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Adventures in Time: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Take a journey to a vanished world with the ADVENTURES IN TIME* series - stories so exciting you won't believe they're all true
'Winter has come; and in a far distant land, a warrior queen is expecting a child...'
Step through these pages into the Tudor a dangerous place, where one miss-step could cost your life. Through the eyes of Henry VIII's six very different queens, from a brave Spanish princess to a wise English widow, historian Dominic Sandbrook takes us on a thrilling journey through the twists and turns of a dramatic age. For no one is safe from the wheel of it can take you from a golden throne to the Tower of London...
The Adventures in Time series brings the past alive for twenty-first century children. These stories are every bit as exciting as those of Harry Potter or Matilda Wormwood. The only difference is they actually happened...
* (Perfect for all readers who enjoy tales of heroes, villains, jousting, beheadings and fat tyrants)
'Winter has come; and in a far distant land, a warrior queen is expecting a child...'
Step through these pages into the Tudor a dangerous place, where one miss-step could cost your life. Through the eyes of Henry VIII's six very different queens, from a brave Spanish princess to a wise English widow, historian Dominic Sandbrook takes us on a thrilling journey through the twists and turns of a dramatic age. For no one is safe from the wheel of it can take you from a golden throne to the Tower of London...
The Adventures in Time series brings the past alive for twenty-first century children. These stories are every bit as exciting as those of Harry Potter or Matilda Wormwood. The only difference is they actually happened...
* (Perfect for all readers who enjoy tales of heroes, villains, jousting, beheadings and fat tyrants)
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2023
29 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Dominic Sandbrook
46 books562 followersAn English historian, commentator and broadcaster and author of two highly acclaimed books on modern Britain: Never Had It So Good and White Heat. Their follow-up is State of Emergency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 8, 2025
6*
I am so grateful to my students for getting me into these books. Brilliant compelling accounts of historical moments, so engagingly recounted. I know the story of Henry VIII's wives but not in as much detail and using written evidence Sandbrook brings the characters to life.
Sadly not too many on audio. I am not quite sure what I will do when I have worked my way through them!
I am so grateful to my students for getting me into these books. Brilliant compelling accounts of historical moments, so engagingly recounted. I know the story of Henry VIII's wives but not in as much detail and using written evidence Sandbrook brings the characters to life.
Sadly not too many on audio. I am not quite sure what I will do when I have worked my way through them!
September 19, 2022
This was just delightful. I am a homeschool mom (US) and have read my fair share of histories on the look out for engaging books for children. I think Mr. Sandbrook knocks this out of the park.
He manages to keep the book at a PG level, which isn't easy when it comes to Henry VIII, but still tells the story in a very compelling manner. I love Mr. Sandbrook's podcast The Rest is History, and could almost hear his voice as I read the text.
This is a great book (for any age imo) for a budding history lover. I enjoyed it so much I ordered the rest of the series that's available.
He manages to keep the book at a PG level, which isn't easy when it comes to Henry VIII, but still tells the story in a very compelling manner. I love Mr. Sandbrook's podcast The Rest is History, and could almost hear his voice as I read the text.
This is a great book (for any age imo) for a budding history lover. I enjoyed it so much I ordered the rest of the series that's available.
September 3, 2025
Another straightforward and easy to read narrative history from Dominic Sandbrook for kids or adults who want a quick introduction to a time period. The story of Henry and his wives is crazy, it reads like Game of Thrones. Dominic tells the story in a dramatic way that was very entertaining! Lots of emotions came up in me reading the story of the Protestant reformation in England. As a Catholic, I find it a sad story, but I gained a better understanding of the nuances of the situation. I think Thomas More was done a little dirty in this book tho. Big Thomas More guy, obviously.
My favorite wife? Gotta be Catherine of Aragon right?
My favorite wife? Gotta be Catherine of Aragon right?
January 21, 2024
One of the earlier books in the 'Adventures in Time' series, this book is written for a younger audience to introduce them to the Court of Henry VIII and his chequered marital history. The book is split into sections covering each wife, while also making sure that the reader gets a thorough overview of the major events and other important people of the period.
