Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France 1553

The Royal Diaries

by Kathryn Lasky

Mary, the young Scottish queen, is sent a diary from her mother in which she records her experiences living at the court of France's King Henry II as she awaits her marriage to Henry's son, Francis.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Royalty

202 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.

Reviews

[Brittany (Hiatus-On/Off)]

Watching the TV show Reign so I have to keep up on my historical fiction! ;-)

Plus, I loved Queen Elizabeth's historical fiction diary that Kathryn Lasky wrote.

[Clare]

I think this is such a nice way to educate children on the day to day lives of Tudor monarchs and it was certainly very informative, even though it lacked in plot.

I was a bit confused as to the characterisation of the four Mary's. I was under the impression that Mary Livingston was full of life and sporty (hence the nickname Lusty), and not timid and shy as she is described. I'm sure it doesn't matter too much as the aim of the diary was well put across.

[Deigan Marie]

Who this is for: Girls who love diaries, stories about finding yourself, cozy reads, historicals, somewhat-fiction-somewhat-not. 11+

[Kirsty Pearce]

Oh the memories!! This book was primarily responsible for the beginning of my love for the historical enigma that is Mary, Queen of Scots. I especially enjoyed learning about the fascinating intrigues that made up the French court, how Catherine de Medici may have been perceived, and the tight friendships between both Mary and Francis, and Mary and her 'lucky four-leaf-clover' friends, all also called Mary. Well-written and engaging, I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history told through a more personal lens.

[Becks]

Another enjoyable entry in the Royal Diaries series. This time period is confusing with the different ‘Marys’, so the info in the back is helpful. As usual, this makes me want to learn more!

[The Story Girl]

I went back to the grove where we had our picnic. Alone, I attempted to listen to the sound of the water as it tumbled and the whisper of the leaves. I wanted to still time and for one minute try to hear the strange music of eternity, for I do believe that this is from what poetry is created -- lost moments recovered and made timeless.

Re-read this book after over a decade because I've been wanting to since the show Reign came out. I absolutely enjoyed this book, and it might be marketed as for kids, but it is just as enjoyable for adults, and the writing is great. She even intersperses some mysteries throughout to keep you guessing and wanting more.

I loved reading about Mary's thoughts and what life was like in the 16th century.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews]

I thought the story was all right if you don't mind your kids reading about adultery and sexual harassment. The Epilogue was poorly done, only 1/2 a page, mentioning the fact that Mary did marry Francis. Then it had a long paragraph about Mary's cousin, Queen Elizabeth of England. It mentioned nothing about the fate of Mary, Queen of Scots. Then I read the Life in France section and it explains the Reformation. Again, nothing about the fate of Mary. It isn't until you get to the Stuart family tree on page 187, down near the bottom, it says, oh, yeah, Mary was convicted of treason and beheaded.

[♡Lily Jane♡]

I always adore the Dear America/Royal Diaries books written by Kathryn Lasky. She is a fantastic author.
This book was so good! I loved learning more about Mary, Queen of Scots, and what her girlhood might’ve been like!

[Chelsea Hagen]

Another great book with too early of an ending.

[Tori]

Interesting, to be sure. But the epilogue and 'life in France' part left me wanting much more.

[Katy Lovejoy]

I always liked learning about historical figures I've not known that much about through these books

[isa]

Mostly fine, though clunky and slightly dull. However there's an unfortunate sexual assault plot line about three forths of the way through that made it a chore to continue

[Sydney]

"You are the victim, not the culprit. It is his shame, not yours."

Normally a big fan of the Dear America series and its spinoff, and I love learning about Mary Queen of Scots, but this one was slow and mostly uninteresting with a few seeds of drama. The epilogue is extremely disappointing. Maybe it was written to be ambiguous because it's a children's book (and her death is rather horrific), but I wanted more details than I got. Pretty quick read, though, during wedding week!

[Maud]

*4.5. Bought it in a secondhand bookshop in Edinburgh.

[Small Review]

another solid installment in this series.

