I randomly stumbled across a marvelous Young Adult series called "The Young Royals" and decided to start with my favorite royal--Elizabeth I. This series is meant for classroom use, to teach young adults the history of the royals before they became rulers, and how they obtained their throne.
It is a young Princess Elizabeth who narrates this slim historical novel. She briefly explains the situation of her father, King Henry VIII, and how his trail of wives left a short list of suitable heirs. Elizabeth has been denied the throne and is forced to watch as first her little brother Edward, and then her older sister Mary are crowned in succession. While she endurs the torturous treatment of Queen Mary, Elizabeth quietly vows that she will restore her fathers kingdom when she becomes Queen of England.
I hesitate to judge Carolyn Meyer just yet, as I've only read one of her works. However, I did grow slightly bored with the lengthy narration. There was very little dialogue which meant a lot of "telling" and not nearly enough "showing" for my taste. I enjoyed the story though, and find Elizabeth to be a very endearing and sympathetic character. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
Rating: $$.5
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