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The Royal Diaries
The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile-57 B.C.
Established ""Dear America"" author Kristiana Gregory kicks off ""The Royal Diaries"" with the captivating story of a young Cleopatra's life.
While her father is in hiding after attempts on his life, twelve-year-old Cleopatra records in her diary how she fears for her own safety and hopes to survive to become Queen of Egypt some day.
While her father is in hiding after attempts on his life, twelve-year-old Cleopatra records in her diary how she fears for her own safety and hopes to survive to become Queen of Egypt some day.
ebook
First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Kristiana Gregory
73 books339 followersKristiana Gregory grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean. She's always loved to make up stories [ask her family!], telling her younger siblings whoppers that would leave them wide-eyed and shivering. Her first rejection letter at age ten was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the LA Times, and finally author.
Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.
JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.
BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.
Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.
New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.
Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.
Her award-winning books include STALKED, which earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics and is hailed as "historical fiction with a thrilling twist." KIRKUS calls it "an atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers ... Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." Now available on Kindle and in paperback.
JENNY OF THE TETONS [Harcourt] won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle grade readers. Several of Kristiana's titles are now available on Kindle including "Curiously Odd Stories: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" with the celebrated 'Paper Monument', a futuristic book-banning with horrific consequences.
BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB [Holiday House] is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by the girls' book club Kristiana led for several years.
Her most recent title with Scholastic's Dear America series is CANNONS AT DAWN, a sequel to the best-selling THE WINTER OF RED SNOW, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.
New re-releases in ebooks and paperback on Amazon:
**PRAIRIE RIVER SERIES #1-4
**ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE
**CABIN CREEK MYSTERIES #7: THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH
**THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY -- originally titled "My Darlin' Clementine" [Holiday House] this riveting historical mystery takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, and was Idaho's representative for the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, walk, hike, read, and hang out with friends. She's trying to learn to knit, but isn't yet having much success.
Check out Kristiana's blogs at http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes stories about her books, and with photos from her childhood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 623 reviews
September 28, 2011
Disclaimer: The last time I read this book was in middle school, so my review will be spotty and more nostalgic than any review should be. Oh well.
I avidly read the Royal Diaries series during my middle school years. Like most young girls, I was fascinated with princesses and--maybe not so much like most young girls--deeply interested in the power politics of royalty. Princesses, more often than not, tend to be the pawns of such political games, so it was always very thrilling to read a story in which the princess overcomes her opponents!
While Cleopatra was not always my favorite female monarch, I love this book not only because it satiated my taste for court intrigue, but also because it allowed me a glimpse of the wealth and decay of Egypt.
Here are scenes that still stand out in my mind today:
(1) Cleopatra's older sister, next in line to lead the realm, is luxuriating in a steaming tub of water that is heated by slaves working in an underground furnace. Amid the perfumed haze of oils and other bath luxuries, she orders Cleopatra to drink a goblet of may-or-may-not-be poisoned wine.
(2) Cleopatra and her sisters get first dibs at a caravan full of trade items arriving from all over the world. These include jars of scented oils, shimmering scarves that float when you toss them into the air, and ropes of pearls. Cleopatra takes a hold of something--I think it was a necklace--and the vindictive older sister snatches it away and presses a knife to Cleopatra's throat.
(3) Away somewhere in Roman-occupied territory, the Romans viciously taunt Cleopatra's father in their own language, and he--dependent on Roman aid yet unable to speak their language--nods and smiles nervously. Cleopatra, who happens to speak a bazillion languages, shows them up. Yeah, bitches.
As I've said before, I haven't read the book in ages, so my memory could be making up a few details. If those three scenes are completely accurate, I would be very surprised.
And yes, I know the book is not historically accurate, and yes, Cleopatra may or may not have been as likable in real life versus in this book. I am also aware that court politics is incredibly complex and blah blah blah, tyvm. But as a kid, I didn't care (and I still kind of don't): I picked up this book to read a good story, not to write a report on Ancient Egypt. Besides, the world the author portrayed was gorgeous, and most importantly it left a lingering sweetness in my mind for anything Ancient Egypt.
This was one of the most enjoyable books I've read as a kid. Highly recommended for the younger audience.
I avidly read the Royal Diaries series during my middle school years. Like most young girls, I was fascinated with princesses and--maybe not so much like most young girls--deeply interested in the power politics of royalty. Princesses, more often than not, tend to be the pawns of such political games, so it was always very thrilling to read a story in which the princess overcomes her opponents!
While Cleopatra was not always my favorite female monarch, I love this book not only because it satiated my taste for court intrigue, but also because it allowed me a glimpse of the wealth and decay of Egypt.
Here are scenes that still stand out in my mind today:
(1) Cleopatra's older sister, next in line to lead the realm, is luxuriating in a steaming tub of water that is heated by slaves working in an underground furnace. Amid the perfumed haze of oils and other bath luxuries, she orders Cleopatra to drink a goblet of may-or-may-not-be poisoned wine.
(2) Cleopatra and her sisters get first dibs at a caravan full of trade items arriving from all over the world. These include jars of scented oils, shimmering scarves that float when you toss them into the air, and ropes of pearls. Cleopatra takes a hold of something--I think it was a necklace--and the vindictive older sister snatches it away and presses a knife to Cleopatra's throat.
(3) Away somewhere in Roman-occupied territory, the Romans viciously taunt Cleopatra's father in their own language, and he--dependent on Roman aid yet unable to speak their language--nods and smiles nervously. Cleopatra, who happens to speak a bazillion languages, shows them up. Yeah, bitches.
As I've said before, I haven't read the book in ages, so my memory could be making up a few details. If those three scenes are completely accurate, I would be very surprised.
And yes, I know the book is not historically accurate, and yes, Cleopatra may or may not have been as likable in real life versus in this book. I am also aware that court politics is incredibly complex and blah blah blah, tyvm. But as a kid, I didn't care (and I still kind of don't): I picked up this book to read a good story, not to write a report on Ancient Egypt. Besides, the world the author portrayed was gorgeous, and most importantly it left a lingering sweetness in my mind for anything Ancient Egypt.
This was one of the most enjoyable books I've read as a kid. Highly recommended for the younger audience.
February 23, 2011
Cleopatra, Daughter of Nile / 0-590-81975-5
Good grief, I generally enjoy the Royal Diaries, but this one is just awful. I've read it twice now, thinking that perhaps the first time I was just being unfair, but I couldn't finish slogging through it the second time. I usually like Kristiana Gregory's work, but this one felt like either a very early work, or a very rushed effort, or both.
The history is terrible; the author has a cast of Roman and Greek "Who's Who" show up to introduce themselves to Cleopatra in her childhood, regardless of how unlikely each meeting is. It feels like the author would have preferred to be writing a story about Cleopatra the woman and chafed at writing one instead about Cleopatra the girl, hence the constant influx of characters who would later be integral in the reign of Cleopatra. This also bears out in Cleopatra's tone and writing - she is constantly pointing out how calm, queenly, educated, intelligent, etc. ad nauseum she is, as opposed to the other rulers and persons of influence who surround her. I'd like to think this is a clever piece of meta-literature - a self-centered diary by a self-centered girl, but alas, it seems we are to take the glowing accolades at face value. The result is a boring piece of narrative - Cleopatra spends the majority of the later half of the book lounging in Italy and homeschooling herself.
What is really offensive, though, Cleopatra has been remade into a monotheistic Judeo-Christian "wannabe". Cleopatra spends pages and pages speaking of the Jewish prophecy of a messiah, a messiah who will 'come out of Egypt' and 'rise from the dead', and I can't imagine that the real Cleopatra would even be aware of these Jewish legends. She wants to meet this messiah, and wonders if he could be Alexander the Great - some local Jewish men explain to her that it is not. She spends a great deal of time writing about 'Queen Esther' and 'Queen of Sheba and King Solomon', and there is no reason whatsoever to include those subjects here.