Having read the books on WW1 and WW2, I wondered how the author was going to tackle this subject, as clearly his method of telling the story through using eyewitnesses own words was going to be far more difficult here. Ultimately, this is more of a 'traditional' introduction to history - an overview with all of the quotes from written sources you'd expect. This does mean that it feels tonally different to the others in the series.
The biggest problem this book faces is that there are so many other children's history books out there that serve to introduce the Tudors in a far more engaging way - Horrible Histories and Dead Famous being chief amongst them. There is no escaping being lumped in with those juggernauts, and sadly I'd say this is found wanting. In particular, the Dead Famous book about Henry VIII is very, very similar in content terms, but has so much extra in the way of comedy, engagement and fun. As a result, this book comes across as actually quite dry.
Of course the content has been written to be appropriate for the age group, but that does mean some elements are perhaps illustrated as 'fact' when there is an element of dispute there. For example, it states that on their wedding night, Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur went to bed and fell asleep. Clearly there is an element here of sanitisation,but equally I would say this is misleading. Similarly, well known quotes are truncated or altered to spare blushes and awkward questions. I found this an odd choice; why use the quote if you have to beat around the bush? In my opinion, it would have been more productive to use your own words to explain in a child-friendly way.
It seems very clear to me that the author is a huge Catherine of Aragon fan, which is totally understandable. However, where she gets quite a detailed explanation of her childhood and earlier life, the other wives don't get the same treatment. Poor old Anne of Cleves only gets one very brief chapter and, while she does appear in Catherine Howard's narrative, it really does feel like she's been short changed here.
I do get that his marriages are useful landmarks to hang a narrative of Henry's reign on, but in this case it does feel like the wives are secondary to Henry's story. This is not unusual I know, but when the book title indicates you're getting the story of the wives, again it's a bit of a let down.
I'd argue that the best reader for this book would be an young teen who has had the history of the Tudors pass them by - someone who is perhaps too old for Horrible Histories (which I know isn't technically possible!), but not old enough for all the gory details. Where I'm a seasoned Tudor fan and definitely not a young teen any more, I can appreciate the generally well-written nature of the book while recognising that I am far from its target audience.
Having read the books on WW1 and WW2, I wondered how the author was going to tackle this subject, as clearly his method of telling the story through using eyewitnesses own words was going to be far more difficult here. Ultimately, this is more of a 'traditional' introduction to history - an overview with all of the quotes from written sources you'd expect. This does mean that it feels tonally different to the others in the series.
The biggest problem this book faces is that there are so many other children's history books out there that serve to introduce the Tudors in a far more engaging way - Horrible Histories and Dead Famous being chief amongst them. There is no escaping being lumped in with those juggernauts, and sadly I'd say this is found wanting. In particular, the Dead Famous book about Henry VIII is very, very similar in content terms, but has so much extra in the way of comedy, engagement and fun. As a result, this book comes across as actually quite dry.
Of course the content has been written to be appropriate for the age group, but that does mean some elements are perhaps illustrated as 'fact' when there is an element of dispute there. For example, it states that on their wedding night, Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur went to bed and fell asleep. Clearly there is an element here of sanitisation,but equally I would say this is misleading. Similarly, well known quotes are truncated or altered to spare blushes and awkward questions. I found this an odd choice; why use the quote if you have to beat around the bush? In my opinion, it would have been more productive to use your own words to explain in a child-friendly way.
It seems very clear to me that the author is a huge Catherine of Aragon fan, which is totally understandable. However, where she gets quite a detailed explanation of her childhood and earlier life, the other wives don't get the same treatment. Poor old Anne of Cleves only gets one very brief chapter and, while she does appear in Catherine Howard's narrative, it really does feel like she's been short changed here.
I do get that his marriages are useful landmarks to hang a narrative of Henry's reign on, but in this case it does feel like the wives are secondary to Henry's story. This is not unusual I know, but when the book title indicates you're getting the story of the wives, again it's a bit of a let down.
I'd argue that the best reader for this book would be an young teen who has had the history of the Tudors pass them by - someone who is perhaps too old for Horrible Histories (which I know isn't technically possible!), but not old enough for all the gory details. Where I'm a seasoned Tudor fan and definitely not a young teen any more, I can appreciate the generally well-written nature of the book while recognising that I am far from its target audience.
