Book Review: Royal Diaries: Isabel and Mary

Mary, Queen Without a Country by Kathryn Lasky
3 out of 5 stars

I don't have much to say about this book. I read it a while back and then stalled on the review, to the point where I don't really remember all that much. Which, I guess, says a lot in and of itself. As an entry in The Royal Diaries series, this one isn't bad, but it didn't really stand out much either. Given their short length (made even shorter by the diary format and big historical notes section padding out the back end) and overall solid recounting of history, I don't think it's ever a waste of time to read a Royal Diaries book, this one included. That said, I enjoyed Carolyn Meyer's take on Mary in The Wild Queen a lot more.

Isabel, Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer
3.5 out of 5 stars

My first historical fiction foray into Isabel's world was through C. W. Gortner's powerful The Queen's Vow. Now, that book was an adult book that clocked in at about 400 pages. This one is a MG book with fewer than half that many pages, all told through diary format. Comparing the two is totally unfair. But who said I'm fair? Of course the MG version came up lacking in detail and depth and was totally sanitized compared to C. W. Gortner's scary Isabel. But that's also ok, because this is a look at a young Isabel, and she wasn't always a single-minded crusader. It was nice seeing this softer, younger side of Isabel, but Carolyn Meyer also totally planted the seeds of the kind of woman Isabel would grow to become. Recommended. Bonus points for the thrilling chase scene!



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Mini Review: Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine by Kristiana Gregory

Release Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: Scholastic 
Pages: 188
Received: Library
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Royal Diaries series 
Goodreads

This book is gross.

You know how sometimes you can read a historical fiction book and not really feel like you're IN the time period? Yeah, not this book.

Hats off to Kristiana Gregory because this lady nails the historical time period despite the thoroughly modern middle grade voice used for Eleanor (complete with groan-inducing "diary I must hide you in a clever place!" thoughts scattered throughout the book. I swear these diary book heroines spend 1/4 of the pages talking about hiding their diary).

Mostly Kristiana Gregory accomplishes this sense of "place" by throwing in every random bit of disgusting 12th century detail from parasitic worms to bathroom accommodations. You can also play a rousing game of 1000 Ways to Die in Medieval Europe! because, holy cow, red shirts abounded in this book.

On the plus side, all these bits of barf-inducing gore totally made me spend at least three hours on Wikipedia looking up all the historical bits Kristiana Gregory threw in (Wikipedia confirms them, btw, though I still haven't found that eye worm thing described in quite that way. Oh, and that reminds me, Ms. Gregory, mind explaining to my students why I was gagging in the library?). 

But, hey, what do I expect from a book set in the 1100s? Those were gross times and life was definitely cheap. So points to Kristiana Gregory for keeping it real and packing in a ton of historical details between covert diary stashings (and even managing to combine the two! Flea ridden diaries, yay!). 

And, ya know, I know it was a total diary gimmick, but I SO wanted Eleanor to snoop in her sister's diary. Which is to say, I was getting pretty into these characters and I'll be the first to say I'm shocked because they weren't written with that much depth, but I was still totally invested.

Of course, like all these Royal Diaries books, this one ended right before the good stuff really started. But that's necessary because all the good stuff is hardly fodder for middle grade books. Still, these books serve their purpose better than I would have ever expected.

Bottom line

Packed with historical detail, the Royal Diaries series is an excellent way to read about the early years of great historical figures (years often skipped over in adult books).

Don't expect great depth of characterization or to know the real Eleanor (or any of the historical protagonists in this series) because she's written with the voice of a modern middle grade girl (albeit one expected to do needlepoint and marry for political gain).

But that's ok, because as an introduction to Eleanor's childhood and her world, this book definitely serves its purpose. 

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

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Mini Review: Elizabeth, The Princess Bride by Barry Denenberg

Release Date: April 2003
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 151
Received: Library
Stars: 3
Goodreads Page

Ok, so this book is really two books in one. The first book is the actual story part told in diary format. This part is ok, but pretty uneventful.

Basically, she meets a prince and gets married to him. The whole thing was all, "And then they lived happily ever after" *sigh* *release the doves* Which was nice and all, but in a totally bland way. 

And that's it. Seriously.

Sure there's historical tid-bits and little details and considering I knew nothing about this Elizabeth (or, Sisi, as she was more commonly called), I did learn some things. SOME. Meaning, not much, but a little. But, considering the whole book is only about 101 pages long, that's not too surprising. 

So that other book? That's what makes up the other 50 pages of the 151 total pages. THIS is where things get awesome, starting with the opening line that was a total 180 from where the story left off.

Remember the happily ever after vibe of the diary part? Yeah, the epilogue/historical notes was all like, "SIIIIIKKKEEE!!!!" And then awesomeness ensued. Or, horrible stuff. Or, well, it was awesomely horrific in a staring-at-a-train-wreak kind of way. Because HO-LE-COW Sisi's story has it all: madness, unrequited love (times two), murder, suicides, more murder, revolution, war, and evil step-mothers.

Of course, 50 pages only whet my appetite and I spent the next hour or so after finishing the book scouring the internet for more information about this royal family.

Bottom line

The story itself was ok if bland, but given how quick it was to read, I don't regret the time I spent with it. Points to the book for introducing me to a historical figure I might otherwise not have known about. Though more points to Google for actually teaching me about her.

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Mini Review: Elizabeth (Royal Diaries) by Kathryn Lasky

Part of the Royal Diaries series
Release Date: June 1999
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 240
Received: Library
Stars: 3
Goodreads Page

I would have liked this book a whole lot more if I knew nothing about Elizabeth I (Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII's daughter). Unfortunately, I have read a bunch of books about her and that made me knock off stars (YA readers, try Cate of the Lost Colony, adult readers try The Queen's Handmaiden).

Kathryn Lasky's Elizabeth is downright bubbly at times. She's chipper and cheerful and that's so NOT Elizabeth.

I know this is supposed to be a book about the young Elizabeth, but Elizabeth is noteworthy for being shrewd, calculating, and cautious even when she was young. Some tiny hints of these personality traits are sort of somewhat shown, but I think I was reading more into them because of what I know about Elizabeth.

But, this book isn't entirely without merit. Elizabeth might be off, but there were lots of little details thrown in that kept my interest and even taught me some new things. The basic plot progression also gives a nice overview of Elizabeth's early life. It's for these facts alone that I'm very glad I picked up Elizabeth's Royal Diaries installment.

Except, yeah, this is a diary book, and I don't love that format. I was frustrated by how many times Elizabeth talked about her diary—where she's going to hide it, how she's sorry she neglected it, oh my, someone almost discovered it, and so on. I really don't care about that stuff, especially since none of it is based on historical truth.

Bottom line

This is a good book for a younger reader newly interested in Elizabeth. Think, younger to middle grade readers. Her characterization may be historically off base, but she is approachable for younger readers and that might be a good thing.

Older readers already familiar with Elizabeth and looking for even more might still find something in this book. Given how short the book is (240 pages of diary-style, large font, short chapters writing), I'd say give it a shot.

On a side note, isn't that 2010 reprint cover (green dress) so much nicer than the original? (blue dress)

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