Henry VIII: Royal Beheader

A Wicked History

by Sean Stewart Price

- Opening quote by or about the featured villain/villainess
- Historical map, annotated with key locations from person's life
- A Wicked Web featuring allies and enemies
- Historical photos and etchings
- Boxes with additional information
- Photo documentaries: six to eight pages of photos and captions telling the person's life
- Timeline, glossary, additional sources
- Engaging narrative nonfiction written at a very accessible reading level

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Biography Memoir, Middle Grade, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Fiona Burgos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry the 8th was a dangerous man. He beheaded 2 of his wives because one simply couldn't produce a male heir, and because the other was too problematic and also couldn't produce a male heir. When Henry Vlllwas younger, he had 6 siblings. Only 3 survived, and one became king before Henry. Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, who Henry admired. But, Arthur ended up dying so Henry had to take the throne. Henry also wanted to marry Catherine of Argon, so he did. Henry ended up divorcing her and getting married to another women, Anne, who he was even willing to split the Church asunder for. Henry the 8th killed and divorced many women, and in this book you learn about who they are and why.p
"Henry Vll: Royal Beheader" by Sean Stewart Price is a very informative and interesting book. I was very entertained while reading it, which is why I would recommend this book to anyone who likes biographies and reading about the royal.

[Michelle Beer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this non-fiction book, we learn about the life of King Henry VIII and his brutal rule. He started out as a handsome, intelligent, and charismatic monarch, but quickly became ruthless in his quest to get a male heir and an agreeable wife. He went through six wives – the marriages ended in many ways, some very sinister – and plunged England into financial and religious turmoil in order to get his way. I chose to read this book because I had heard of Henry VIII but wanted to learn more about his reign and that part of history. I appreciated that it presented the events in order of happening and gave just enough details to be able to follow what was happening and why. I think that this book and the others in the “A Wicked History” series (I believe there are around 30) would be beneficial for young adults to read to help them better understand world history in an enjoyable way. I would definitely use them in my future classroom if given the opportunity.

[Mrs. Hassig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yikes - this man was nuts compeltely and totally. I read a 1000 page biography of him years ago and have always been intrigued by him. This book is a perfect introduction for middle school and YA readers because you'll read it and want to find out more about Henry VIII. I didn't realize that everyone he had executed, including his 2nd wife Anne Boleyn, had their heads boiled after beheading and then hung on poles at the Tower of London. If you've ever thought about going back in time and thought about the Tudor era - think again! This was not a man you wanted to irritate if you could help it. His place in history and the choices he made affect us still today. A worthy biography for my 6th grade CA/Reading students getting ready to read biographies. You may lose sleep over this one though. Be careful!

[Kaylin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry VIII the Royal Beheader, by Sean Stewart Price. Who is King Henry VIII? King Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491 and he died on January 28, 1547. He lived a decently long life for the time that he lived in. King Henry VIII is known for being “The Defender of Faith”. He was the King of England from 1509 to 1547. He had six wives and each of them had a pattern. King Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had a kid named Mary and was later imprisoned. His second wife, Anne Boleyn, had a kid named Elizabeth and was later beheaded. King Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, had a kid named Edward and was later killed. His fourth wife, Anne of Cleves was imprisoned. King Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, was beheaded. Finally, his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, survived. After King Henry VIII’s death, his only son Edward succeeded his father as King of England.
In this book, you learn that King Henry VIII started as a very popular monarch. He ended his days opposite. He often gave cruel punishments, became fat and vengeful towards everything. In fifty years as King of England, Henry went through six wives to get himself at least one male heir. He used the country in very harmful ways just to help his personal life. He even turned on some of his “best friends” and accused them for treason.
You should read this book because it is very informative and tells the story of King Henry VIII very well. The book also helps explain the succession laws so that if the laws confuse you, it will give you a better understanding. During this period, monarchs was a big thing so the book also helped explain those laws. This book is an easy read for teens and does a good job of holding your attention. It is good at keeping your attention because there is a lot of violence, which would keep you interested in what is going on. The book also draws in many readers through dark humor and information. It makes good use of graphic images and maps. The book lets you decide if you think the character is wicked or not. The index and glossary are also very helpful to build a better knowledge of the period. This book is very factual, but it is nice because it is not like you are reading an encyclopedia the whole time. This is a simplified version of King Henry VIII’s biography, which makes his story a lot easier to read. It gets right to the point.
Although there were many pros to this book, there are also many cons. In my opinion, Henry VIII was not a great role to have. The worst thing he did was executed and try innocents, which was a normal activity during that time. This book does not have many positive things to say. This book has a lot of violence in it so therefore some people may not like that effect.
Overall, King Henry VIII the Royal Beheader is a very good book and everybody should at least give it a chance.

[Manoshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me one period to read on the last day of school. This was so fast and short but pointed out the important events that took place in king Henry the eighths life. Off course it’s not meant for someone who already knows about his life and wants to go in depth because this book just covers the most important ones. But I really enjoyed my time reading more about Henry!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a great book, it was very informative and told the story of Henry VIII very well. I will definitely read the other books in this series because this one was so interesting. I would definitely recommend this book or the series to anyone who has read the who was/who is series.