Originally posted on Small Review

I don't have much to say about this book. I read it a while back and then stalled on the review, to the point where I don't really remember all that much. Which, I guess, says a lot in and of itself. As an entry in The Royal Diaries series, this one isn't bad, but it didn't really stand out much either. Given their short length (made even shorter by the diary format and big historical notes section padding out the back end) and overall solid recounting of history, I don't think it's ever a waste of time to read a Royal Diaries book, this one included. That said, I enjoyed Carolyn Meyer's take on Mary in The Wild Queen a lot more.

[Katherine (Fabled Haven)]

I remember reading this book for the first time in the fourth grade, and now they have a historical drama show called "Reign" based on her life. This, with the exception of Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, has always been my favorite book from The Royal Diaries series. Although I know that not everything is completely accurate, we were able to get a glimpse of how her life might have been, as well as understand many historical aspects of the book. Although this series may be targeted towards Middle Grade, it was what sparked my love of history, and is one that I often miss reading.

[Kelsey Hanson]

I had to study Mary Queen of Scots during my English lit courses and I must say that I find this period of history incredibly confusing (so many Marys) because of that this isn't my favorite Royal Diaries book, but it is still somewhat interesting to consider that these famous figures were children at one point and forced to grow up in a hurry for the sake of their country. The epilogue was so short given the historical influence she had so I felt a bit disappointed by the hurried way the book was wrapped up.

[Louis703]

Well i felt that this book was accurate in the historical back round, and the characters were well developed. However I was disappointed because the conflict and purpose of the book really wasn't strong at all. Mary Queen of Scots was murdered and in History had a strong want to murder her cousin Elizabeth and become Queen of great Britain.
In the book, Mary was simply just a child with no purpose.

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Maria
Cover Story: Ye'll Take the High Road, and I'll Take the Low Road
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Gifted & Talented
Bonus Factors: Girl Posse, Nostradamus, Scotland
Anti-Bonus Factor: Sexual Assault
Relationship Status: Love Triangle

Read the full book report here.

[Annie]

Just as good as when I read it in 2002 😭 I am HERE FOR making history palatable, interesting and REAL. The way the author makes Mary Stuart seem like a normal girl gives me chills because it allows young girls to see themselves in women who have been ruling for all of history!

*add the rest of the Royal Diaries to my Amazon cart*

ALSO, totally inspired to learn more about Mary, Queen of Scots now!

[Tally]

Re-read childhood favourite. Now that I've seen CW's Reign (and am on a bit of a Middle Ages European History kick) reading this is certainly entertaining and much easier to understand compared to when I was a child.

[Emily]

Not my most favorite royal diary. I was excited to read it as a kid and then give it another chance again as an adult because I am Scottish but really the writing didn’t make me all that interested in Mary’s young life. The few events they tried to make suspenseful just fell flat. I also didn’t feel that the historical note or the epilogue really even fully told me what happened to her. All of a sudden I’m seeing pictures of her being led to her execution. I was like where in this book did it say this happened?? And why? Her family tree was also very confusing and they didn’t do the best job about connecting all the people together like other royal diaries such as Eleanor and Elizabeth the first did. Overall, for it being from An author who’s been interested in Mary her whole life, and had been reading about her for years, she didn’t do the greatest job tying all that she’d learned together into a comprehensive book for adults let alone children. Only reason I gave it an average rating because I never felt any feelings of dislike per se. just nothing exciting or particularly favorable for it.

[lu]

i really didn't like this one, and i'm not quite sure why. maybe it's me or maybe it's the writing style lasky chose this time around, but the frequent dialogue throughout the entries threw me off. the other royal diaries books have some dialogue that's recorded (given it's supposed to be a dairy entry), but here the dialogue goes on for way too long and entire conversations are frequently recorded, to mary's detriment. i feel like i'm reading an actual first-person account of her daily life, not her diary as it's supposed to be.

that said, she does reflect on her life and circumstances in the french court somewhat, and those pieces were delightful to read. mary led such an interesting (and tragic) life that any fiction delving deeper into her feelings and experiences is always a delight, but this one didn't hit the mark for me. i liked the overall plot, but this feels more like another historical fiction than part of the diaries series.

