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71st out of 350 books
—
904 voters
Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey
by
Ann Rinaldi
I had freckles.
I had sandy hair.
I was too short.
Would my feet even touch the ground if I sat on the throne?
These are the words of lady Jane Grey, as imagined by celebrated author Ann Rinaldi. Jane would become Queen of England for only nine days before being beheaded at the age of sixteen.
Here is a breathtaking story of English royalty with its pageantry, privilege, and...more
I had sandy hair.
I was too short.
Would my feet even touch the ground if I sat on the throne?
These are the words of lady Jane Grey, as imagined by celebrated author Ann Rinaldi. Jane would become Queen of England for only nine days before being beheaded at the age of sixteen.
Here is a breathtaking story of English royalty with its pageantry, privilege, and...more
Paperback, 228 pages
Published
January 31st 2006
by HarperCollins
(first published January 18th 2005)
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Apr 04, 2011
Laura Garding
added it
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is definitely a book that I plan on reading again. I thought that the story was very well written. It was very interesting and new things were always happening in Lady Jane Grey’s life. I was interested in the book the whole way through and I didn’t want to put it down. I for the most part, really enjoy historical fiction books. It is fun to learn about something that is real but to also have a fun story to go along with it that makes the history part of the bo...more
I can't say that I cared much for this book. While there were a couple of strong points in the presentation of the politics and in the overall pacing of the plot, there were many elements that I thought did not fit well with the period the story takes place in. For instance, much of the language is simple as if the author tried to make it easier on the teenage readers, but mixed in with the simplicity are a number of references to the older speech used in the time period of Jane Gray sometimes s...more
For me, this was going to be just another amazing Ann Rinaldi book to read. I was right, but I also learned a lot. After watch the movie, "The Other Boleyn Sister", I was kind of fascinated about the Tudors. I didn't know women could have such power over men that long ago. I had already learned about Henry VIII, and his many wives in school, but didn't know the real story about the beheading of Anne Boleyn. I also already knew about "Bloody Mary" and the great Queen Elizabeth I. This book helped...more
Nine Days a Queen, from a historical standpoint, does a great job at letting young reader's get to know the life and story of Lady Jane Grey. The vocabulary of the book is simple and easy to understand. The historical figures are well introduced and laced throughout the story. The known event's of Jane's life are all included, including her high morals and her Protestant viewpoint. So, if you are looking to read the book simply for a history lesson, you will get it. The reason why I gave this bo...more
Ann Rinaldi’s Nine Days a Queen was pretty good. As a historical novel, I felt that Rinaldi did a magnificent job adhering to the facts and then, in her words, “fictionalized some of the events for the sake of the story, and interpreted others to tighten [the] plot.” Far from a “costume novel” this plot was directly tied to historical events. While the dialogue and some of the events were imagined by the author, I felt that she did all within her power to depict them as historically accurate as...more
This is the story of Lady Jane Grey and her path to becoming Queen, for nine days. She is a young girl controlled by the adults around her because she has the potential and possibility of becoming the Queen of England, so a lot is expected of her. She is required to grow up quickly and ultimately, is forced to be the Queen causing upheaval in England from her cousins Elizabeth and Mary. Because of the tension, her reign is cut short.
Overall, I really enjoyed the way this book was written because...more
Overall, I really enjoyed the way this book was written because...more
I read this novel in record speed. I literally could not put it down and am thankful that it was relatively short, or I would have readily foregone experiencing my stay in London. It was an enjoyable coming-of-age read, though I’m not sure if it was the author’s doing or if it was just a fascinating story in and of itself to begin with. I found Lady Jane to be such an interesting character--not just a perpetual damsel in distress. She had an opinion and a voice unlike her generation. Her notions...more
Nine Days a Queen follows the short life and reign of Lady Jane Grey. The book is told in first person as she grows up in the court of King Henry VIII and the course of events which lead her to be crowned the Queen of England. Although the first person narration makes for obvious flaws in the end of the book, it allows for genuine character connection. For being such a light, quick read, I was surprised at how deeply Nine Days a Queen impacted me. I was not expecting something so historically en...more
Nine Days a Queen was a surprisingly good read. Typically the idea of reading a historical novel is enough to put one to sleep, but this book flowed nicely throughout its entirety. Lady Jane Grey tells the story of her death, which seems absurd to hear a story from a dead person, but it somehow works for this novel. It was a concept that I did not even consider until the end, but still was not bothered by it. Lady Jane is manipulated and controlled her entire life by her friends and family to be...more
Nine Days a Queen