Cleopatra is incorrectly portrayed here as a monotheist and about a stone's throw away from becoming a Christian, if only Jesus would hurry up and be born. It's insulting, and particularly frustrating if you are interested in the mythology of ancient Egypt. Outside of a few references to Isis, there is no mention of the Egyptian gods and goddesses at all - and when any god is mentioned other than the Jewish one, it is the Greek/Roman gods, never the Egyptian ones. Add to the fact that Cleopatra has knowledge about subjects that she simply could not have at the time, and you have a piece that is pure fantasy, dressed up as a fun educational tool.
Avoid this book for the disrespect that it shows to Cleopatra in treating her beliefs and history as disposable. I'm frustrated that the author is apparently able to deal respectfully with the religious beliefs of Jews, Lutheran Christians, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, and Protestant Christians, and yet she cannot allow an ancient pagan her beliefs, preferring to shred them and remake them in a more "palatable" version.
~ Ana Mardoll
Good grief, I generally enjoy the Royal Diaries, but this one is just awful. I've read it twice now, thinking that perhaps the first time I was just being unfair, but I couldn't finish slogging through it the second time. I usually like Kristiana Gregory's work, but this one felt like either a very early work, or a very rushed effort, or both.
The history is terrible; the author has a cast of Roman and Greek "Who's Who" show up to introduce themselves to Cleopatra in her childhood, regardless of how unlikely each meeting is. It feels like the author would have preferred to be writing a story about Cleopatra the woman and chafed at writing one instead about Cleopatra the girl, hence the constant influx of characters who would later be integral in the reign of Cleopatra. This also bears out in Cleopatra's tone and writing - she is constantly pointing out how calm, queenly, educated, intelligent, etc. ad nauseum she is, as opposed to the other rulers and persons of influence who surround her. I'd like to think this is a clever piece of meta-literature - a self-centered diary by a self-centered girl, but alas, it seems we are to take the glowing accolades at face value. The result is a boring piece of narrative - Cleopatra spends the majority of the later half of the book lounging in Italy and homeschooling herself.
What is really offensive, though, Cleopatra has been remade into a monotheistic Judeo-Christian "wannabe". Cleopatra spends pages and pages speaking of the Jewish prophecy of a messiah, a messiah who will 'come out of Egypt' and 'rise from the dead', and I can't imagine that the real Cleopatra would even be aware of these Jewish legends. She wants to meet this messiah, and wonders if he could be Alexander the Great - some local Jewish men explain to her that it is not. She spends a great deal of time writing about 'Queen Esther' and 'Queen of Sheba and King Solomon', and there is no reason whatsoever to include those subjects here.
Cleopatra is incorrectly portrayed here as a monotheist and about a stone's throw away from becoming a Christian, if only Jesus would hurry up and be born. It's insulting, and particularly frustrating if you are interested in the mythology of ancient Egypt. Outside of a few references to Isis, there is no mention of the Egyptian gods and goddesses at all - and when any god is mentioned other than the Jewish one, it is the Greek/Roman gods, never the Egyptian ones. Add to the fact that Cleopatra has knowledge about subjects that she simply could not have at the time, and you have a piece that is pure fantasy, dressed up as a fun educational tool.
Avoid this book for the disrespect that it shows to Cleopatra in treating her beliefs and history as disposable. I'm frustrated that the author is apparently able to deal respectfully with the religious beliefs of Jews, Lutheran Christians, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, and Protestant Christians, and yet she cannot allow an ancient pagan her beliefs, preferring to shred them and remake them in a more "palatable" version.
~ Ana Mardoll
November 19, 2022
It is 2022, and this is my first foray into the Royal Diaries. I spent a substantial portion of the '90s reveling grimly in the bitter fates of Dear America's mill girls and Dust Bowl sufferers, but the Royal Diaries I refused. I don't know why - maybe it was a senseless prejudice against spin-offs or maybe I thought the gold edges were tacky. Anyway, I didn't read them, and for that reason I'm only finding out in adulthood that Cleopatra MARRIED HER BROTHER AND COMMITTED SUICIDE BY SNAKE??
(This doesn't happen in the story of CLEOPATRA VII: DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (EGYPT, 57 BC) so it's not a spoiler, and also if you are like me and have lived in ignorance until this moment, you like me need to get that deficit corrected as quickly and bluntly as possible.)
ACTUAL BOOK SPOILERS BELOW
The actual story of CLEOPATRA VII: DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (EGYPT, 57 BC): Cleopatra and her inept pharaoh father (a Ptolemy) flee risk of assassination in Egypt to Rome, where the plan is to get Rome to please help them stay in power and not die (the latter of which is, of course, not a strong possibility if they don't stay in power). During the course of the first three (3) pages of this book, Ptolemy's favorite eunuch saves Ptolemy from death by assassination puff adder by jumping in front of the snake and instantly dying, Cleopatra's horrible sister bathes evilly in her father's own chambers while he hides up the Nile, and we find out that Cleopatra has a pet leopard.
This is exquisite. This is delivery on the promise of gold edges. There are things in here that I do not believe would ever see the light of a Google Doc in contemporary middle grade fiction. In 1999, however, we were fearless: we were lopping off heads, we were drowning treasure-hunters, we were feeding people to lions, we were strangling usurpers, we were cutting the shirts off Mark Antony, and we were eating sizzling plates of fresh roasted songbirds as our royal dads got drunk and played the ancient world's most embarrassing flute. I do remember being a child reader going "whoa" and feeling things I never felt before. I recognize that power in a book. This is lifechanging stuff. I was a committed little puritan, reading about Massachusetts children getting their hair ripped out by industry, but there could have been more: I could have had an AWAKENING.
Something that makes this so successful is that Cleopatra is a brick. She is a steely-eyed seer and doer. She knows her older sister is frankly evil and she knows her second older sister is pretty and useless and probably selfish enough to do as much damage as the evil one, and she knows (but increasingly learns more concretely) that her father is weak and a drunk. She is ages 12-14 in this book and she is ALL about statecraft. Everything she does - from bargaining with Romans to taking trips up the Nile to learning a dozen languages in writing and speech - is part of a grand effort to become a remarkable stateswoman, the only option for continued Egyptian independence and the only chance that her family line has of either continued rule or survival.
Perhaps it's too late for this book to rock my world the way it would have if I were 11, but I respect it for all that it is and enjoyed it greatly. Oh, the moment when her father greets her kindly and she turns around and there is *** ******'* **** on a *******! Brutal. Would recommend.
(This doesn't happen in the story of CLEOPATRA VII: DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (EGYPT, 57 BC) so it's not a spoiler, and also if you are like me and have lived in ignorance until this moment, you like me need to get that deficit corrected as quickly and bluntly as possible.)
ACTUAL BOOK SPOILERS BELOW
The actual story of CLEOPATRA VII: DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (EGYPT, 57 BC): Cleopatra and her inept pharaoh father (a Ptolemy) flee risk of assassination in Egypt to Rome, where the plan is to get Rome to please help them stay in power and not die (the latter of which is, of course, not a strong possibility if they don't stay in power). During the course of the first three (3) pages of this book, Ptolemy's favorite eunuch saves Ptolemy from death by assassination puff adder by jumping in front of the snake and instantly dying, Cleopatra's horrible sister bathes evilly in her father's own chambers while he hides up the Nile, and we find out that Cleopatra has a pet leopard.
This is exquisite. This is delivery on the promise of gold edges. There are things in here that I do not believe would ever see the light of a Google Doc in contemporary middle grade fiction. In 1999, however, we were fearless: we were lopping off heads, we were drowning treasure-hunters, we were feeding people to lions, we were strangling usurpers, we were cutting the shirts off Mark Antony, and we were eating sizzling plates of fresh roasted songbirds as our royal dads got drunk and played the ancient world's most embarrassing flute. I do remember being a child reader going "whoa" and feeling things I never felt before. I recognize that power in a book. This is lifechanging stuff. I was a committed little puritan, reading about Massachusetts children getting their hair ripped out by industry, but there could have been more: I could have had an AWAKENING.
