The Royal Diaries

	Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England 1544 "Do you know who I am? I shall tell you. I am Elizabeth, Princess of England, daughter of Henry VIII and his wife Anne Boleyn. I am eleven years old. My mother, once Queen, is now dead. Almost eight years ago, when I was not yet three, Father chopped off her head." What was Elizabeth, one of history's most eminent royals, like when she was a girl? Living with her father, the notorious Henry VIII, and his wife, Catherin Parr, her life is full of court intrigue, but also loneliness. Read her story as she celebrates holidays and birthdays, relives her mother's execution, revels in her studies, and agonizes over her father's health. Hardcover: 240 Pages An NCSS/CBC Bitabke Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
	Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 "I was crowned Queen when I was a baby, before I could walk. Although I am told I could pull myself up by any table leg, chair, or the fringe of any wall tapestry in the castle. I am Mary, Queen of Scots, but I am far from Scotland. I live in France." Mary is only nine months old when she is crowned Queen of Scotland. For the benefit of forging an alliance with France, she is betrothed to Francis, the son of King Henry ll of France and his wife, the vicious and jealous Queen Catherine de Medici. Mary is sent to France to live in their care until she is old enough for the marriage to take place. It is at their home, the beautiful Chateau St. Germaine, that we first meet the irresistibly charming Mary at 11-years-old. Hardcover: 202 Pages
	Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 "I have diamonds the size of my small toe, and rubies the size of beetles, and I have thirty servents and eight elephants trained especially for me. I have everything except freedom." In the 1600s, the Mughal emperors of India were among the greatest rulers of the East. Jahanara is the daughter of one of these ultra-rich and powerful figures, Shah Jahan the Magnificent. The oldest and favorite of his children, she is showered with emeralds, diamonds, and rubies, and is attended by numerous servants and learned tutors. Yet, her world is not one of pure contentment. It is rife with intrigue and turmoil as her father fights for his rights to rule—and she struggles against the confinement her Muslim religion dictates. Hardcover: 186 Pages
	Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 "I look up now into the oval mirror and see barely a trace of the mud-splattered girl tearing through the woodland on her horse, or the barefoot girl wading at Schonbrunn... I have become what Mama set out for me to be. Majestic. A Dauphine and eventually a Queen." Maria Antonia of Vienna has her whole life mapped out ahead of her. She is to marry Dauphin Louis Auguste, eldest grandson of King Louis XV. As his wife, she will be called Marie Antoinette and will be the highest princess of France. Upon the death of the King, she will become Queen Marie Antionette. But she dreads both new roles. Hardcover: 238 Pages An NCSS/CBC Bitabke Social Studies Trade Book for Young People IRA Young Adult Choice
	Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan 1858 "As the maids spread out the kimonos, we welcomed back the colors…of spring, like old friends. For only now may we begin to wear them. But during the tea party I am feeling all the while that this talk of silks and colors and painted blossom covers up something." Kazunomiya, along with her royal family, is thought to be a divinity, descended from the goddess of the sun, and she lives an extremely sheltered life. However, when a Japanese general signs a treaty with the white-faced men from America, uncertainty and turmoil erupt in the kingdom. But the external threats do not compare to the tangled intrigue, romance, and politics that dominate the imperial palace, as wives and queens plot to destroy Kazunomiya and her mother. Hardcover: 160 Pages