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My Royal Story

Lady Jane Grey

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The tragic story of Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for nine days in July 1553. Jane grew up watching her cousins in training as heirs to the throne, little imagining that by a twist of fate she would one day be crowned. But this is Tudor England where nobody plays fair, and even a queen isn't safe from those who wsh her harm.

238 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2012

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Sue Reid

28 books19 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for PollyAnna Joy.
Author 4 books27 followers
June 23, 2016
Yes, I read another book about Lady Jane Grey. And?!

Sue Reid's version of LADY JANE GREY is told through the perspective of Jane herself, in diary form. The reader is incredibly limited in details given as, it appears, Jane must have been. She was a young girl in a world that was changing by leaps and bounds faster than anyone had time to absorb. What wasn't changing was the power parents had over their children, so Jane had to do what her parents told her. That brings to question, then, how much Jane knew of what was going on to make her queen and how much she was kept in the dark and truly was surprised when she was told she was queen--and that she had no choice but to accept.

As I mentioned previously, I have always been extremely fascinated with Lady Jane Grey, the Nine-Days Queen. She may have been queen of England for only 9 days total, but she made a powerful impact in the history books--enough so that people like me continue to be curious about her and want to know as much as we possibly can about the very young woman who became queen of England for a grand total of 9 whole days.
Profile Image for Kristal Fleming.
Author 16 books101 followers
December 28, 2020
My Story: The Diary of a Tudor Lady
Thoughts: I find it engaging, easy to read and enjoy. There is references to underage marriages, abusive treatment of the heroine.

Synopsis:
Lady Grey is given a diary by her cousin Edward. The king dies and Edward becomes King. Her mother and father are cruel. They want her to marry Edward and she does not want too. She is taken to London and placed with the man to whom is meant to make the deal.

Jane shares time with King Edward where they giggle about the journal. Admiral marries the Queen Dowager and they move to Chelsea. Elizabeth grows jealous of Jane, they compete in studies.

Master Grindal dies of plague and Elizabeth is heart broken. She goes into mourning. The Queen Katherine (Dowager) is carrying the Admirals baby. They both have been barred from seeing King Edward though.

Master Ascham is impressed with Jane and even makes Elizabeth laugh. They grow no closer.

The Queen has taken to her apartments then she appears at supper the next night. The Admiral is attentive however she is cold and so is her sister. Elizabeth is to quiet. Jane’s glad to leave.

Elizabeth is to be sent to stay with Sir Anthony, Jane’s happy. Only this means the end of Master Ascham’s visits. She promises to serve the Queen best she can though.

The Queen has given birth to a baby girl called Mary. Lady Jane has made friends with Elizabeth Tilley. They are close. The Queen passes away and Jane is returned home for a short while till the Admiral returns for her.

Back in London she continues to study, hears a dreadful rumour that the Admiral loves her cousin Elizabeth. She refuses to believe it and her friend says he is fighting to be guardian over the King.

Jane sees her cousin who looks bleak and her mother is appalled when she cries two tears.

Sir William and the Admiral are arrested, they are condemned to death. When the Admiral died his notes were discovered for the two princesses.

Jane has nightmares and feels very lost.

She soon finds herself caught up in hosting the regent of Scotland while the Duke of Northumberland sets about getting rid of his own brother the Duke of Somerset. His people back the Somerset Earl as does Jane despite her parents helping Northumberland.

The Duke of Somset is beheaded, while both Jane and King Edward remains ill. Her mother gets sick and slowly recovers. She is forced to marry the Duke of Northumberland’s son in the same day as her sister weds.

The king grows iller, her mother and father take in for her against the Duchess who claims the king has made her his heir. She does not believe her.

Edward passes away while Jane is ill and she is taken to be made queen. She is forced into the acceptance of the crown. The experience overwhelms her.

Jane finds the loyalty wavers with lords as people refuse to fight for her. She is scared, does not know who to trust and her husband still acts like a child.

