April, 2017

"Maid of the King's Court" by Lucy Worsley         

When Elizabeth's arranged marriage falls through, she is sent to another household. Among the households other girl's is Katherine Howard, the future wife of Henry VIII. This book follows Elizabeth and Katherine into the royal court and through Katherine's execution.         

This book was ok. It follows an interesting period in history, but was a bit lackluster. The characters were a bit stereotypical, Elizabeth was not particularly interesting, witty or charming. She was just there. The book completely ignored the others executed with Katherine, and completely ignored the ladies in waiting. I think the book could have been more dynamic and interesting, but fell flat.

"The Girl Who Was Taken" by Charlie Donlea         

A year ago, Nicole and Megan were both kidnapped. Megan returns and Nicole does not. With the pressure from her family and the media, Megan authors a book. Nicole's sister Livia, determined to find out what happened to Nicole, begins doing some digging of her own.         

I thought this book was ok. The back and forth in the timeline didn't really work. The author clumsily used foreshadowing, which ruined the "surprise" when something actually happened. I did think that Livia's profession, a forensic pathologist, was fascinating. Livia's point of view was particularly interesting, it isn't one that you come across often. Overall, not a bad book, but not one I would reread or recommend.

"Hedy's Journey: The True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust" by Michelle Bisson         

Although this book was labeled as a middle grade book, I'm guessing that they didn't mean middle school, since it is a picture book. It is hard to review a picture book, as the story line is simplified for the audience. However, I thought this book was well written and handled a hard to discuss situation gracefully. The illustrations were absolutely beautiful. After reading, I found myself searching for more of the illustrators works.

"The Captive Boy" by Julia Robb         

August, captured by the Comanche Indians as a boy, is recaptured by a cavalry unit. When attempts to "civilize" him fail, August runs back to the tribe who raised him. August, upset with his treatment, grows to become a war leader, leading his tribe to fight against the very unit who recaptured him.         

Overall, this was a good story. The author used an interesting method of storytelling, where he alternated between perspectives and the type of writing - i.e. first person, journal article, newspaper article, etc. I think this would be a good book for a reluctant reader, as it has enough action to keep the reader entertained.