The Royal Diaries : Elizabeth I, Isabel Jewel of Castilla, Cleopatra VII, Marie Antoinette - Boxed set of 4

by Kathryn Lasky, Kristiana Gregory, Carolyn Meyer

Slip case with set of four hardcover books

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

Hardcover

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

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read only one so far. Marie Antoinette. Great books for young readers. HANds on living with a character within a historical setting.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can see why I liked this so much as a young girl. it still holds up!

[L11_Silvia Celis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have read all four books I have chosen to review Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor, because of my interest in English history.
This is the fictional diary of Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I of England and daughter of King Henry VIII. Since this is in diary form your really hear the voice of a young girl who spends a great deal of her life traveling from castle to castle year after year depending on her father's whim. You also gain insight into her relationships with her sister Princess Mary(lots of sibling rivalry), her brother Prince Edward, who she adored and later became Edward VI, as well as her beloved governess Kat.
The reader learns about what life was really like in these castles and how much Elizabeth loved her studies. Although this is a work of fiction it is historically accurate and includes a section at the end of the book on life in the Tudor court and a family tree of the Tudors.
This is not an award winning book but was written by Newberry Award winning author Kathryn Lasky. I really enjoyed this book as well as the others. It is a great introduction to this timeperiod in English history for 4-8 grades. It is also a great read for young girls because it tells what life was really like for a real princess not a Disney princess.
There are many books in the Royal Princess Diaries series some examples are Marie Antoinette, Isabel of Castilla, Cleopatra, and even Weetamoo, the daughter of Corbitant chief of the Pocassets during Pilgrim times.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Royal Diaries: Isabel Jewel of Castilla is a fictionalized diary of the teenaged Princess Isabel of Castilla (better known to Americans as Isabella, the queen who sponsored Columbus). The diary ends just before her marriage to Fernando II in 1469. The plot if full of intrigue, as Isabel strives to remain on good terms with both her brothers. The older controlling half-brother, King Enrique, and her younger brother, the rebel King Alfonso. It is also a tale of romance winning rather than political gain in the game of marriage. Throughout the book, unwelcome matches for the princess are made and broken until she finally weds the man of her choice. There is much detail given about what life was like in the mid-15th century.

Unfortunately, there are numerous errors in dating the historical events and the text is often just a recitation of activities which makes the book a bit tedious to read. There is very little insight into Isabel's personality; the few feelings that are expressed make her sound whiny and complaining.

[Nehas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good! I like how in the Royal Diaries, there is always princesses with truly interesting lives. You really get sucked into this book. It's about Queen Isabel of Castilla and her pitiful childhood (turns out pretty well in the end!). Isabel's half brother, King Enrique, uses her as a tool for politics and TRIES to force her to marry horrible men. The best part of this book is when Isabel is really worried about marrying El Escorpian and then Enrique changes his mind!!! This is a really good book for people who like biographies.

[Satsuki |皐月| · Rating 3 out of 5]

i actually enjoyed it more then i thought i would, it's a great book on the famous royals and life in their perspective. Sometimes it was very boring, and found the characters complaining a lot, and well juvenile. But i think lovers of the lie of royals and classics could really enjoy it, I'm a lover of history and enjoyed it well

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes me back to reading about royalty in this historical fiction setting.
The Royal Diaries: Marie Antoinette sets to light how frivolous an education the Princess of Versailles got. There is nice foreshadowing blended in the story and author Katherine Lasky does a fabulous job wrapping up the drama!! As the story unfolded it became well paced with a few shocks here and there.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had wanted this box set when I was 13. These are my top 4 favorites. Although I have read all the royal diaries, it's the big princesses that most of us already know about that still capture my attention. Happy reading!!

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Royal Diaries : Elizabeth I, Isabel Jewel of Castilla, Cleopatra VII, Marie Antoinette - Boxed set of 4 (Hardcover)
by Kathryn Lasky
This is a great historical description of the time and people.

[Dodecahedron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I meant to rate the entire set, I believe I have read them all. Some are better than others, but all were very enjoyable and enlightening reads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roya...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction books about famous female leaders, written as thought they were diaries from their teenage years. Content kept appropriate for older elementary age readers. We enjoyed the stories about Elizabeth I, Isabel, and Cleopatra.

[Kalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quick read. What a fun idea for historical fiction. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read this as a young girl but I enjoyed learning about how life in England in the 1500s might have been like.

[Kathleen Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for older teens but definitely not younger ones I liked the idea of what Elizabeth might have been like as a teen

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational, great for girls in Jr. High. Engaging.

[IluvmyNini · Rating 5 out of 5]

great!!!

[Grace]

I thought they were all really amazing.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this just don't remember the story

[Priya]

Read!!

[Regan Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much the defining book collection of my childhood that shaped my entire life.

[Bird Lemanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a young readers book, so for the age range it's written for, it's really good. I thought it got a bit tedious, but overall, something I would definitely want a young reader to check out.