I simply could not get enough of this story and this book! I finished it in one evening, and was not ready to put it down. Young Jane Grey was just a pawn in a twisted game for power and the crown. Beaten to perfection and poise, and being betrayed by loved ones, she learned to trust no one as she grew closer in line to inherit the crown. She is forced to go to court, marry an unwanted suitor, and eventually take the crown. I became attached to Jane quickly, and found myself wor...more
I simply could not get enough of this story and this book! I finished it in one evening, and was not ready to put it down. Young Jane Grey was just a pawn in a twisted game for power and the crown. Beaten to perfection and poise, and being betrayed by loved ones, she learned to trust no one as she grew closer in line to inherit the crown. She is forced to go to court, marry an unwanted suitor, and eventually take the crown. I became attached to Jane quickly, and found myself wor...more
Cousin to the child King, Lady Jane Grey at a young age decided she would never want to be Queen. Watching her friends, her cousins, playing with them, she always knew she was fourth in line for the crown, but even with King Edward sick and dying she always thought Princess Mary would take the throne. Amazed to discover herself 15 years old, and left without anyone she could truly trust, her parents married her to Guildford Dudley and then thrust her on the throne and declared, after King Edward...more
This is the story of Jane Grey, the young girl who was made queen of England through the political machinations of her father-in-law, but only lasted for nine days. She was eventually executed at the Tower of London. Even though I could tell you a lot of things that I didn't like about this book, overall I came away having really enjoyed it. It was a little sparse on character development, and made some huge assumptions about character motivation (although, I didn't mind since this is historical...more
This was easily my favorite of the books we have read thus far in this class. Ann Rinaldi did a great job of simply telling the story. She was able to write the book in a way that would surely captivate young readers, and that kept my attention as well. This book was an easy read, which I appreciated. “Nine Days A Queen” had the perfect balance of love, challenge, reality, and entertainment. Courage was certainly a prominent theme in this story. Jane was constantly being told to “be brave”. At t...more
Just the other day, this little book on Tudor England in the juvenile fiction department of the library called out to me. It’s not a genre I particularly read, but since I was on the heels of having completed Bring Up the Bodies, what was I to do?!
It’s a sad, often times, heart-wrenching story about the young, tragic life of Lady Jane Gray, who inherited the throne after King Edward’s death. Jane was his second cousin and she tells the story.
She ruled England for nine days at the age of fifteen....more
It’s a sad, often times, heart-wrenching story about the young, tragic life of Lady Jane Gray, who inherited the throne after King Edward’s death. Jane was his second cousin and she tells the story.
She ruled England for nine days at the age of fifteen....more
Rinaldi does a good job of conjuring up the atmosphere of the period in this retelling of the sad story of Lady Jane Grey. She tells the story from Jane's perspective, and keeps by-and-large to the historical facts, with necessary embellishments and invention given that this is a novel, not a history book. Not to say that students of the period wouldn't benefit from reading this book. Dry historical accounts rarely do a good job of putting you in the mind of those who lived at the time. It takes...more
The book is about Lady Jane Grey, a daughter of King Henry VIII. In her youth, she was told she would amount to nothing and her life was dedicated to studying and being esteemed below those around her. As she grew older (between 9 and 15) she came to prominence as she came under the care of several individuals, and leading to the marriage to Guildford, son of Northumberland. Northumberland, through intrigue and design, came to arrange for Jane to ascend to the throne as queen, upon the death of...more
Ann Rinaldi's Nine Days A Queen is a wonderful book that captures a real-life story on a very personal level. It is told through the eyes of Jane Grey, a young woman who lived as the Queen of England for just over a week. The story includes her personal beliefs, views, worries, and troubles as she watches all around her fight for power and use her in their struggle for the Kingdom. Executed at just 15, Jane is a Queen who has always had sympathy from those who know her story. However, what she w...more
This tragic tale of Lady Jane Grey is not only a great story, but also helps you learn British history without even realizing it. I understand the Tudor reign more now after reading Nine Days a Queen, than any textbook was able to teach me. The book follows Jane as she grows up with her cousins Edward and Mary, as she rises to power, and then finally, to her execusion. I found myself rooting for Jane throughout the whole book. She is such a good person, and yet she is used, manipulated, then bet...more
I haven’t read Ann Rinaldi for a long time. But I always remembered how rich her writings about the finer details of royalty in the earlier centuries were. I needed a good, non-fantasy/non-sci-fi book, and so I turned to Rinaldi for it.
Of course, another underlying cause of me reading this book was because of research for one of my own projects… But regardless.
I’m older than I was when I first encountered Rinaldi, and so this book wasn’t as stunningly amazing as her others once had me believe. T...more
Of course, another underlying cause of me reading this book was because of research for one of my own projects… But regardless.