Something that makes this so successful is that Cleopatra is a brick. She is a steely-eyed seer and doer. She knows her older sister is frankly evil and she knows her second older sister is pretty and useless and probably selfish enough to do as much damage as the evil one, and she knows (but increasingly learns more concretely) that her father is weak and a drunk. She is ages 12-14 in this book and she is ALL about statecraft. Everything she does - from bargaining with Romans to taking trips up the Nile to learning a dozen languages in writing and speech - is part of a grand effort to become a remarkable stateswoman, the only option for continued Egyptian independence and the only chance that her family line has of either continued rule or survival.
Perhaps it's too late for this book to rock my world the way it would have if I were 11, but I respect it for all that it is and enjoyed it greatly. Oh, the moment when her father greets her kindly and she turns around and there is *** ******'* **** on a *******! Brutal. Would recommend.
March 20, 2023
Recently, one of my bookish (as well as IRL) best friends mentioned a book series she loved as a middle-grader and it was a spin-off series from a series I was obsessed with, "Dear America" books. This series of "Royal Diaries" are epistolary in style and organized in the form of a diary from an ancient, or more recent, world monarch. I immediately started looking for them in used book stores and GoodWill, and I found a few!
Decided to start my leisurely reading through this series with Cleopatra as hers was the oldest book of the ones I picked up, and I have to say, I really enjoyed my reading experience and learned a lot about her life, her relationship with her father, their international relations with Rome, & Egyptian customs. Enjoyed her historical details, her Author's note, and how personal world history was made told through the eyes of a 13-year-old young lady on the eve of her rise to power.
Will certainly be reading more in this series... and soon!
Actual rating, 3.75 stars
Decided to start my leisurely reading through this series with Cleopatra as hers was the oldest book of the ones I picked up, and I have to say, I really enjoyed my reading experience and learned a lot about her life, her relationship with her father, their international relations with Rome, & Egyptian customs. Enjoyed her historical details, her Author's note, and how personal world history was made told through the eyes of a 13-year-old young lady on the eve of her rise to power.
Will certainly be reading more in this series... and soon!
Actual rating, 3.75 stars
May 7, 2025
”Cleopatra descended from a long line of murderers and faithfully upheld the family tradition but was, for her time and place, remarkably well-behaved.”- Stacy Schiff
3.5 out of 5 stars
Ah, youth. Don’t we all love a trip down good old memory lane?
Before she was Cleopatra VII, one of the greatest pharaohs to ever rule Egypt, there was just Cleopatra. With a dead mother, a father who’s drunk more than half the time, and two older sisters who are probably trying to kill her, Cleopatra’s main goal is just to make it to the next day alive. Of course, that isn’t always easy when you’re the favorite daughter of a despised pharaoh. After all, you need to achieve that goal if you want to rule Egypt one day. So when her father is exiled to Rome due to conflicts at home, Cleopatra follows him. There, she’ll be tested on what it means to be a leader.
I remember this being one of my favorite Royal Diaries books when I was younger. It could very well have been the favorite, but I can’t remember that far back. I think what really got to me were the sumptuous descriptions of palace life in Egypt and how luxurious it sounded.
Reading it from an adult perspective, I don’t quite know what young me was thinking at the time. Why?
This book is violent and messy as hell.
I mean, there’s an assassination attempt or somebody getting killed on about every page. The first two pages alone have two deaths by snakebite! Not to mention we have falling to our deaths, food poisoning, drowning, crucifixion, gladiatorial impaling… you name the manner of death, it’s there.
I appreciate that the author did put all that in and didn’t try to sugarcoat anything to her young audience. Kids understand and comprehend a lot more than I think some authors give them credit for. But my God, how could I have not noticed this when I was younger?!!
Another thing that I noticed while reading this with a more adult lens is the fact that this little Cleopatra is a bit of a narcissist. Now, having a healthy amount of confidence in oneself is a good thing. However, little Cleopatra here thinks she’s the best thing since the invention of fire. She’s going to be not just an amazing queen, but the greatest queen who ever goddamn walked this planet. Granted, this version of Cleopatra was right. But there’s only so much preteen bragging I can take before it gives me a headache.
As always, to end this review, let’s take a look at some excerpts from this book that will make you see that history wasn’t always as sexy as it’s sometimes portrayed to be.
All right, all right. Maybe it was a little sexy.
********************************************
And finally, my absolute favorite…
I’M SCREAMING.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Ah, youth. Don’t we all love a trip down good old memory lane?
Before she was Cleopatra VII, one of the greatest pharaohs to ever rule Egypt, there was just Cleopatra. With a dead mother, a father who’s drunk more than half the time, and two older sisters who are probably trying to kill her, Cleopatra’s main goal is just to make it to the next day alive. Of course, that isn’t always easy when you’re the favorite daughter of a despised pharaoh. After all, you need to achieve that goal if you want to rule Egypt one day. So when her father is exiled to Rome due to conflicts at home, Cleopatra follows him. There, she’ll be tested on what it means to be a leader.
I remember this being one of my favorite Royal Diaries books when I was younger. It could very well have been the favorite, but I can’t remember that far back. I think what really got to me were the sumptuous descriptions of palace life in Egypt and how luxurious it sounded.
Reading it from an adult perspective, I don’t quite know what young me was thinking at the time. Why?
This book is violent and messy as hell.
I mean, there’s an assassination attempt or somebody getting killed on about every page. The first two pages alone have two deaths by snakebite! Not to mention we have falling to our deaths, food poisoning, drowning, crucifixion, gladiatorial impaling… you name the manner of death, it’s there.
I appreciate that the author did put all that in and didn’t try to sugarcoat anything to her young audience. Kids understand and comprehend a lot more than I think some authors give them credit for. But my God, how could I have not noticed this when I was younger?!!
Another thing that I noticed while reading this with a more adult lens is the fact that this little Cleopatra is a bit of a narcissist. Now, having a healthy amount of confidence in oneself is a good thing. However, little Cleopatra here thinks she’s the best thing since the invention of fire. She’s going to be not just an amazing queen, but the greatest queen who ever goddamn walked this planet. Granted, this version of Cleopatra was right. But there’s only so much preteen bragging I can take before it gives me a headache.
As always, to end this review, let’s take a look at some excerpts from this book that will make you see that history wasn’t always as sexy as it’s sometimes portrayed to be.
All right, all right. Maybe it was a little sexy.
********************************************
”A goblet of wine and a bowl of figs were offered to me. I could feel my insides shaking. Would this sister try to poison me? Yes, I believe so.”You are so living in the wrong time period when you have to worry about not one, but two sisters trying to kill you.
”The lighthouse master motioned for us to follow him, but to keep as close to the wall as possible. There are no railings. One missed step and we would fall to our deaths.”And nobody thought to add said railings while constructing the damn thing?
”Houses and shops have been built along the banks of the Tiber, jutting out over the water. I saw a woman dumping who-knows-what from their windows. There is also a sewer pouring out into the river.”Well, this gives a whole new meaning to the term “shithead.”
”The cobblestones are soaked with refuse: kitchen garbage, dung from the horses and dogs and most putrid of all, waste from the latrines that has been thrown out the windows. Stepping stones imbedded in the road are the only way people can cross the street without fouling their feet.”Good Lord. They not only had to contend with human waste falling from the windows but human waste literally caking the roads?!! I’d never leave the house.
”’She offered to pluck the hairs from under my arms as she was doing for the other ladies.Every historical movie you’ve ever watched is a lie. Those ladies should be hairy as hell.
‘No, thank you,’ I said. ‘Not this year, madam.’”
And finally, my absolute favorite…
”Olympus wrote that my sister was so bored with her husband that after three days of marriage she had him strangled.”
I’M SCREAMING.
Read
August 30, 2022controversial, brave, so many people died, is there middle grade like this anymore, etc
July 7, 2015
Earliest I remember loving historical fiction.
One of my favorite books on Cleopatra.
One of my favorite books on Cleopatra.
