Beware Princess Elizabeth
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Carolyn Meyer's
Biography: Carolyn Meyer was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, in 1935. In high school, she served as editor of her high school newspaper and yearbook, and spent her summers writing radio advertisements. In 1957 she graduated cum laude from Bucknell University with a degree in English. She got married, had children, and moved to suburban Connecticut. But Meyer kept writing, publishing her first story in a secretarial magazine After her divorce in 1973, Meyer began traveling to research her books, and she developed a love for moving and finding out about her subjects first-hand. She became known for her journalistic books for children. She visited South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Japan to write about children's lives in those countries. She also began writing novels for young people. |
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Characters
Mary Tudor Elizabeth's much older half-sister, who becomes Queen upon Edward's death
Edward
Elizabeth's younger half-brother, who becomes King upon their father's death
Elizabeth Tudor
Heir to the throne of England. Elizabeth is portrayed as an intelligent, independent young woman who grows up
under the shadow of her mother's ignominious death by beheading. While she loves her little half-brother Edward, it
is clear from the beginning that she distrusts her older half-sister, Mary.
Henry VIII
He is Mary's father. He had been married 6 times. At the beginning he adored his daugther, All three are the
children of Henry VIII, by three of his wives.
Summary:
This story takes place in London, during the rule of King Henry VIII. He has two daughters, one from his first wife,
Catherine, he had anulled their marriage and then married Anne Boleyn, who beared his second daughter. Mary,
was his first born, and Elizabeth his second. They were both told they were not fit to rule London. Their father has
another child, though, a boy, from another woman in his life.It's about the life of Princess Elizabeth.
This book tells of Elizabeth, Princess of England, and her many struggles as she paves her way to the throne. At the
beginning of the book, the thirteen-year-old princess has just learned of the tragic death of her father, King Henry
VIII. As her brother is crowned the king of England, she moves to London with her stepmother, the dowager Queen
Catherine, to her lovely home at Chelsea Palace. There she learns of the love affair between her stepmother and Tom
Seymour. She begins to fall in love with him, but soon her life is turned upside down when Tom Seymour is accused
of many treasonous acts against her brother, the king. She is unprepared for the interrogations that lie ahead, but
with her quick wit she is able to deceive her interrogators. After the death of Tom Seymour, she lives a peaceful life
in the countryside at Hatfield Palace, located to the north of London in the shire. However, her peaceful life ends
with the tragic death of her brother, King Edward. With that, her enemy and sister, Mary, inherits the throne, she
restores the Catholic religion. Elizabeth, a prostentant, is forced to attend Catholic mass, and is no longer allowed to
believe the Prostentant religion. The throne isn't as close as she thinks, and her sister won't easily be persuaded to
make her the heir. For the next 5 years, Elizabeth is tortured and abused. During the five years of her imprisonment,
she dreams of the day when she is crowned Elizabeth, queen of England. Fortunately, her dreams come true, and she
is crowned queen.
Style:
The style is the same like in the first book i read from her ''Mary, bloody Mary''
It is written in 1st person, Elizabeth, Meyer uses a lot of play on words. It is mostly a dialog. The language is
easy to understand, but not to easy so that you think it is a children book. Meyer wrot it as a
young adult book, i think the style is the right one for that age.
History:
The forty-five years reign of Elizabeth I iwas one of the most remarkable periods in English history. During her reign
England flourished, she reestablished the protastant Church of England. She never married, but their where rumors
of love affairs. She died at the age of sixty-nine.
