Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor

Again, a quick read, nicely timed for our history schedule. I liked the insight into Elizabeth's unique difficulties--surrounded by family conflict, so close to the throne and yet so unlikely to ever ascend to the throne. And so cool that not only did she reign, but did so well for so long.

Fantastic for history buffs! ( )

In and out of favour, Princess Elizabeth moves between country houses and palaces buffeted by the latest court intrigues ( )

I don't remember much of these books as individual books, but I remember reading them all as a young, avid reader. I think that ultimately these books are the reason why I love historical fiction novels so much. They all did such a great job of taking me to a different time and place and making it come alive, seeing the world through an older, historical lens. I highly recommend any of the Dear America books to younger readers who love history and need to get hooked on reading!

This was a reread for me. I believe I originally read this book sometime during middle school and I remembered that I really liked it. I read a bunch of the Dear America and Royal Diaries books but I would always get them from my school library. Now I’m going to try to buy the ones I liked so I can relive my childhood.

Reading this now as an adult is such a different experience, but I still enjoyed it.

The author did an amazing job imagining what a young Elizabeth I would be like. There was a nice blend of innocence and tragedy to her character.

I also really liked the little tidbits about life at court, like how often they took baths (spoiler alert: it’s not very often).

Overall, this is a great middle grade book for kids who want to learn more about Elizabeth I. ( )