I’m older than I was when I first encountered Rinaldi, and so this book wasn’t as stunningly amazing as her others once had me believe. T...more
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Surprisingly I enjoyed this book. This is an extremely sad story though. Jane Grey had a horible life. She lived simply as a pawn for the people around her. It didn't seem as though anyone truly loved her for her. It was always about getting power. Yet, she was always trying to please others, be obedient, and do what is right. She has a strong morale but the power of others around her is so much stronger. I admire her for her faith and courage, and yet right now (I just finished reading this boo...more
This book tells the life story of Lady Jane Grey, a young girl who is used like a chess piece, by her parents and others, for their own benefit. She becomes Queen of England for only nine days and after she is removed from the throne, her short life ends with a beheading. The story is told from Jane's perspective but is not written in a diary format. Lady Jane Grey is acceptably exceptional, in both her thoughts and her actions. I sympathized with her throughout the book and felt distraught as I...more
This book told the tragic tale of the young Lady Jane Grey. The book relied on the history that we do know to provide a story that was both moving and intriguing. Lady Jane is a manipulated royal girl, who never wanted to be queen, but is forced upon the throne after a very unhappy childhood filled with backstabbing adults. She has no one to trust and after just nine days as queen she is sent to the tower where she spends the rest of her days before being beheaded with her husband that she never...more
I loved it. It was very sad though.
May 23, 2011
Susan
added it
This is a well-written novel about Lady Jane Grey for a young adult audience. There are some strange historical errors (the Duke of Northumberland being the son of Lord Lisle and getting his dukedom some time before he actually had it; Frances Brandon's half-brothers dying in a shipwreck instead of from sweating sickness) and the usual false statement (in the author's note) that Frances remarried two weeks after the beheading of her husband. Jane's parents and Guildford Dudley and his parents ar...more
A quick read regarding my favorite topic -- The Tudor period of England's history.
Lady Jane Grey is a figure to be admired and pitied. As a young child she was, by today's standards, emotionally and physically abused by her parents. The granddaughter of King Henry VIII's sister, Jane was fifth in line for the throne.
When Henry's sickly son Edward died, Edward's half sister Mary was the rightful successor. Tragically, Lady Jane was used as a political pawn by the powerful Dudley faction and was c...more
Lady Jane Grey is a figure to be admired and pitied. As a young child she was, by today's standards, emotionally and physically abused by her parents. The granddaughter of King Henry VIII's sister, Jane was fifth in line for the throne.
When Henry's sickly son Edward died, Edward's half sister Mary was the rightful successor. Tragically, Lady Jane was used as a political pawn by the powerful Dudley faction and was c...more
This novel goes through Jane Grey's troubled childhood, the arranged betrothals of power seeking parents, the abuses of her mother, the death of her friend and cousin and King, Edward VI, and eventually her 9 days of Queenhood ending in decapitation at 16 years. The book was a semi-interesting read... royalty stories are always a mix of mystique and fantastic, though this one had a creepy haunting element too with all the schemes for power pulled on a young girl by her family. I do think there a...more
I assume this book would be great for an elementary to middle school reader, but, for me, it was pretty hard to get through. It's a fictional retelling of the life of Lady Jane Grey, who was used as a political pawn to become queen, but was ultimately beheaded. Rinaldi's motive--portraying Lady Jane Grey as a great person who was victimized, was totally transparent and resulted in flat characterization. Jane had only positive personality traits, she never did anything wrong, she was completely f...more
Nine Days a Queen is about the short life of Lady Jane Grey and her coming to power after Edward VI died. The books goes over all the politics that were behind pushing Jane to reign and shows how she was a pawn in others schemes for power. Ann Rinaldi was very good at portraying Jane as an actual person, which made the book a lot more interesting.
I enjoyed my reading of this book. It wasn't my favorite, but my attention was captured from beginning to end. I thought that Rinaldi's use of a first...more
I enjoyed my reading of this book. It wasn't my favorite, but my attention was captured from beginning to end. I thought that Rinaldi's use of a first...more
This was a nice little historical fiction novel, written on a mid-elementary school level. However, I feel that the story is too complicated for such young readers. This caused Rinaldi to have to do so much explaining, which really distracted from her ability to turn the historical events into a cohesive narrative for children. I felt like the only way I, as an adult, was able to follow the story was because I know it already, from Alison Weir's fabulous novel.
I did appreciate the way that Rinal...more
I did appreciate the way that Rinal...more
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Ann Rinaldi (b. August 27, 1934, in New York City) is a young adult fiction author. She is best known for her historical fiction, including In My Father's House, The Last Silk Dress, An Acquaintance with Darkness, A Break with Charity, and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons. She has written a total of forty novels, eight of which were listed as notable by the ALA. In 2000, Wolf by the Ears was lis...more
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Feb 20, 2009 03:27pm