Mary Queen of Scots and Her Hopeless Husbands

Horribly Famous

by Margaret Simpson, Philip Reeve (Illustrator)

Mary Queen of Scots is dead famous having terrible taste in husbands, rotting away in Liz 1's prison and, totally losing her head - on the chopping block. But have you heard that was a six-foot stunner who had a charmed childhood, got kidnapped by a murderous lord - and married him, managed to give her executioner a fright or two? Even though she's dead, Mary's still full of surprises. Now you can get the inside story with Mary's secret diary, read all about it in "The Scottish Herald", and discover some Prickly Thistle Facts about the Scottish Queen and her hopeless husbands.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Humor, Middle Grade, Biography, Tudor Period

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2001

Reviews

[Okobeta Tekabwebwere]

DaMN hOw mAnY HuSbAnDs DoEs DiS GuRL WaNT???????

[Kimothy]

I have always had an interest in the English and Scottish monarchy, especially with the Tudors, the Tudor court and their relations. Mary Queen of Scots was indeed a sad queen, a naive woman used for other's personal gains; a woman who made many bad decisions that ultimately led to her demise.

Usually, when reading a history book the text is too long and too informative for me to take in. But with these Dead Famous books, the history is written in bite sized chunks, and with a humourful flair. They also make learning FUN. The illustrations and captions are also witty, funny and bare resemblance to the people they're based on.

Despite the series being aimed at children/teens, I nevertheless found this book to be well written and enjoyable. I'll be looking out for others in the series.

[Borbala Hanto]

- 4.5 Stars really -

Although this little history lesson is aimed at a younger readership, it was great to get to know the events which formed Mary's life this way. The content is easy to follow, witty and relatable (if we set aside the monarch lifestyle and political upheavels every once in a while), meanwhile the form of presentation is entertaining.
You don't always need chunky books to understand what happened in the past, sometimes all it takes is a good cartoon. I firmly believe that this is a promising choice to get younger readers acquinted with history, so they'll actually like what they learn. As for older readers this book is still helpful in understanding the language, culture and history if they aren't part of your life already or if you need a little vacay from adulthood. It's safe to say that it was a good recreational pastime to learn about Mary and her hopeless husbands.

[Amy]

*3.25

[Luky B]

toto kniha je o Marii které byla sestra Alžběty I. Jaké měla manžele Francouzského krále Jakuba I. a další dva šlechtice. A jak skončila na popravčím špalku.

[John Farrell]

Exuberated with Philip Reeve's beautiful illustrations.

[Grace C]

This book earns 2-star not because of the writing, but more because of the content. Mary of Scots was indeed much dim-witted compared to her glorious cousin across the channel, Queen Elizabeth. This book chronicles all her (hopeless) husbands, and one must wonder why on earth would Mary choose them in the first place? What was she thinking? It's easy to see that one could not really afford to make one too many poor decisions in the Tudor time, it would really make you (quoting Elizabeth 1), a head shorter!

[Bettie]

Brilliant for kids, this one!

blurb - Mary is dead famous for: having terrible taste in husbands, rotting away in Liz 1's prison and, totally losing her head - on the chopping block. But have you heard that Mary: was a six-foot stunner who had a charmed childhood, got kidnapped by a murderous lord - and married him, managed to give her executioner a fright or two? Even though she's dead, Mary's still full of surprises. Now you can get the inside story with Mary's secret diary, read all about it in The Scottish Herald, and discover some Prickly Thistle Fats about the Scottish Queen and her hopeless husbands

[Keely]

Horrible histories used to be my favourite when I was a kid and this is just like an extended version of that, with the focus on people instead of a specific time period. These books are good, perfect for any child who is interested in history, especially historical figures. If they like history as a whole, horrible histories is probably better but if they are interested in the person on the cover, it's a must have.

[Sofie Sieling]

Well, having studied the Reformation and the Renaissance era for quite a long time by now, I did not read this book for the facts, but purely for the humour. It was indeed wittily written by the author, and there were even unique aspects such as illustrations, a funny (yet fictional) diary of Mary, newspaper articles and some much more than those things. It was, in truth, an immensely amusing short book to read.

[Ginger Poulsen]

It's written for younger readers, but that was perfect for the amount of interest I have in the topic right now. Nice, easy read. Humorous illustrations. Interesting story. Cool style of telling the story.

[elvena prihastri]

i can read about historical story in very fun way...

[Chaosspace]

ok

[Hannah]

A fun and entertaining read. A very enjoyable way to learn about this topic.

[Christie Halstead]

Cute but somewhat depressing, as real life tends to be.

[Brian Chan]

I gave it 4 stars as it was while pretty depressing at times, it still has some comedic effect the makes learning history all the more enjoyable.

[Sharon]

Intresting, and funny too at parts. Like these types of books.

[Isabella]

Wasn't my favourite 'Dead Famous' book but still excellent.