June 6, 2018
Omg. I've spent years trying to remember the title of this so I could track down a copy. Remember reading this when I was in Middle school(?) and loved it. I kept wondering what I did with my copy years later because the hardcover was beautiful and I loved it. And now that I think about it I'm pretty sure I lent it out to my cousin who never returned it. 😒😒😒
January 29, 2025
I picked this book for my 3rd-5th grade literature class at our homeschool co-op to read because I am focusing on the importance of settings this year. I'm having the class read books set in a variety of places and times so that we can see how books expand our horizons, and how a book's setting can impact the story itself. But I hadn't read this myself before, I'd just heard good things about this Royal Diaries series, so I had to read it first to be able to lead discussions in class.
This was a solidly entertaining and informative look at what life could have been like for Cleopatra VII when she was between the ages of 12 and 15. She was one of several daughters of the Pharaoh, and although I knew she would eventually be the queen of Egypt, that future wasn't at all assured, according to this book. Over the course of several years, she navigates some tricky political and social situations, including an extended visit to Rome and a burgeoning attraction to this cocky dude named Marc Antony.
This was a fast read, and I feel like I got a good taste of life in both ancient Egypt and pre-empire Rome, which was really cool. The historical details were fascinating and very naturally woven into the texture of the story. I was especially intrigued by Cleopatra's friendship with Theophilus, a young Jewish scholar, and how much of the Jewish religion was explored here, as well as Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religions.
This was a solidly entertaining and informative look at what life could have been like for Cleopatra VII when she was between the ages of 12 and 15. She was one of several daughters of the Pharaoh, and although I knew she would eventually be the queen of Egypt, that future wasn't at all assured, according to this book. Over the course of several years, she navigates some tricky political and social situations, including an extended visit to Rome and a burgeoning attraction to this cocky dude named Marc Antony.
This was a fast read, and I feel like I got a good taste of life in both ancient Egypt and pre-empire Rome, which was really cool. The historical details were fascinating and very naturally woven into the texture of the story. I was especially intrigued by Cleopatra's friendship with Theophilus, a young Jewish scholar, and how much of the Jewish religion was explored here, as well as Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religions.
January 3, 2016
Trying to remember the very first books I was introduced to, I remember reading The Royal Diaries sometime in my childhood. I remember reading a few of them such as Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Cleopatra VII. But unlike certain books that I read (such as Animorphs, Harry Potter, and Warriors.) where I remembered the characters, the story, and other things that I liked about them. The Royal Diarires on the other hand, I barely remember a thing about the books. But I really confused on to why that is because my sister and I used to read these books all the time and we loved them so much. Looking back on it, I was so confused as to why I didn't remember what happens in these books. So I started to collect them and reread them.
And after reading it, taking notes, and going through it over and over again I realized something. I was incredibly underwhelmed by this book. Not to say that all books in this series are like that it's just that this book, one of the most popular book in The Royal Diaries, was not as great as I expected it to be.
Since the book is a diary, we see Cleopatra's thoughts and her journey as a young 12 year old Egyptian princess. But there are some problems that I noticed in this book.
One is that the history aspect is practically nonexistent.
Many individuals like the Roman figures such as Julius Caesar and Marc Antony are either mentioned or make a certain appearance. Cleopatra mentions the living conditions of the people in both Egypt and Rome as she expresses her love of her home and her disgust of the Roman city. She always referring to the Romans as 'barbarians' and she is constantly mentioning that they are filthy and savage compared to her perfect home. This is a problem because, this book is in the perspective of an Egyptian princess and you would think that writing about one of the most largest historical figures of Egypt that is famous in western culture would give children a little bit of knowledge on the culture of Ancient Egypt and why its history is so interesting.
And speaking of Egyptian culture, we don't see anything about Egypt that would teach children anything about how people lived, what religious practices they had, or how the government functioned. I know that the story is about Cleopatra hiding from people who want to kill her but aside from a few places where she is pretending to be a peasant; imagine that, a princess pretending to be a commoner, we don't get enough of the people she will soon be ruler of. She has a desire to become queen over these people of Alexandria but how can readers have the desire to want her to achieve her goal when we don't even know or care about the people she wants to govern.
I should also mention that the diary makes note of Cleopatra's knowledge in Greek mythology due to the Ptolemies using Greek as their language. So it makes sense that Cleopatra is familiar with the Greek gods and culture and not so much Egyptian but then again she did learn Egyptian so I'm surprised that there's not more of that.
Two is that Cleopatra herself isn't interesting.
This is a problem considering her history and what she's done throughout her life. What's interesting is her legacy and what she has done in order to not only take the throne but keep it to herself as long as possible. I'm not a historian and history is one of my worst subjects, probably the worst, but I know enough of Cleopatra VII to get an idea of what kind of a person she was. She was charming, sweet and witty towards people she wanted as allies and she was brutal towards her enemies. But it also makes sense considering her elder sisters took the throne as soon as they possibly could. She had lovers in which she used as allies in order to take the throne and keep it for herself and not share it with anyone. Not her sisters, her father, or her husband. She even had her siblings killed to prevent them from possibly killing her and taking the throne from her.
Historically, she's an interesting person. But in this book, she's all over the place. Cleopatra is sweet but has this constant fear of being killed by either her sister or her people. She lives the life of a royal but she is 'feels bad' about how their slaves and servants are treated as if she's never grown up with it her whole life. She is frightened of being killed but then she stupidly wants to be away from guards and be alone when she knows that her people want her and her father dead.
The only scenes that I found her interesting were the scenes she wrote down about her thoughts of her father. She loves her father but yet she knows he is a terrible ruler and drinks alot. Cleopatra is aware that her father is not too intelligent but at the same time she is always kind to him and shows him love because she fears him. One wrong move or one wrong word spoken could lead to her death. I like how she begins to see her father's flaws and realizes why the people hate him as their ruler.
But looking at this you would think that all these complications would make Cleopatra interesting. It doesn't. It makes her a walking contradiction but then again she is 12 years old and I don't expect 12 year olds to behave like adults. But at the same time, she was raised as a princess. A future queen of the great city of Alexandria, which she constantly praises.
The only interesting character in the book was her sister Cleopatra VI Tryphaena. She had an interesting personality. She was cruel, she had a temper, she wanted to be queen and she didn't like her father as ruler. Looking at his behavior, I don't see how she's in the wrong. Since she was 10 years older than Cleopatra VII so that would make her about 22 years old and it fits since she acted like a queen. She wasn't pleasant and she only sought the pleasures that she was privileged with instead of her intending to take the throne and having pride in working the land and ruling it better than her father. She was flawed but I liked her and I was disappointed that we didn't get to see much of her.
Three is that the story is not very interesting either.
Cleopatra spends most of her time in hiding with her father with the Romans and then they return to Egypt two years later. And that's about it. It's mostly just Cleopatra trying to train herself to become a good queen. We get a little bit of romance between Cleopatra and Marc Antony and a side romance between Cleopatra's servant Neva and her guard Puzo but neither of these things go anywhere or do anything.
At the end, Cleopatra returns to Egypt with her father and her friend says that she left a child and returned a woman but we don't see that development. And I know that this is a little bit more difficult since this is a diary that we're reading but we don't see Cleopatra educate herself on the politics of the Roman Empire. All she does is frown upon what a 'barbaric' society it is and not looking at why or how they became such a powerful and terrifying empire. She keeps saying that she wants to be a better ruler than her father yet we don't see her thoughts about how to fix the mistakes of her father or from her sisters being pharaoh. She doesn't think of the people who are out to kill her or the consequences that affect her people from such poor kings and queens before her. Or at least, not from the diary.
We also don't see Cleopatra's development. We don't see her grow from a child of 12 to a young woman of 14. The diary doesn't show us her thoughts or attitude in politics or any changes in thoughts she might have considering Rome since she spent a lot of time there. You would think that since she keeps mentioning that she wants to be queen that she would take more interest in the Roman Empire, after all the real Cleopatra became lovers of the dictator of the Roman Empire and the wife of one of his generals.
This book isn't bad by all means. It's just not that very interesting. I would have preferred if we got to see a little bit more of Cleopatra's growth from a young naïve girl to a wise and bitter woman who has had a taste of the cruelty of the world. I would like to see more of Cleopatra's character of a ruler who had to be brutal and resourceful in order to survive and keep her throne. With this diary, here is a chance to explore Cleopatra's ambition and goals of why she would want to be pharaoh. We see a little bit of Cleopatra playing nice to get on her father's good side while she is secretly in fear of being killed like her sisters. She could have started out as nice but then as she realizes her father's failure at being pharaoh she grows more angry at him because she's going to have to fix his mistakes and the fact that she has to kiss up to him just to survive! I can totally imagine this character develop a growing hatred for her father and for the rulers of growing empires or for her to become brutal and unforgiving because if she isn't harsh then it could cost her her life.
Wouldn't it be so much more interesting to see Cleopatra slowly give up her nice Disney-princess traits to become a strong and intelligent leader who will do whatever it takes to assure her survival? Even if it means developing intimate ties with 'barbarians' as she calls it.
(I'm sorry if I keep rambling about anger and developing hatred. I just recently watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the whole dark side thing really has my blood pumping with excitement. Good movie, by the way)
Well those were my thoughts. I can see why some people like it but I thought that there were so many better directions that can go with this.
And after reading it, taking notes, and going through it over and over again I realized something. I was incredibly underwhelmed by this book. Not to say that all books in this series are like that it's just that this book, one of the most popular book in The Royal Diaries, was not as great as I expected it to be.
Since the book is a diary, we see Cleopatra's thoughts and her journey as a young 12 year old Egyptian princess. But there are some problems that I noticed in this book.
One is that the history aspect is practically nonexistent.
Many individuals like the Roman figures such as Julius Caesar and Marc Antony are either mentioned or make a certain appearance. Cleopatra mentions the living conditions of the people in both Egypt and Rome as she expresses her love of her home and her disgust of the Roman city. She always referring to the Romans as 'barbarians' and she is constantly mentioning that they are filthy and savage compared to her perfect home. This is a problem because, this book is in the perspective of an Egyptian princess and you would think that writing about one of the most largest historical figures of Egypt that is famous in western culture would give children a little bit of knowledge on the culture of Ancient Egypt and why its history is so interesting.
And speaking of Egyptian culture, we don't see anything about Egypt that would teach children anything about how people lived, what religious practices they had, or how the government functioned. I know that the story is about Cleopatra hiding from people who want to kill her but aside from a few places where she is pretending to be a peasant; imagine that, a princess pretending to be a commoner, we don't get enough of the people she will soon be ruler of. She has a desire to become queen over these people of Alexandria but how can readers have the desire to want her to achieve her goal when we don't even know or care about the people she wants to govern.
I should also mention that the diary makes note of Cleopatra's knowledge in Greek mythology due to the Ptolemies using Greek as their language. So it makes sense that Cleopatra is familiar with the Greek gods and culture and not so much Egyptian but then again she did learn Egyptian so I'm surprised that there's not more of that.
Two is that Cleopatra herself isn't interesting.
This is a problem considering her history and what she's done throughout her life. What's interesting is her legacy and what she has done in order to not only take the throne but keep it to herself as long as possible. I'm not a historian and history is one of my worst subjects, probably the worst, but I know enough of Cleopatra VII to get an idea of what kind of a person she was. She was charming, sweet and witty towards people she wanted as allies and she was brutal towards her enemies. But it also makes sense considering her elder sisters took the throne as soon as they possibly could. She had lovers in which she used as allies in order to take the throne and keep it for herself and not share it with anyone. Not her sisters, her father, or her husband. She even had her siblings killed to prevent them from possibly killing her and taking the throne from her.
Historically, she's an interesting person. But in this book, she's all over the place. Cleopatra is sweet but has this constant fear of being killed by either her sister or her people. She lives the life of a royal but she is 'feels bad' about how their slaves and servants are treated as if she's never grown up with it her whole life. She is frightened of being killed but then she stupidly wants to be away from guards and be alone when she knows that her people want her and her father dead.
The only scenes that I found her interesting were the scenes she wrote down about her thoughts of her father. She loves her father but yet she knows he is a terrible ruler and drinks alot. Cleopatra is aware that her father is not too intelligent but at the same time she is always kind to him and shows him love because she fears him. One wrong move or one wrong word spoken could lead to her death. I like how she begins to see her father's flaws and realizes why the people hate him as their ruler.
But looking at this you would think that all these complications would make Cleopatra interesting. It doesn't. It makes her a walking contradiction but then again she is 12 years old and I don't expect 12 year olds to behave like adults. But at the same time, she was raised as a princess. A future queen of the great city of Alexandria, which she constantly praises.
The only interesting character in the book was her sister Cleopatra VI Tryphaena. She had an interesting personality. She was cruel, she had a temper, she wanted to be queen and she didn't like her father as ruler. Looking at his behavior, I don't see how she's in the wrong. Since she was 10 years older than Cleopatra VII so that would make her about 22 years old and it fits since she acted like a queen. She wasn't pleasant and she only sought the pleasures that she was privileged with instead of her intending to take the throne and having pride in working the land and ruling it better than her father. She was flawed but I liked her and I was disappointed that we didn't get to see much of her.
Three is that the story is not very interesting either.
Cleopatra spends most of her time in hiding with her father with the Romans and then they return to Egypt two years later. And that's about it. It's mostly just Cleopatra trying to train herself to become a good queen. We get a little bit of romance between Cleopatra and Marc Antony and a side romance between Cleopatra's servant Neva and her guard Puzo but neither of these things go anywhere or do anything.
At the end, Cleopatra returns to Egypt with her father and her friend says that she left a child and returned a woman but we don't see that development. And I know that this is a little bit more difficult since this is a diary that we're reading but we don't see Cleopatra educate herself on the politics of the Roman Empire. All she does is frown upon what a 'barbaric' society it is and not looking at why or how they became such a powerful and terrifying empire. She keeps saying that she wants to be a better ruler than her father yet we don't see her thoughts about how to fix the mistakes of her father or from her sisters being pharaoh. She doesn't think of the people who are out to kill her or the consequences that affect her people from such poor kings and queens before her. Or at least, not from the diary.
We also don't see Cleopatra's development. We don't see her grow from a child of 12 to a young woman of 14. The diary doesn't show us her thoughts or attitude in politics or any changes in thoughts she might have considering Rome since she spent a lot of time there. You would think that since she keeps mentioning that she wants to be queen that she would take more interest in the Roman Empire, after all the real Cleopatra became lovers of the dictator of the Roman Empire and the wife of one of his generals.
This book isn't bad by all means. It's just not that very interesting. I would have preferred if we got to see a little bit more of Cleopatra's growth from a young naïve girl to a wise and bitter woman who has had a taste of the cruelty of the world. I would like to see more of Cleopatra's character of a ruler who had to be brutal and resourceful in order to survive and keep her throne. With this diary, here is a chance to explore Cleopatra's ambition and goals of why she would want to be pharaoh. We see a little bit of Cleopatra playing nice to get on her father's good side while she is secretly in fear of being killed like her sisters. She could have started out as nice but then as she realizes her father's failure at being pharaoh she grows more angry at him because she's going to have to fix his mistakes and the fact that she has to kiss up to him just to survive! I can totally imagine this character develop a growing hatred for her father and for the rulers of growing empires or for her to become brutal and unforgiving because if she isn't harsh then it could cost her her life.
Wouldn't it be so much more interesting to see Cleopatra slowly give up her nice Disney-princess traits to become a strong and intelligent leader who will do whatever it takes to assure her survival? Even if it means developing intimate ties with 'barbarians' as she calls it.
(I'm sorry if I keep rambling about anger and developing hatred. I just recently watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the whole dark side thing really has my blood pumping with excitement. Good movie, by the way)
Well those were my thoughts. I can see why some people like it but I thought that there were so many better directions that can go with this.
October 5, 2015
WARNING: spoilers!
This book is truly BAD, sorry.
First, the story has too many holes. Sure it is based on historical fact, namely the exile of king Ptolemy, his daughter Berenice taking over the title, and his return with Roman troops and subsequent execution of the usurper. But as for the rest, and as another reviewer has written, it is just impossible that a young Cleopatra would have happened to meet all the significant people of the time.
Second, the author takes a huge liberty with either facts, or likely facts, to the point of completely discrediting herself:
- she starts of with Cleopatra supposedly being fair-skinned, blue-eyed. But she likely was brown-skinned, black-eyed. Perhaps the author is racist and thinks only Whites are fit to rule?
- she has repeated bits about how supposedly Ptolemy had heard, or cared, about a Jewish Messiah legend, and had cared so much that he had preached it to his daughter!? This is completely impossible, unless of course the author were attempting to manipulate children's minds.
- she cares a great deal about Jewish mythological figures such as "queen Esther", "Queen of Sheba", or "King Solomon", when again why would an Egyptian princess know, or care, about the mythology of a people who had no importance in her eyes?
- the author throws in a Jewish friend, very unlikely in those days, educated, called Timothy (probably after St Paul's friend?), and who preaches to Cleopatra that her gods are "wrong", which implies that his god is "right". This is not just totally unlikely, but it is also grossly prejudiced: why would that supposed friend's "god" be any better than Cleopatra's gods?
- she repeatedly portrays the Romans as "brutes", "barbarians", in spite of the ample historical evidence that the Romans were much MORE civilised: they had a much more advanced law system, they had much more advanced cities with proper sewage, they had proper schools, they had central heating in the homes of the rich, they had public latrines, you name it: they were much MORE civilised. But the author somehow attempts to manipulate children readers in believing that, somehow, all that monotheistic culture coming from the Near East, way superior. This is wrong. And it is prejudiced.
So all in all: a wrong, dishonest, and very manipulative book. Do NOT let children read it.
This book is truly BAD, sorry.
First, the story has too many holes. Sure it is based on historical fact, namely the exile of king Ptolemy, his daughter Berenice taking over the title, and his return with Roman troops and subsequent execution of the usurper. But as for the rest, and as another reviewer has written, it is just impossible that a young Cleopatra would have happened to meet all the significant people of the time.
Second, the author takes a huge liberty with either facts, or likely facts, to the point of completely discrediting herself:
- she starts of with Cleopatra supposedly being fair-skinned, blue-eyed. But she likely was brown-skinned, black-eyed. Perhaps the author is racist and thinks only Whites are fit to rule?
- she has repeated bits about how supposedly Ptolemy had heard, or cared, about a Jewish Messiah legend, and had cared so much that he had preached it to his daughter!? This is completely impossible, unless of course the author were attempting to manipulate children's minds.
- she cares a great deal about Jewish mythological figures such as "queen Esther", "Queen of Sheba", or "King Solomon", when again why would an Egyptian princess know, or care, about the mythology of a people who had no importance in her eyes?
- the author throws in a Jewish friend, very unlikely in those days, educated, called Timothy (probably after St Paul's friend?), and who preaches to Cleopatra that her gods are "wrong", which implies that his god is "right". This is not just totally unlikely, but it is also grossly prejudiced: why would that supposed friend's "god" be any better than Cleopatra's gods?
- she repeatedly portrays the Romans as "brutes", "barbarians", in spite of the ample historical evidence that the Romans were much MORE civilised: they had a much more advanced law system, they had much more advanced cities with proper sewage, they had proper schools, they had central heating in the homes of the rich, they had public latrines, you name it: they were much MORE civilised. But the author somehow attempts to manipulate children readers in believing that, somehow, all that monotheistic culture coming from the Near East, way superior. This is wrong. And it is prejudiced.
So all in all: a wrong, dishonest, and very manipulative book. Do NOT let children read it.
October 24, 2023
Éste libro corresponde a una serie de libros llamados “Diarios de Reinas y Princesas”. Decidí leerlo un día que estaba en la biblioteca en el área de libros de jóvenes y supuse que iba a ser una lectura placentera ya que trataba de Cleopatra.
Mi osadía fue leerlo en inglés, pensando que sería una lectura fácil. Sin embargo, no lo fue. Había muchas palabras desconocidas para mí referentes a la historia de esa época, por lo que tenía que usar el diccionario frecuentemente.
Por otra parte encontré el libro aburrido, porque no pasa casi nada en el desarrollo. Cleopatra más bien cuenta y describe su vida desde los 12 a los 14 años; en la que tiene que dejar su ciudad Alejandría y partir hacia Roma para buscar apoyo y destituir a su hermana en el trono. Hay muchas descripciones de la época qué quizás hubiera disfrutado si estuviese en la adolescencia.
En conclusión, esperaba un poco más de la historia de Cleopatra y julio César, así como la de ella y Marco Antonio; la cual lamentablemente se resume en unas cuantas páginas en el epílogo.
Mi osadía fue leerlo en inglés, pensando que sería una lectura fácil. Sin embargo, no lo fue. Había muchas palabras desconocidas para mí referentes a la historia de esa época, por lo que tenía que usar el diccionario frecuentemente.
Por otra parte encontré el libro aburrido, porque no pasa casi nada en el desarrollo. Cleopatra más bien cuenta y describe su vida desde los 12 a los 14 años; en la que tiene que dejar su ciudad Alejandría y partir hacia Roma para buscar apoyo y destituir a su hermana en el trono. Hay muchas descripciones de la época qué quizás hubiera disfrutado si estuviese en la adolescencia.
En conclusión, esperaba un poco más de la historia de Cleopatra y julio César, así como la de ella y Marco Antonio; la cual lamentablemente se resume en unas cuantas páginas en el epílogo.
Read
May 21, 2023****DNFed at page 64****
This is not a bad book—in fact I enjoyed it quite a bit when I was younger and read it often—but this time I was just a bit bored and decided to quit rather than push through and get into another reading slump.
‼️Content (up to page 64)‼️
Violence: attempts and talk about assassinating a pharaoh and his daughter; blood (not detailed); a leopard kills a baboon (not shown); a snake bites a human, killing him
Drug/Alcohol: characters drink wine; poisoning and attempts to poison
Other: worship of other gods; slaves and slavery
This is not a bad book—in fact I enjoyed it quite a bit when I was younger and read it often—but this time I was just a bit bored and decided to quit rather than push through and get into another reading slump.
‼️Content (up to page 64)‼️
Violence: attempts and talk about assassinating a pharaoh and his daughter; blood (not detailed); a leopard kills a baboon (not shown); a snake bites a human, killing him
Drug/Alcohol: characters drink wine; poisoning and attempts to poison
Other: worship of other gods; slaves and slavery
January 12, 2016
Cleopatra VII Is about a girl who has attractive charm . Most of the scientists want to know how she can make two kings fall in love with her, and how she fought to be the queen in her country .
I liked this story, because you want to know what happens next . It will take you on her adventure.
I liked this story, because you want to know what happens next . It will take you on her adventure.
December 11, 2014
I hate this book so much it doesn't even deserve a proper review.
November 11, 2021
I loved these books in middle school <3
February 13, 2022
Had a more coherent plot than the first book in the series. But there seemed to be too much of a disconnect between the intelligent, thoughtful girl of this story and the queen who later executed her youngest sister and married her two younger brothers. Also, I know it was a different time period but the thought of 14-year-old Cleo with thirty-year-old Marc Antony squicked me out.
January 13, 2012
I am reading a book called Cleopatra VII a group from (The Royal Diaries). This book is by Kristina Gregory one of my most favorite authors. Thins book is mostly about the life of a princess called Cleopatra VII.She is nicknamed the daughter of the Nile. That's because she was born in Egypt very near to the Nile river. Cleopatra faces many danger, and some of her family betrays her, and her farther. Cleopatra is accompanied by her two faithful servants through out all the journey even through harm. The three friends go to Rome to find help. So, they can defeat Cleopatra's evil sister. However, some of Cleopatra's fathers friend already killed her sister. So, Rome might be trying to defeat Cleopatra next!
One of the important facts I have learned is that egyptians have a different saying of their month. For example, January is Januarius, Febuary is Febuarius, and March is Martius. I think these are explainig how people say their monthes in Egypt because if it was really written in egyptian they would have did it with picture of birds, and snakes. These words written in Egyptian is called a hieroglyphics. Also, I noticed that all of the monthes had the letters ius in the end. They matter a lot because there could be a possibility that we are learning a little bit of egyptian or roman.
Another one of the important fact is that Cleopatra had a real leopard named Arrow. This is a important, and intresting fact because I bet most people don't know that she had a leopard, and taming a leopard is a lot harder than you think. This fact matters a lot because this tells us that Cleopatra had a courage to keep one of the most feared species of cats today. The last important fact I have to tell you surprised me a lot! This fact is that Cleopatra, and her father was being hated by everyone in Egypt while Cleopatra's older sister wasn't. Some people in Egypt were rough enough to put a cobra on Cleopatra's fathers bed while he was sleeping. The fact I just told you about matters a lot more than you think because Cleopatra didn't do anything bad that will make all the people in Egypt hate her. Also, one of her sister even tried to make Cleopatra give back he Pearl necklace by putting a dagger close to her neck as if to stranle her.
I thought that this book taught us a biger lesson than I thought it will. One reason I thought this is because At first I thought that all princesses, and Queens are loved by their people because they are always nice, and pretty. Now, I realize that this is not the case. If you were famous it is more likely to be hated if you do something wrong because what they do will always be rumored by everone in their country. For example, when Cleopatra tried to touch one of her oldest sister pearl necklace her sister picked up a dagger, and pointed at Cleopatra's neck this was a lready know by most people in Egypt before you could say "mistake!." Also, if one of your father is a king, and he does something that will make his people mad, and you are his favorite daughter or son the people will also taunt her or him! One time Cleopatras father made the people mad at him. Since, Claopatra was the Kings favorite she was also being made fun of. However, she tried to stay calm as her favorite people did like Queen Nefertiti, and the other princesses. This taught me that even if you get mad you will make your self appear more rude thanbefore.
After I read about Cleopatra I thought that reading more chapters about the Royal Diaries will help me learn about the mysteries of the world like princess Anastasia, and the others. If you want to reada easy fun, exciting nonfiction book you should read Cleopatra VII series called (The Royal Diaries.)
One of the important facts I have learned is that egyptians have a different saying of their month. For example, January is Januarius, Febuary is Febuarius, and March is Martius. I think these are explainig how people say their monthes in Egypt because if it was really written in egyptian they would have did it with picture of birds, and snakes. These words written in Egyptian is called a hieroglyphics. Also, I noticed that all of the monthes had the letters ius in the end. They matter a lot because there could be a possibility that we are learning a little bit of egyptian or roman.
Another one of the important fact is that Cleopatra had a real leopard named Arrow. This is a important, and intresting fact because I bet most people don't know that she had a leopard, and taming a leopard is a lot harder than you think. This fact matters a lot because this tells us that Cleopatra had a courage to keep one of the most feared species of cats today. The last important fact I have to tell you surprised me a lot! This fact is that Cleopatra, and her father was being hated by everyone in Egypt while Cleopatra's older sister wasn't. Some people in Egypt were rough enough to put a cobra on Cleopatra's fathers bed while he was sleeping. The fact I just told you about matters a lot more than you think because Cleopatra didn't do anything bad that will make all the people in Egypt hate her. Also, one of her sister even tried to make Cleopatra give back he Pearl necklace by putting a dagger close to her neck as if to stranle her.
I thought that this book taught us a biger lesson than I thought it will. One reason I thought this is because At first I thought that all princesses, and Queens are loved by their people because they are always nice, and pretty. Now, I realize that this is not the case. If you were famous it is more likely to be hated if you do something wrong because what they do will always be rumored by everone in their country. For example, when Cleopatra tried to touch one of her oldest sister pearl necklace her sister picked up a dagger, and pointed at Cleopatra's neck this was a lready know by most people in Egypt before you could say "mistake!." Also, if one of your father is a king, and he does something that will make his people mad, and you are his favorite daughter or son the people will also taunt her or him! One time Cleopatras father made the people mad at him. Since, Claopatra was the Kings favorite she was also being made fun of. However, she tried to stay calm as her favorite people did like Queen Nefertiti, and the other princesses. This taught me that even if you get mad you will make your self appear more rude thanbefore.
After I read about Cleopatra I thought that reading more chapters about the Royal Diaries will help me learn about the mysteries of the world like princess Anastasia, and the others. If you want to reada easy fun, exciting nonfiction book you should read Cleopatra VII series called (The Royal Diaries.)
August 3, 2008
I really quite liked this one. A lot of the details are still confusing to me (I don't know much ancient history at all, and this is pre NT times) but this did help sort some of it out. What it didn't do was show a sufficient link between the young Cleopatra and her later self - the historical information at the back of the book says that Cleopatra killed her sister Arsinoe in order to secure her throne, and yet the young Cleopatra barely even wonders about such things. I mean, I know it's historical fiction, but that's my point: give the reader pointers to her future character, even if they are fictional ones!
I loved Cleopatra's reaction to Rome. She's not exactly likeable (and I would have preferred a little more explanation at the back of the book - or preferably, in the diary itself - about the "traditions" of the Ptolomaic dynasties that led to Cleopatra marrying her brother) but it's just as good as the other books I've read in this series, and better than some.
I loved Cleopatra's reaction to Rome. She's not exactly likeable (and I would have preferred a little more explanation at the back of the book - or preferably, in the diary itself - about the "traditions" of the Ptolomaic dynasties that led to Cleopatra marrying her brother) but it's just as good as the other books I've read in this series, and better than some.
April 25, 2023
I remember reading a lot of Dear America when I was younger, but don't remember reading many of the Royal Diaries. This worked for a reading challenge I'm participating in, so thought I'd give it a read.
I think this book is good to get someone, particularly kids, interested in historical people and events. While short it packs a lot into it and makes me want to read more in this series at some point.
I think this book is good to get someone, particularly kids, interested in historical people and events. While short it packs a lot into it and makes me want to read more in this series at some point.
March 17, 2025
This book was my FAVE. 1) she has a fucking pet cheetah. 2) she ahistorically makes out with Marc Antony at the age of like, 14, and it was super hot to 9 year old me. 3) Her sister is beheaded for treason and then her head is carried into a room on a silver platter for some reason??
January 7, 2013
Each time I read this book I enjoy it more. The author is very descriptive and paints a vivid picture of each and every scene.
July 17, 2016
Basically a book of lies that attempts to teach young adults a whitewashed version of world history. About as relevant and accurate as the movie Gods of Egypt.
April 12, 2022
Another fun time with a Royal Diaries book! It makes me want to pick up the Cleopatra biography I have on my shelf.
November 6, 2019
I read this book when I was in elementary school and subsequently fell in love with Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt. I was already fascinated with ancient history and Greek and Egyptian mythology- this just deepened my desire to learn more about the period.
This story follows the tale of Cleopatra in her early years, from 12 to 14. She is a young girl growing up in a dangerous time and place. Her father's rule is starting to crumble, and the Ptolemaic rule is coming to its eventual decline. It's interesting reading this book and seeing all of the struggles that Ptolemy and Cleopatra go through to try and secure their future when you know that Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemaic rule. Cleopatra has to navigate her way through the dangerous streets of Alexandria, and the even more treacherous streets of her home, where her sisters ae vying for the throne in their father's absence. He is overseas in Rome trying to get money and an army to suppress uprisings in Egypt.
Cleopatra survives potential poisonings and eventually joins her father in Rome, where she learns more about the political games that surround her future. She is a sharp witted young girl who learns the language of the Romans and is able to understand when they are mocking her father, who relies on translators. Cleopatra faces a culture shock when she comes to Rome and is often comparing it to her idyllic Alexandria. There is a lot of information about the Romans and the city itself. I enjoyed her explorations and her determination to help her father against his countless enemies. She makes allies and enemies, and meets her future partners Marc Antony and Ceasar.
Overall, this is a great coming of age story about a fanstastic historical woman. The details may not be perfect, but its an historical fiction marketed to youth who want an interesting story and to learn some foundations about the time period and the people, not neccessarily a history report of specific situations. I really enjoyed this book, and now that I've written this, I really want to go back and read it for the fifth or sixth time.
