Overall, it was another good and solid book for the series. I thought it was pretty well researched and kept me intrigued. My only complaint would be Mary complained too much about missing her mother, but I can understand why she would. 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to young girls. ( )

Summary: This diary follows the journal of Mary, the Queen of Scotland who is someday destined to marry the future King of France. She is heavily educated, and through her journal we discover her fears and joys whilst she struggles without having a country to rule.

Personal Reaction: I think the tragic history of Mary attributes to the fictional biography demonstrated in this diary. I believe this is a great work that offers a sensitive aspect to Mary and her tragic background.

Classroom extensions: I think it would be great to have students make crowns and royal crests in a manner that represents what they are interested in. I think it would be fun to see what they come up with and how they represent themselves. ( )

Nice palate cleanser after Hornets Nest.... ( )

I absolutely love the entire Royal Diaries series. They are all incredibly brilliant. MY favorite are Jahanara, Eleanor and Lady of Ch'iao Kuo. They're a great way to learn history. ( )

Lately, I've returned to reading books of the Tudor period of history. This one was noted on the LT recommendations link on my home page.

It is a simple tale of a complex woman. There is nothing in depth about this book and I skimmed parts that seemed boring and trite.

Mary was six days old when her father, King James V of Scotland, died on the battlefield. At nine months of age, she was crowned queen of Scotland.

This book does not focus on the complexity of her tragic life, rather it reflects the time period when, as a very young child, she was sent to France to live in the court of King Henry II. An alliance was formed to wed Mary to King Henry's son Frances.

At eleven years of age she was care free when living in various palaces of the King. Her future husband Frances was her dear childhood friend. The book focuses on this idyllic time of her life.

While I cannot highly recommend this book, there were interesting portions, including the descriptions of Queen Catherine de'Medici and King Henry's infamous mistress Diane de Poitiers.

As always, when reading historical fiction, I'm lead down a path to study other figures. I'll look for more information regarding Diane de Poitiers. She appears to have been a fascinating woman.