Nine Days a Queen

Ann Rinaldi never disappoints--Nine Days a Queen was another excellent novel. An interesting aspect is that it was written in the first person, as if Lady Jane Grey's ghost is telling the story. This point of view makes the reader sympathize more with Lady Jane. Through this book, I learned some less-known facts about the Tudor period. I could relate to Lady Jane, and found myself in tears at many parts of the book. This is a must for Ann Rinaldi fans, and fans of the Tudor period.

NINE DAYS A QUEEN, perfectly reveals the compelling story of Lady Jane Grey. Her story, which is told in a first person narrative, begins at the age of nine when she is sent to the Court of Henry VIII by her manipulative and ambitious parents. Here she meets her future guardians, Katherine Parr (the sixth of Henry's wives) and Thomas Seymour; she reconnects with her cousins, the future King Edward VI, Princess Mary (later Queen Mary I) and the Princess Elizabeth (Elizabeth I). Her happiness at escaping the harsh, unpleasant world of her parents is charmingly evident though almost fleeting when one considers her short life. Soon enough upon Katherine's death, Jane is back home as her parents continue to scheme to make the most advantagous marriage and future for her. Maneuvered into accepting the crown after Edward's death in a ploy filled with both religious and political overtones, she is abandoned and left to falter by those who should be closest to her. This is a lovely and lovingly researched historical novel which I am confident will lead its readership to futher delve into the lives of its main and secondary characters. It is obvious Rinaldi, who is so brilliant in the YA genre, knows her readers and enthusiastically writes *for* them...and quite happily takes those willing adults along for an intelligent ride too.

The year is 1554, and Lady Jane Grey is a mere sixteen-years-old, when she is brought to the chopping block, and beheaded by her cousin, Queen Mary, for being guilty of treason. Lady Jane served as Queen of England for nine days. Unwillingly. In NINE DAYS A QUEEN, Lady Jane narrates her time at court, from 1547, when she arrived at the Castle to serve as Katherine Parr's lady-in-waiting, a title which Lady Jane quickly scoops up, until her death in 1554. Lady Jane was always a peculiar child, she wanted nothing to do with horses, and preferred to spend her days reading, or studying foreign languages. Her parents were brutal to her, and constantly put her down, so when she receives an invitation to serve in Court, she couldn't be happier. But, over time, Lady Jane realizes that Court is not a happy place. It is a somber life where people dress lavishly, and are constantly worried that they will be poisoned. When her cousing Edward VI takes up the throne as King at the age of fifteen, she realizes that she never wants to be Queen, but then Edward dies, and leaves the title to her. Now, the pawn in her parents plot to rule the country, Lady Jane is forced to accept the title of Queen, and succumb to the doom that is her fate. I have never known much about Lady Jane Grey, and have simply seen her name speckled throughout various historical fiction novels that I have read; so I was quite happy to learn that Ann Rinaldi had written a book entirely from the young, short-lived Queen's life. Rinaldi brings the spirit of Lady Jane Grey to life, with her vivid narration, and spectacular descriptions of the life surrounding Lady Jane. Her historical information is wonderful, and really prompts the reader to soak up every fact within this short novel. Lady Jane is an intelligent, brave, witty, wise-beyond-her-years character, who does what she can to ensure a happy life for her family - no matter how badly they treat her. Her untimely death is made even more tragic by the fact that Lady Jane was nothing more than a pawn in a game of life, death, and power, played by her parents, and the people who claimed they loved her. A powerful tale that combines history with society, creating a captivating, can't-put-down novel. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

When i picked this book up I knew very little about the Tudor period of England and absolutly nothing about Lady Jane Grey. Though i put off reading it because I knew that the charator dies when I finally did read it was astonished at the cruelty that filled these people inculding Jane's parents and Elizabeth and "Bloody" Mary. I recommend this to anyone especially people like me who don't stray far from American history.

Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for nine days at the age of fifteen before being executed for treason, narrates her story beginning at age nine. Unloved by her parents, young Jane had an unhappy and lonely childhood. Sent to court at age nine, she finally gained happiness as a maid of honor to Queen Katharine, wife of King Henry VIII. Even after the king dies, Jane remains a member of Katharine's household, but even that happiness is lost when Katharine dies in childbirth after remarrying. Returning home, Jane must once again endure her parents' cruelty, as they scheme to arrange a marriage for her that will bring them wealth and power. But when the young King Edward, Jane's beloved cousin, dies, Jane is unprepared for how far they will go. Staunch Protestants, Jane's parents are determined that Edward's Catholic half-sister Mary will not become queen -- and so they force their daughter to accept the crown of England in a plot that is doomed to failure. This was an excellent historical novel for teens that tells the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey. I was really looking forward to reading this book, because I love historical novels about royalty, and Ann Rinaldi is one of my favorite authors. I am happy to say I am not disappointed at all. Ann Rinaldi brings Jane to life as an intelligent girl, observant and wise beyond her years, who against her will became a pawn in a power struggle she wanted no part in. This makes the inevitably sad ending even more tragic. Teen readers who are interested in historical fiction about royalty should definitely read this book.