Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2039775 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Library Binding
• 160 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up—From unfortunate marriages to naive political decisions, Mary Stuart seemingly lived from one disaster to another. Tensions between Catholics and Protestants as well as political unrest in England exacerbated her problems and eventually led to her execution. Her history is closely tied to that of Scotland, France, and England, with a bit of Spain thrown in, and as such, is a sometimes confusing parade of characters and places even for readers with some knowledge of 16th-century events. This book is serviceable for report writers and those with an interest in the subject. Its format is more traditional, without the sidebars, section headings, and attention grabbers that many nonfiction series are now using; there is not much that breaks up the text. Color images help, but the dense, high-level reading content may be too much for students who read below grade level. The book is well sourced. Sally Stepanek's Mary, Queen of Scots (Chelsea House, 1987) is similar in scope and design, though it lacks color images. John Guy's Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart (Houghton, 2004) is a much longer adult book, but readers who are really interested in this figure may enjoy it.—Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
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From Booklist
The writing style is dull in this biography in the European Queen series. At times it reads like little more than a chronology of events. But the history is so dramatic that many readers will be absorbed by the incredible story of a woman caught up in the elaborate political conspiracies of her time, both a perpetrator and victim of the spying and treachery, even in her own family. Was she involved in the plot to assassinate her husband? At the core is the religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and the power struggles in France, Scotland, and England, which climax in her execution, ordered by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. The design is readable with lots of colored screens, portraits, and period prints, as well as a double-page spread showing a reproduction of Mary's last letter, written for her brother-in-law, King Henry III of France. Extensive back matter includes detailed chapter notes, a bibliography, time line, glossary, family tree, suggested Web sites, and a list of historical figures. Rochman, Hazel

Customer Reviews

An engaging and informative 'window in time' that brings this peace of history to life
Educators Nancy Lotz and Carlene Philips has collaborated to present the life story of Mary Stuart, the daughter of Henry the Eighth. Mary became the Queen of Scotland only a few days after she was born and lived in her native land for a total of six years. But that was long enough for her life and tragedy to impact the course of British history with her struggle to supplant her sister, Elizabeth Tudor, from the throne of England that ultimately ended with her death at the headsman's axe. This political contest was also a struggle between the entrenched forces of Catholicism and the newly emerged powers of Protestantism. "Mary Queen Of Scotts" offers young readers an engaging and informative 'window in time' that brings this peace of history to life. Also very highly recommended for both school and community library biography and history collections for young readers from Morgan Reynolds are Kerrily Sapet's "Cleopatra: Ruler Of Egypt" (9781599350356, $27.95); Sandra H. Schichtman and Dorothy Indenbaum's "Gifted sister: The Story Of Fanny Mendelssohn" (978-1-59935-038-7, $27.95); and Julie Baker's "The Bread And Roses Strike Of 1912" (9781599350448, $27.95); John Duggleby's "Revolution: The Story Of John Lennon" (9781599350349, $27.95); and William Schoell's "Giuseppe Verdi And Italian Opera" (9781599350417, $27.95)