January 21, 2024
I saw this in a book shop recently and must say I thought the cover was nice so I fancied reading it! It was a great storytelling of Henry 8ths reign and how he moves through his wives. I would deffo have read this when I was much younger also.
August 21, 2025
Another book I previewed for our year of English history.
This is a fine middle grade book on the subject. It's probably what I'll use for my 12 year old. But it feels quite sanitized (the question of whether Arthur and Catherine consummated their marriage is skimmed over quite vaguely, Catherine Howard's affairs are referred to with terms like boyfriends and tickling), which is fine for a little kid, but anyone old enough to actually need to understand what was at play with the annulment or execution would need to have more detail on some of those sexual questions.
Sandbrook is obviously a huge fan of Catherine of Aragon, who gets about half the book, while Anne Boleyn definitely is portrayed as a crafty shrew. It's true that Catherine was Queen the longest of the six, but we actually only get her upbringing in any detail, with brief summaries for the other five; I feel like all the other wives get the speedy overview treatment. Henry comes across as a disgusting monster, which is fair enough!
I found Sandbrook's Vikings book from this series to be fascinating and truly like reading a novel. Perhaps it's my own familiarity with this time period that made me feel like this one was largely another perfunctory children's history book rather than a dashing good yarn. I'm going to keep looking for something with a bit more oomph to engage my high schoolers.
This is a fine middle grade book on the subject. It's probably what I'll use for my 12 year old. But it feels quite sanitized (the question of whether Arthur and Catherine consummated their marriage is skimmed over quite vaguely, Catherine Howard's affairs are referred to with terms like boyfriends and tickling), which is fine for a little kid, but anyone old enough to actually need to understand what was at play with the annulment or execution would need to have more detail on some of those sexual questions.
Sandbrook is obviously a huge fan of Catherine of Aragon, who gets about half the book, while Anne Boleyn definitely is portrayed as a crafty shrew. It's true that Catherine was Queen the longest of the six, but we actually only get her upbringing in any detail, with brief summaries for the other five; I feel like all the other wives get the speedy overview treatment. Henry comes across as a disgusting monster, which is fair enough!
I found Sandbrook's Vikings book from this series to be fascinating and truly like reading a novel. Perhaps it's my own familiarity with this time period that made me feel like this one was largely another perfunctory children's history book rather than a dashing good yarn. I'm going to keep looking for something with a bit more oomph to engage my high schoolers.
November 28, 2022
Historian Dominic Sandbrook has written a series of books for children called Adventures in Time. So far, he has covered both World Wars and Alexander the Great, with books on the Vikings and Cleopatra to follow. In The Six Wives of Henry VIII Sandbrook concisely covers the tumultuous reign of England's most famous monarch through his many marriages and deftly deals with the religious upheaval of the age while bringing to life his colourful court, riddled with intrigue, rivalry and revenge. From Catherine of Aragon through to Catherine Parr, via Cromwell and Cranmer, this book is perfect for children aged 10 to 13.
April 2, 2022
What an amazing book! The ability of Dominic Sandbrook to write about history in that lively and interesting way is admirable. The cliffhangers worked perfectly for me and I learned a lot of new things.
The religious aspect of this period was well explained and developed, even though the book is intended for teenagers. The personality of each of the characters was also well defined.
I can imagine that adults will enjoy this book as much as teenagers (or probably even more).
I'm hoping that this series is going to be long, as I intend to read every book in the series!
The religious aspect of this period was well explained and developed, even though the book is intended for teenagers. The personality of each of the characters was also well defined.
I can imagine that adults will enjoy this book as much as teenagers (or probably even more).
I'm hoping that this series is going to be long, as I intend to read every book in the series!
March 10, 2025
This beat my expectations. I picked it up because I've always loved the Tudor period, however I wasn't sure about if I was going to enjoy it because some history books can be boring but this was not. It felt like you were there, it didn't feel like a history book but instead a fictional one like I typically enjoy. Honestly was so good and I highly recommend. Felt very immersed in the books and still learnt facts.
March 26, 2025
Super 👌 świetnie mi się tego słuchało! Takie "opowieści" historyczne bardzo lubię - tz. takie bez konkretnych dat, które zawsze mnie dekoncentrują bo staram się je zapamiętać 😅nieprzeładowane faktami, choć treściwie przedstawione. Wiadomo, żeby zagłębić się w jakieś zagadnienie historyczne potrzeba impulsu i to właśnie taki typ książki - zapalnik wiedzy.
Mam inne z tej serii już ma półce, mam nadzieję że będą równie fajne.
Mam inne z tej serii już ma półce, mam nadzieję że będą równie fajne.
December 22, 2021
Sort of like longer cliff notes to get a background for a deeper work. I really didn't remember that three of the king's wives were named Catherine and two were Anne. I need to check out the author's adult historical books as well. I can see his young readers enjoying his Adventures in Time series.
June 14, 2022
Really insightful couldn't put in down. Great for the children in the class who aren't as keen on reading. I will defiantly be reading the other books in the series. Also really helped with my teaching of the Tudors reference lots of this to the children an encourage them all to get a copy for our lesson.
July 10, 2023
This was given to my 3rd grader as a gift. It’s a bit much for him, both in density and intensity, but I tore through it in a day. Learned so much history, but it was a total page-turner. I’d recommend to any kids, maybe 5th grade and up, and adults who like history that doesn’t read dry. Can’t wait to try some of the others in this series!
January 31, 2024
This book tells the stories of each of Henry VIII’s six wives. Each wife gets her own section of the book, which were proportionate in length as to how long they were married. It felt a little rushed at the end, but many things progressed quickly at the end of his life.
This is a great overview of the wives of Henry VIII.
This is a great overview of the wives of Henry VIII.
July 14, 2025
Read this with my y8 tutor group as part of their cross curriculum reading time. It is a detailed account started from the arrival of Catherine of Aragon to the death of Henry. The Children found its descriptions engaging and I enjoyed it too on the accuracy and entertainment level. Would recommend if you want to dabble in a historical text without being bored!
December 27, 2021
A terrific book for youngsters. History told with the young reader in mind. Fast paced but accurate, detailed but sensitive, the author doesn’t shy away from darker areas but doesn’t glorify them either. Would have been delighted with this series when I was 12 or so.
October 6, 2022
This is a pretty good book by any standard, not just judging against the youth audience it was written for. I wanted to read it before I put it on the classroom shelf for my middle schoolers, and wound up really enjoying it. I'll be a customer for Sandbrook's other books in the series.
January 23, 2025
great
I know this series of books are really meant for children from 12 upwards but they really are very good , this one about Henry VIII and his 6 wives is excellent, gives you the major points from the marriages and his reign in a very interesting and easy to read way .
I know this series of books are really meant for children from 12 upwards but they really are very good , this one about Henry VIII and his 6 wives is excellent, gives you the major points from the marriages and his reign in a very interesting and easy to read way .
June 3, 2025
I’m a touch older than this book’s target audience, but the prose is a sheer delight regardless.
The bloke goes all right as a historian, too.
(‘An’ historian?? You say to-MAY-toe; I say to-MAH-toe.)
The bloke goes all right as a historian, too.
(‘An’ historian?? You say to-MAY-toe; I say to-MAH-toe.)
April 22, 2022
A very readable history book for both children of ten and over and adults. Sandbrook brings the past back to life.
March 27, 2023
Entertaining.
June 27, 2023
A highly readable history for teenagers.
December 11, 2023
Really detailed and interesting.
Best bit -does not leave out the gross bits 😄
Best bit -does not leave out the gross bits 😄
December 30, 2023
I think this series is for YA but I loved it. Sue me.
April 10, 2024
this is for sure the most engaging book i’ve read this year! maybe it’s my love for all things Brit but i was HOOKED to this book. so interesting & so well written!
December 23, 2024
I love this series! I really enjoy a bit of history! Very detailed and interesting.
January 7, 2025
An interestingly written book about the wives of Henry VIII, written in a tone that is engaging and easy to read. I enjoyed every moment of reading it.
August 17, 2025
I’m so pleased the wheel of fortune brought this book into my life.The language,the facts,the evoke of emotions was amazing and the epilogue left a standing impression
December 10, 2025
Just finished reading this to my 10 year old daughter. We both enjoyed it alot and are looking forward to reading some of his other books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews