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Where is/are...?
Where Is the Tower of London?
The Tower of London holds almost a thousand years' worth of secrets!
The Tower of London draws more than 2 million visitors a year! Almost 1,000 years old and first built by William the Conqueror in 1066, the tower has been a fortress, a palace, a zoo, and an exhibit site for the amazing Crown Jewels. But the tower's reputation as a prison is probably what accounts for its popularity! Two young princes in the time of King Richard III were never again heard from after entering the castle, and two of King Henry VIII's wives were held captive here. Author Janet B. Pascal brings to life one of the most fascinating landmarks in the world.
The Tower of London draws more than 2 million visitors a year! Almost 1,000 years old and first built by William the Conqueror in 1066, the tower has been a fortress, a palace, a zoo, and an exhibit site for the amazing Crown Jewels. But the tower's reputation as a prison is probably what accounts for its popularity! Two young princes in the time of King Richard III were never again heard from after entering the castle, and two of King Henry VIII's wives were held captive here. Author Janet B. Pascal brings to life one of the most fascinating landmarks in the world.
112 pages, Library Binding
Published September 18, 2018
47 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Janet B. Pascal
19 books41 followersJanet Pascal, author of many YA biographies and Viking’s senior copy-editor, lives in New York, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 24, 2023
Quite an interesting book about the many functionalities of the Tower of London: fort, palace, menagerie, jail, execution place, mint, museum and jewelry keeper, etc. The illustrations are nice, the not too lengthy format is perfect to keep kids interested in it.
What I didn't like: it jumps all over with the chronology and the information is presented in an abrupt and too stiff way.
What I didn't like: it jumps all over with the chronology and the information is presented in an abrupt and too stiff way.
December 1, 2022
All this educational book series Are amazing to grown ups and young ones. Gives enough information to educate and know about the place, individual and make you be interested to read more.
August 31, 2020
The Tower of England is fascinating, and this book is loaded with English history. I learned a lot from it but didn't enjoy it as much as others in the series. The writing style was kindof abrupt, both the intro and last page left me flipping forward and back again, saying "that's it?" In between, the chronology was all over.
It covers a lot of royalty, so many Henrys, Georges, Richards and Edwards.
English history, by the way, is loaded with murder, torture, and execution. So many beheadings!!
Chapter 10, The Tudors, is a summary of Henry VIII and his wives. (Interesting, but there is also a whole Who Was book on him.) Then Chapter 11 states that Queen Elizabeth I became one of England's greatest rulers, but ends on that sentence and doesn't offer any explanation for her greatness.
The portraits are well done, but I didn't care for the illustration style, heavy on black ink and distracting.
Interesting subject, lots of information, lots of beheadings!
It covers a lot of royalty, so many Henrys, Georges, Richards and Edwards.
English history, by the way, is loaded with murder, torture, and execution. So many beheadings!!
Chapter 10, The Tudors, is a summary of Henry VIII and his wives. (Interesting, but there is also a whole Who Was book on him.) Then Chapter 11 states that Queen Elizabeth I became one of England's greatest rulers, but ends on that sentence and doesn't offer any explanation for her greatness.
The portraits are well done, but I didn't care for the illustration style, heavy on black ink and distracting.
Interesting subject, lots of information, lots of beheadings!
August 4, 2019
The tower of England isn’t just a tower it’s lots of things! It’s a 💰coin maker, a 🏰palace, a 💎 jewelry keeper, a zoo with 🦁Lions,🐘the first Elephant, 🦔porcupines,🦘Kangaroos, 🐅Tigers and🐻Bears and more, and it’s a JAIL TOO!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2019
4.25 The Tower of London is one of my favorite places on earth. Its history is so f'd fascinating. This book does a nice job covering the basics, but a few editorial errors tarnished it for me a little bit.
July 24, 2024
The tower London had a secret zoo in it and that’s cool! It was a castle too and turned into a prison.
April 27, 2019
I learned a lot in this book and really liked it. I can't believe how many people got their heads cut off here and how the kings just made up their own rules. I'm going to read about Henry VIII next because I have a lot of questions about him after reading this book.