[Emma Filbrun]

A few weeks ago, we studied Mary, Queen of Scots for history, and several days later I happened upon a My Story book about her on the section of shelves that holds books we haven’t yet read and added to the library. So, I read it aloud. This book, covering one year of the queen’s life when she was 11 years old, brings her alive in a way that the biography we read did not. We all agreed, by the end of the book, that we don’t want to be royalty!
One section of the book that my daughters (ages 11 and 6) asked a lot of questions about was where someone tried to molest one of Mary’s friends. I used that story to try to teach them what to do if someone tells them to keep an interaction a secret. Mary’s diary shows the good results when such behavior is exposed rather than hidden.
CONTENT WARNING: In the entries for May-July, Mary talks about her feelings about boys, and a man tries to molest one of them. There are also frequent mentions of the queen’s pregnancies and miscarriages.

[loopyloulaura]

The young queen of Scotland is sent to the French court in preparation for marriage to the Dauphin...
My Royal Story: Mary Queen of Scots is a children's book using a diary style to convey the plot.
I have read all of the Tudor royal books in this series and feel that all are a good introduction to the characters and events of the era. However they are very/too simplified for adult readers.
There were some snippets of French but these felt at odds with the rest of the book. Overall there was a lack of emotion and I especially felt that Mary would have been more forceful as she is a queen regnant while her mother in law Catherine de Medici is only queen consort (status was a BIG DEAL!)
My Royal Story: Mary Queen of Scots has lots of potential to inspire future historians but current ones will be disappointed.

[Nicole]

It really liked it when I read it but i'm sure if I reread it now as someone with an MA focused on the early modern era who has taken classes on the Tudors...but I liked it in middles school so that is how I am reviewing it.

Although even as a middle schooler I knew it was an inaccurate portrayal of Mary since I read other books on her.

I have to reread this series and give my adult post graduate degree perspective but what I remember liking was:
-the characters in this series were roughly my age when I read the books (YA)
-it gave you an idea of what life may have been like back then
-they did have an afterword with historic information that gave you more context on their real lives and often photos or paintings

[Young Adult Historical Vault]

Hmm. Interesting, but much different in tone from most of the other Royal Diaries books--intensely religious and yet still featuring a major plot full of intrigue and deception, when in most of the other novels that happens off-screen. Mary as a character comes across as a bit stiff, and I don't know enough about her as a historical personage to say whether or not that's borne out, but ultimately it's fairly middle of the road as far as Royal Diaries books go.

For my full recap and review including spoilers, check out Young Adult Historical Vault. https://yahistoricalvault.com/2016/10...

[Dalaina Renee]

I don’t get why it’s okay for the king to have a mistress back then and allow her to belittle the queen and raise his kids. It’s no wonder the poor queen had miscarriages so many times.

Then for Mary to think the world of Diane please. Ugh. Such a messed up time era. I think the queen was ten times prettier than Diane.

This gives kids who read this it’s okay for daddy to have a side ho. Mommy’s okay with it because your rich and powerful. So messed up in so many ways. Then kings could behead the wife if they wanted to marry the mistress. Due to religious values. Oh I don’t want you anymore so I’ll have you killed off. Yuck.

Not an enjoyable read for me.

[Nesa]

I find this book on Kinokuniya on sale and I delighted to take it. Spent 2 hours to read this book and I should say that this book quite okay. Eventhough its just mere a diary formatted of Mary Queen of Scots, it quite good and retell her life during a year in France soil from 1553-1554. And all of the character in this book actually exist which rarely being discussed in history books about Mary. The book also dwelling the relation between Mary and Catherine de Medici & Diana de Poitiers which rarely being discussed in movie and other books. A good book to start to know about Mary of Scots life in French court.

[Rebecca Lien]

The Royal Diaries is a great series which introduces young girls to their historical idols through the lens of the young queens to be at the tender ages of 12-14. Mary Queen of Scots is written well and has a great deal of historical accuracy. The Historical authors take on her personality is wonderful and refreshing. I use these novels in the Girl Scout JR Badge Playing the Past.

Tarot CArd: Justice describes the inner struggles this Scottish queen faced growing up in a French court. https://beckodagecko.wixsite.com/mysite