All of Jane’s council flees her and proclaims Mary as Queen. Even her own father and he tells her cruelly that she is no longer Queen. Jane is shocked yet relieved.

Mary comes to the tower as do many of the prisoners that have been captured. The Duke of Northumberland is to be hung despite his last minute change of faith. Jane grows angry and speaks out against the Catholic faith being reinstalled into Britain.

Jane is tried and found guilty of treason. All promise a pardon, her father is forgiven yet when a rebellion rises she is doomed to death. At the end she finds love in Dudley and she sees herself in him. There messages, journals are given to trusted members of friends. Jane dies with dignity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for savage_book_review.
384 reviews4 followers
May 29, 2025
And it's back to the usual high standard with this instalment of the 'My Story' series. It's a great blend of fact and fiction, all perfectly pitched for its target audience, allowing you to 'know' Lady Jane Grey and follow her as she tries to discover herself, all while being pushed towards a tragic end.

This book actually put me in mind of Alison Weir's novel about Jane, 'Innocent Traitor'. They both have a similar emotional impact, highlighting the (rumoured) cruelty of her parents, her love of learning and her fiercely independent nature. Of course, one is aimed at children and the other at adults, so there are some obvious differences is tone and depth of content, but I was really impressed with how well such a short book still managed to invoke the same sort of reactions from me.

In and of itself, the writing was well paced and conveyed Jane's tone really well, giving a great insight into her life and surroundings, and the language used felt appropriate. The only thing I found a little disappointing was the length of time the story spanned; although the book is longer than a lot of others in the series, there was a lot of unnecessary build up and not quite enough time spent focused on those key 13 days. I understand why the story starts as Edward VI ascends the throne; the events of his reign are certainly important to Jane's story, but it left the entries concerning her brief time on the throne and its aftermath feeling all too brief, when there is so much scope for more.

I also enjoyed the development of her relationship with Guilford Dudley, although again it feels like it was left too late to start. It's so common for him to be written off as a mummy's boy and a pawn in his father's games, and while there are clear elements of this within the book it is balanced really well with an underlying feeling of tenderness - for example, it's stressed that while her parents and Northumberland shout and demand that she accept the throne, in contrast Guilford tries to persuade her gently. And then their brief interactions after their arrest are beautifully done, and very touching. I do appreciate that it may well be romanticising a relationship that could barely be called as such in real life, but I adore that little bit of hope and positivity it injects into the sadness of their ultimate fate. It makes me believe that Jane and Guilford went to their deaths safe in the knowledge that there was someone who cared.

This one is joining the collection on my shelf.
Profile Image for Brooklyn Tayla.
1,042 reviews79 followers
August 27, 2017
Okay, it’s not that this book was bad, it had its moments that I really enjoyed, however, I found that it lagged in places and there were definitely some gaps, especially as I reached the ending. I was like, ‘oh, is that all?’

What I did like about the book was its structure, it was entirely presented in diary format, chronicling the brief life of Lady Jane Grey, nine day English Queen.

I felt that the book connected the reader to Jane, we saw everything through her eyes and we were essentially reading her thoughts throughout; I liked how the author characterised Jane, I felt it made her relatable, and even though I don’t know how accurate this book was, I thought some of it was definitely plausible – she was definitely used as a pawn by her father and family in order to elevate their gain, as many young girls were used for that same purpose in the Tudor time; and although we’ll never really know if Jane loved Guildford, her betrothed and forced husband (in this book and in my own research I’ve done, I’m lead to think not), but this book painted their relationship to be forced, but through the tragic circumstances that both found themselves in, a part of me thinks that perhaps they might’ve grown fond of one another.

I’ve read many a book, both fictional and non, on Lady Jane Grey, and I’ll keep reading more. I’m fascinated with her as a historical figure, and she makes for some brilliant reading.