September 20, 2019
Lots of crazy-interesting history, but I felt like this wasn't as well-written as some of the other books in the series. The chronology skips around a little, which is annoying.
November 19, 2019
Emerson's book
I loved the book so much!!😍 I am a kid so you get the picture will you're kids love it?
I loved the book so much!!😍 I am a kid so you get the picture will you're kids love it?
October 14, 2023
1. "The one date that every English schoolchild knows is 1066. This is the year William the Conqueror became king of England. It marks the beginning of modern English history. Before 1066, people in England were known as Anglo-Saxons." (p. 9)
2. "A garderobe was the place in a castle where people went to the bathroom." (p. 17)
3. "The Tower was built to defend the king and for his family to live in. But it soon took on a third role. It became a place to keep prisoners. It was the place where the king put political prisoners." (p. 19)
4. "English coins were very thin, and the edges weren’t perfectly even. People used to clip tiny bits of silver off the edges and save them up. When they had enough silver, they would melt it down to create a fake new coin. Clipping coins was a serious crime." (p. 44)
5. "The king had all the old coins in the country returned to the mint and remade into new ones. This complicated work was overseen by Sir Isaac Newton." (p. 45)
6. "In the 1600s, England had a revolution. The king was overthrown, and for several years the country was ruled by Puritans. These were the same group of strict Protestants that would help settle North America." (p. 47)
7. "He wanted to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. But the Catholic church did not allow divorce. The pope would not let him end his marriage. So Henry said that the pope was no longer the head of the church in England. Henry was. From then on, the church in England has been Anglican, not Catholic. And all because Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. Now Henry wanted to get rid of Anne so he could marry Jane. He accused Anne of being a witch." (p. 50-51)
8. "So many people were coming to see the Menagerie that an admission fee began to be charged. (But for a while you could get in for free if you brought a dog or cat to feed to the lions!)" (p. 65)
2. "A garderobe was the place in a castle where people went to the bathroom." (p. 17)
3. "The Tower was built to defend the king and for his family to live in. But it soon took on a third role. It became a place to keep prisoners. It was the place where the king put political prisoners." (p. 19)
4. "English coins were very thin, and the edges weren’t perfectly even. People used to clip tiny bits of silver off the edges and save them up. When they had enough silver, they would melt it down to create a fake new coin. Clipping coins was a serious crime." (p. 44)
5. "The king had all the old coins in the country returned to the mint and remade into new ones. This complicated work was overseen by Sir Isaac Newton." (p. 45)
6. "In the 1600s, England had a revolution. The king was overthrown, and for several years the country was ruled by Puritans. These were the same group of strict Protestants that would help settle North America." (p. 47)
7. "He wanted to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. But the Catholic church did not allow divorce. The pope would not let him end his marriage. So Henry said that the pope was no longer the head of the church in England. Henry was. From then on, the church in England has been Anglican, not Catholic. And all because Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. Now Henry wanted to get rid of Anne so he could marry Jane. He accused Anne of being a witch." (p. 50-51)
8. "So many people were coming to see the Menagerie that an admission fee began to be charged. (But for a while you could get in for free if you brought a dog or cat to feed to the lions!)" (p. 65)
October 23, 2020
We've used a lot of the WhoHQ books to supplement our homeschool curriculum and expand on our "living books." This one was particularly helpful because it covers the history of The Monarchy of England/Britain/The United Kingdom from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. It doesn't cover every single one (no mention of Victoria, for example) but it does hit on some of the notorious events of the late middle ages. There is a lot of talk about haunting, executions, and beheadings, and they mention the two princes who were likely killed in the tower as children, so that's worth noting if you have a sensitive reader. I took the time to review because it helped us patch together several events on our timeline this year.
March 23, 2019
Part of a new series from the Who Was...? Series, the Where Is..? group of books gives kids an inside look at famous locations and buildings.
In this, a book about the Tower of London, readers learn about the history of the Tower of London, and the author doesn't shy away from the unsavory pieces of history, such as beheadings and the behavior or rulers like Henry VIII.
These books are meant for children, but this one is so well-researched that even I learned something from it.
Recommended for all ages, but tweens, especially, will devour this series.
In this, a book about the Tower of London, readers learn about the history of the Tower of London, and the author doesn't shy away from the unsavory pieces of history, such as beheadings and the behavior or rulers like Henry VIII.
These books are meant for children, but this one is so well-researched that even I learned something from it.
Recommended for all ages, but tweens, especially, will devour this series.
May 14, 2023
"...the oldest parts of the Tower of London are almost two thousand years old."
The Tower of London has a long, fascinating history which this quick read gives a nice exploration of.
It covers who lived there, hid there, was imprisoned there, died there, and most impressively escaped from the Tower of London.
The brief history of how it was built /expanded includes the fact that a portion of the old Roman London Wall was incorporated into the Tower of London.
There is also an interesting section on the Crown Jewels.
The Tower of London has a long, fascinating history which this quick read gives a nice exploration of.
It covers who lived there, hid there, was imprisoned there, died there, and most impressively escaped from the Tower of London.
The brief history of how it was built /expanded includes the fact that a portion of the old Roman London Wall was incorporated into the Tower of London.
There is also an interesting section on the Crown Jewels.
April 23, 2019
My daughter was asking me questions as she was reading this book, and I realized I had forgotten just about everything about it. So I decided to read it too. It does a nice job of giving an overview of how the tower came to be and some of the major events that have taken place there. I always associated it with King Henry VIII’s beheadings (which are definitely monumental), but learned about other prisoners, escapes, and animals that were kept there too.
April 26, 2022
I actually loved this little book! It pretty much explained all the history of the Tower of London from it's creation by William the Conqueror in the medieval days, to it's tourist attraction in the modern-day. (including the ceremony of the keys!) All the rulers who lived there, and all the deaths and legends that took place there were mentioned. I thought the death of the two little princes was especially creepy.
June 26, 2019
I read this book with my 11 year old daughter prior to our trip to London so she would know some of the historical details of the Tower of London. This was an interesting read for us as the tower has served as a grand palace, an armory, a prison, a jewel storehouse, a coin mint, and a zoo in its nearly 1,000 year history.
December 3, 2019
What an interesting history this building has. It was very interesting learning about the minting of coins (and how people tried to counterfeit them, the ceremony of the keys which is still performed every evening, to the loss of life, the mystery of the two princes, etc. Overall, a very good overview of this fascinating building.
who-hq
May 11, 2020The White Tower was first built by William the Conqueror, who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in 1066. Later kings built additional fortifications. The Tower has been used as a palace, prison, armoury, zoo, mint and storage for the king’s possessions (such as the Crown Jewels). Famous prisoners include the Princes in the Tower and Anne Boleyn (second wife of Henry VIII).
March 2, 2021
I have been reading this series so that I can discuss then with my students. While I did learn new facts in this book, it seemed to jump around a bit that left even someone like myself, who has studied the English royalty, confused. The book does need to be factual, however, the wording at times could have been better chosen.
August 15, 2019
The detail that people wanting to see the zoo in the Tower of London could see it for free if they brought a cat or dog to feed to the lions was especially fun. The polar bear fished in the moat! Great stuff.
November 27, 2024
I have these books in my classroom and with less than 1 week until a trip I decided to take a few home to not look like a total idiot on tours. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this sooner. Perfect hour or so read that gives plenty of info and is easy to read!
April 25, 2025
There are so many stories to the history of this well-known tourist site in London that the best I can do is say read this book you will learn a lot about London and its kings, queens and people throughout history.
January 11, 2019
I liked it.
February 7, 2019
Best part of the book is the fact that Edward the Confessor's father was known as Ethelred the Unready because he always lost battles against invaders.
September 13, 2019
What a bloody (hah!) history. Well written. I learned a lot.
October 4, 2021
Подскажите пожалуйста, как начать читать книгу? Куда нажимать?
December 26, 2021
First in the "where" series to make me want to visit the place. (I've been near the Tower before but passed it up in favor of the Florence nightingale museum.) Learned a lot.
March 19, 2022
This was pretty boring. I think they ran out of stuff to write about around the point they started talking about ghosts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2022
Facts about Tudor’s are wrong, picture of Elizabeth is identified as Jane Grey. Nope nope nope.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews