who like impossible focus words, and anyone who likes adventure in Egypt.