This book however, I’m not quite sure what my problem was with it. I liked the bookishness of her character, I liked that it was told in her diary format; I think it would be perfect for a child to read, it’s an ideal introduction to Tudor history. But as an older reader, I felt that perhaps the writing was slightly sugar coated, and it doesn’t properly explain the ending; Which for my fellow Tudor history fans, will know.

All in all, it was the book that got me back into Tudor fiction, so I’m happy for that, even if it wasn’t the best read.
Profile Image for Victoria Massingham.
32 reviews
July 16, 2025
I remember reading this book when I was in year 5 and even then I found it very fascinating. I reread this book a couple months ago again to relive it and it felt exactly the same and it was just as enjoyable as I remember it being.
Profile Image for Naomi .
843 reviews67 followers
May 8, 2016
It was pretty good. Nothing special. Written for a young audience.
Profile Image for M.
35 reviews9 followers
May 5, 2022
Ich habe mich total darauf gefreut, eine Reihe gefunden zu haben, die in der Tudor-Zeit stattfindet; und dann noch von den Adeligen und Königlichen selbst! Leider ist sowohl dieses als auch die anderen Bücher dieser "My Story"-Reihe nicht gut.


+ Es spielt im 16. Jahrhundert und behandelt Persönlichkeiten, die wirklich existiert haben. In diesem Falle das tragische Schicksal der Lady Jane Grey sowie die Erwähnung von anderen Royals, wie Mary, Elizabeth und Edward Tudor, Katherine Parr, Marie de Guise und Maria Stuart,...

+ Ich finde es gut, dass es aus der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben wurde, weil es einen besseren Einblick in das Innenleben der Figur bietet.

+ Das Material am Ende.

- Es werden dauernd wie selbstverständlich Personen und Berufsbezeichnungen genannt, als würden das Teenager, für die das Buch gedacht ist, wissen, wer und was das alles ist. Selbst ich, die ein recht großes Wissen bezüglich dieses Zeitalters hat, kam oft sehr durcheinander.

- Auch die Umgangsformen und üblichen Vorgehensweisen (zB bezüglich der Kindererziehung) hätten besser erklärt werden müssen, weil sie ja so gänzlich unterschiedlich zu unseren heutigen sind.

- Unglaublich langweilig. Die Tage vergehen, ohne dass wirklich etwas passiert. Ich konnte auch absolut keine Bindung zu Jane aufbauen. Sehr oberflächliche, abgestumpfte Charaktere.

- Das Ende war zu abrupt und vage. Hätte gerne über die Exekution aus der Perspektive von "Nurse" gelesen.
Profile Image for loopyloulaura.
1,540 reviews21 followers
August 13, 2025
This book is a fictional account using a diary format for the life of Lady Jane Grey.
OK let's start by saying Jane was queen of England for 9 days. She wasn't merely a Tudor lady: she was the granddaughter of an English princess who became queen of France, she was the great granddaughter of King Henry VII and his wife Queen Elizabeth. She was brought up alongside her royal cousins who took the throne before and after her.
OK rant over, give Jane the respect she deserves!
I understand that this is a children's book so the plot and historical detail has been simplified for the intended audience. The diary format is probably relatable and easy to read in small chunks.
However Jane doesn’t seem to mature much over the course of the book, despite being almost 17 by the end. It also didn’t showcase her intelligence and piety which are well documented. There is limited information about her time with Princess Elizabeth despite being mentioned several times.
Overall, I found this book frustrating as I really wanted to enjoy it. Obviously I am not the target audience but I think Jane's story has a lot more potential than offered here.
Profile Image for Mel Jenney.
145 reviews
June 2, 2024
This was the first book I ever bought for myself at a scholastic book fair and I think I’ve been holding onto it for so long out of emotional attachment!

This is a diarised account of Lady Jane Grey’s life - a woman born into turbulent Tudor times when Edward VI dies suddenly and unexpectedly without an heir. It charts the ambitious politics of the noble families, the religious tumult and the constant fear of losing your life.