This story follows the tale of Cleopatra in her early years, from 12 to 14. She is a young girl growing up in a dangerous time and place. Her father's rule is starting to crumble, and the Ptolemaic rule is coming to its eventual decline. It's interesting reading this book and seeing all of the struggles that Ptolemy and Cleopatra go through to try and secure their future when you know that Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemaic rule. Cleopatra has to navigate her way through the dangerous streets of Alexandria, and the even more treacherous streets of her home, where her sisters ae vying for the throne in their father's absence. He is overseas in Rome trying to get money and an army to suppress uprisings in Egypt.
Cleopatra survives potential poisonings and eventually joins her father in Rome, where she learns more about the political games that surround her future. She is a sharp witted young girl who learns the language of the Romans and is able to understand when they are mocking her father, who relies on translators. Cleopatra faces a culture shock when she comes to Rome and is often comparing it to her idyllic Alexandria. There is a lot of information about the Romans and the city itself. I enjoyed her explorations and her determination to help her father against his countless enemies. She makes allies and enemies, and meets her future partners Marc Antony and Ceasar.
Overall, this is a great coming of age story about a fanstastic historical woman. The details may not be perfect, but its an historical fiction marketed to youth who want an interesting story and to learn some foundations about the time period and the people, not neccessarily a history report of specific situations. I really enjoyed this book, and now that I've written this, I really want to go back and read it for the fifth or sixth time.
August 12, 2015
I probably would've loved this if I'd read it when I was younger! Okay, mainly because Cleopatra has a pet leopard. (Who wouldn't want a pet leopard?) But also because the narration is cute and Cleopatra is pretty sassy when she's not making majestic proclamations about how she would be a much better ruler than her father/sisters/just about anyone.
OH SNAP.
There's a great scene where Cleopatra is caught outside in the rain while she's out doing a spot of shopping. Marc Antony comes along and SLINGS HER OVER HIS SHOULDER, and because Cleopatra doesn't know who's grabbed her, she grabs his sword out of his belt and manages to cut his belt and half his tunic off in the process, leaving him EXPOSED. And she's all HDU >:0 and he replies, "But, Princess, are you not happier being out of the rain?" Her response?
YOU GO GIRL. Okay, it's ridiculous, and I highly doubt the historical accuracy, but... it made me laugh. ALSO, I love that she mentions cutting off his ear, because it refers back to when Cleopatra saw Cicero giving one of his famous speeches in court, about a girl who'd cut the ear off a man who was trying to strangle her:
NOT A LOT HAS CHANGED IN 2000 YEARS, HUH.
I've gathered together the recent letters I have written to Olympus and Theophilus. (Nothing for Berenice -- what would I say? Have you strangled another husband?)
OH SNAP.
There's a great scene where Cleopatra is caught outside in the rain while she's out doing a spot of shopping. Marc Antony comes along and SLINGS HER OVER HIS SHOULDER, and because Cleopatra doesn't know who's grabbed her, she grabs his sword out of his belt and manages to cut his belt and half his tunic off in the process, leaving him EXPOSED. And she's all HDU >:0 and he replies, "But, Princess, are you not happier being out of the rain?" Her response?
"I am not happy that a brute has laid hands on me in an improper way." I pointed the sword at his face and thought how easy it would be for me to slice off his ear.
YOU GO GIRL. Okay, it's ridiculous, and I highly doubt the historical accuracy, but... it made me laugh. ALSO, I love that she mentions cutting off his ear, because it refers back to when Cleopatra saw Cicero giving one of his famous speeches in court, about a girl who'd cut the ear off a man who was trying to strangle her:
My heart is heavy to admit that I found Cicero's strategy unsavoury. He attacked the girl's character in such embarrassing detail. O, I was shocked to hear it. This is his argument: so what if the man tried to strangle her? She must have deserved it, and now this poor fellow has only one ear.
NOT A LOT HAS CHANGED IN 2000 YEARS, HUH.
August 28, 2011
The Cleopatra VII:Daughter of the nile,57 B.C.is one of the best book i read in humanities with my teacher Ms.Zika and my classmates(:.This book was interesting and i liked!When i saw the book i was like omg(i don't like reading).But when we started reading the book i started liking it and it started to get interesting.I would read the book when i was bored and i usually don't do that but now im reading more and kinda liking to read.While i would read i would write notes(on sticky notes) on the book so that i would remember what i had read so that when i had a test i will be ready.(:
This book is about a girl named Cleopatra,she is the daughter of king Auletes and she has sisters.She goes to places with his father and during that her sister Tryphaena was queen and she wanted to take over. But then she was dead.Then her other sister wanted to be the queen but when they returned to Alexandria(Cleopatra,King Auleters)Cleopatra became a queen.She married 2 men the first one was Julius Cesar and had 1 baby but when he died she married Marc Antony and had 3 babies.Then she killed herself with a poisonest snake.But it was a great book.
There wasn't anything i didn't like about the book it was a great book and i enjoy it(:.I feel glad i read this book because it was fun and interesting to read about a girl almost the same age as me.This was the first book i read about Cleopatra and the author Kristiana Gregory.I would recommend this book to everyone that hasn't read it because its a great,interesting book and i am sure you will enjoy it and like it.If you like books about ancient Egypt,this is your book!
This book is about a girl named Cleopatra,she is the daughter of king Auletes and she has sisters.She goes to places with his father and during that her sister Tryphaena was queen and she wanted to take over. But then she was dead.Then her other sister wanted to be the queen but when they returned to Alexandria(Cleopatra,King Auleters)Cleopatra became a queen.She married 2 men the first one was Julius Cesar and had 1 baby but when he died she married Marc Antony and had 3 babies.Then she killed herself with a poisonest snake.But it was a great book.
There wasn't anything i didn't like about the book it was a great book and i enjoy it(:.I feel glad i read this book because it was fun and interesting to read about a girl almost the same age as me.This was the first book i read about Cleopatra and the author Kristiana Gregory.I would recommend this book to everyone that hasn't read it because its a great,interesting book and i am sure you will enjoy it and like it.If you like books about ancient Egypt,this is your book!
October 20, 2010
The Royal Diaries is a series by Scholastic Canada, in which each book is a fictional diary of a royal queen or princess, covering only her early years because the series is geared towards children. I think it is an interesting concept. Children (and adult) readers would learn much about history through them, while being entertained along the way.
Unfortunately, though perhaps the concept in theory sounds good, the reality is a different story, at least in this one title that I've read. As a story, the plot was not that great so I found myself bored in some places.
As a place to learn history, well, I am half and half. The details of the period itself is great, you can see how people lived back in that particular place and time. But as a source to learn about Cleopatra, you don't learn all that much since the diary only covers her early years. You see her meet Caesar and Mark Anthony and other historical figures, for example, but since her real interactions with them did not happen until later in her life, nothing exciting actually occurred in the story itself. Instead, all these history are included in the appendix, which is no different from other history books.
But, perhaps it is a decent start for children and teens. I am really curious about how good the other books in the series are. I hope someday I get to read them.
Unfortunately, though perhaps the concept in theory sounds good, the reality is a different story, at least in this one title that I've read. As a story, the plot was not that great so I found myself bored in some places.
As a place to learn history, well, I am half and half. The details of the period itself is great, you can see how people lived back in that particular place and time. But as a source to learn about Cleopatra, you don't learn all that much since the diary only covers her early years. You see her meet Caesar and Mark Anthony and other historical figures, for example, but since her real interactions with them did not happen until later in her life, nothing exciting actually occurred in the story itself. Instead, all these history are included in the appendix, which is no different from other history books.
But, perhaps it is a decent start for children and teens. I am really curious about how good the other books in the series are. I hope someday I get to read them.
September 17, 2022
I loved this book when I was like 11, so much so that I still own it and intend to keep it forever, but did anyone ever notice just how
Other than that, I loved this book and still read it sometimes just to feel nostalgic.
Other than that, I loved this book and still read it sometimes just to feel nostalgic.
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