I think there are more complex themes to be explored here, Jane’s proto-feminist views, her anxieties as a daughter and the societal pressure to be a perfect noble lady. But as you can expect, many of these themes are subtle, with simple prose to understand. It’s fast paced and interesting, but the obvious demographic isn’t me as a 23 year old.

Pleased I’ve re-read but happy to finally donate this to another reader to enjoy and learn more about a misaligned and misunderstood historical figure.
254 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2018
I love this book so much. Lady Jane is so young. She has such a hard life. She makes many friends. Poor King Edward he was sick a lot. This is probably my favourite book of the my royal story series.

Favourite quote: "Will we always be friends?" I asked her. "Always." she said. Page 59.
Profile Image for Meghan.
620 reviews30 followers
August 24, 2022
A lot of repetition and run-on sentences. Jane constantly went on about Protestantism being the "true faith" and while that might have been accurate for the real Jane Grey, it made the character less likeable.
Profile Image for Kinsey Crosby.
87 reviews
November 9, 2017
This book was amazing, it really opened my eyes to what really happened before and during the events of Jane’s reign
18 reviews
October 27, 2022
was interesting book to read

The queen Jane and life from age 9 till her death. 1954 a diary about last years of her life. How sad that she died for treason.
72 reviews
January 2, 2023
This book i read in one day it is a very good book and vividly accounts the life of Jane grey . I have read the story from Elizabeth’s point of view but it is very good to read it from janes
20 reviews
February 7, 2025
My least favourite of this series since I've been rereading them, genuinely just quite boring
Profile Image for Margaux.
136 reviews1 follower
October 27, 2025
2.5 i needed more about the nine days she was queen. i did like the fact she built the hatred against dudley (father snd duke) was good
Profile Image for Jessica.
32 reviews2 followers
February 28, 2017
I've always found Lady Jane to be fascinating and mysterious, as very little seems to be known about her before her marriage (and, as the historical note mentions, even what is known about anything in her life may be only half true).
I enjoyed the unique perspective of the book, not only because it is from Jane's point of view, but also because some characters are portrayed in a different light than usual. However, there are times when she comes off as a whiny brat. She spends more than a little of the book complaining about her cousins (frequently comparing them to herself and how much better of a person she is than they are) and mother, while praising her beloved Nurse. It gets old after a bit. While I know most decisions were completely out of her hands as both a child and a girl, there are very few moments when she seems to even really know what's going on around her.
Not a bad book overall, just not really above average.
Profile Image for Sara.
422 reviews
February 21, 2013
This book was very good! Better than I expected it to be Lady Jane Grey lives in Turbulent times. Lady Jane is a great character and can be really fun at times but in the end poor Lady Jane got executed along with her husband and she wasn't 17 yet. She had a chance to switch from Protestantism to Catholicism but she refused and was very brave at the end. She has the most loyal friends too Elizabeth Tilney and Mistress Ellen her parents always hit her though in my opinion they were to harsh on her at times besides that she still worked well at her studies. This is the first My Story book I've seen with a full body of a girl on the cover. This cover is beautiful too!
Profile Image for Heather.
2,382 reviews11 followers
June 30, 2016
This is a wonderful little series, giving young teens an in-depth introduction to both famous people and important historical events. In this book the reader follows the short, tragic life of Jane Grey from the age of ten when she is given a diary to write in. Her courage and bravery is apparent as she becomes an unwilling pawn in the hands of greedy, powerful men, and to the end she remains steadfast in her religious beliefs. An interesting read.
Profile Image for Izzy.
26 reviews1 follower
August 31, 2013
I love this book I had lots of questions about Lady Jane Grey and this book answered all of them!!
I love lady Janes attitude and how she did what she believed was right! I think that it's evil she was killed even though she didn't want to be queen!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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