[Jennifer Son · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written, has many details about his overall life as a ruler of England, as well as his romantic life. It was fun to read about his different wives and how he reformatted the church just to divorce and marry another woman.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare for me to come across any book that provides a different way to look at the Tudors, but this one did that! This was a lot of fun to read, and now I want to read the other books in the series, too.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a nice, general overview of the life of Henry VIII for middle grade readers. The more "adult" themes are mentioned but kept to a minimum.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short jaunt through the life and influence of Henry VIII.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry VIII. I knew the rhyme. I want to watch SIX. But this was a nice little insight for me. I didn't realize quite the overlap of wives and the details, so I did learn something!

[Jace Mata · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about King Henry's life-death. King Henry was born on June 28, 1491 with three other siblings who were Arthur, Mary and Margret. While Henry was a kid his parents had some people com and entertained him. When King henry was a teenager his father King Henry VII passed away. When King Henry got news of this he got crowned king on June 24, 1509. After he got crowned king he got married to a beautiful women name Catherine parr and Henry was only 17 years old at the time of him getting married.

After Catherine Parr and Henry got married they were going to try and have a kid. Catherine Parr didn't have any luck, so they kept trying and they kept trying. Then eventually she had a baby girl name Mary and she was born in 1516. after Mary was born King henry went off to war to invade Paris France, but one of his allies betrayed him and left his troops to die in France. When King henry got back he hired his best friend named Charles Brandon.

Charles Brandon became his minister and they accomplished a lot of things, but those things were bad things. One of those things were arresting people and putting them in jail. The second bad thing was taking them out into public and making and example out of them. Catherine Parr and King Henry had some marriage problem so Henry divorced Catherine Parr and put her in jail. Sooner or later he married 5 more other and his last wife's name was Catherine of Aragon.

After King henry put Catherine Parr in jail he beheaded her. then after he was done with that he beheaded his best friend for betraying him and letting the jailed people out without him knowing. so when that was finished he went back to Paris, France to do one last push in to France and make the King of France surrender. When Henry got back from winning the war in France he fell into a deep sickness and he knew he was about to die. So when he was on his final moments he said "I will first take a little sleep, and then, as I feel myself, I will advise upon the matter."

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry VIII began his reign as a charismatic, dashing young man. He ended his days as a vengeful bitter old man. In almost fifty years as England's King, he sped through six wives to have a male heir. To fulfill his wants, he created chaos and unrest in England.

[Devon G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author:
Sean Stewert Price
Pages:
125-130

Summary:
Henry VIII was the King of England during the very beginnings of the religious split between Protestants and Catholics in Europe (which later led to Monarchs being disbanded, age of liberalism(1800's), etc.)

Described as one of the more good-looking kings in Europe, Henry VIII started his reign as one of the richest people in Christendom. He ultilized what England was, a tax farm, and by making small payments at first he earned a large bank.(However, this was spent off with all the royal marriages he had.) England was contested by the HRE (Holy Roman Empire), Spain, and the French. Henry's ideology regarding religion changed frequently, the difference between isolationism and having some allies in the 1500's. In the end, he established a split from the Roman Catholic Church and started the English Church and completely switched the tables in politics by allying with the Germans (HRE) and being one of the first monarchs on the throne to attack the French for awhile. He was infamous for his routine of executing people for 'treason', even going as far as to try people in court for saying the names of his previous wives.

Having six wives, all of his offspring were daughters and could only establish one valid successor for the time which was his son and the future King, Edward VI. Having never been inflicted wounds in battle, he died of health problems.


My Thought(s):
Henry VIII honestly wasn't really a great person to pick in my opinion. The worst thing he did was execute and try innocents, which wasn't exactly abnormal in their times. His wars with the French were unsuccessful and the territory they captured was soon given back because of a lack of funds. I still thought the book was good however because it helped explain some of the succession laws during that time period and politics in high monarchs. Ironically, another book in this series is about 'Bloody Mary' and this was one of Henry VIII's daughters. After Henry died, his son Edward took over but he was killed off as well by problems. The next in line was Jane I, who was also killed (by execution). After the confusion was over, Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) was the final successor. I'd probably not recommend this book to a lot of people because it's a little confusing to understand and it doesn't really cover a lot of interesting ground.

[Isha J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry VIII: Royal Beheader
Sean Stewart Price
Genre: Informational
Pages: 128
King Henry was born on June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace, London. When his father dies in 1509, he is crowned king at the age of 18. In 1513, he goes into war with France to gain territory and put down Scottish rebellions. He gets married to Queen Catherine and has a kid in 1516 named Mary. However, later on Queen Catherine gets too old to have a child so Henry and Catherine separate. Henry lays eyes on a girl named Anne Boleyn even though the pop did not appeal. This caused him to break The Roman Catholic Church so he could marry Anne. That’s when Elizabeth was born, a new child born into royalty in 1533. In 1536, Henry starts being to close monasteries, which are a type of church. Anne gives birth to a son named Edward and she dies soon after. King Henry marries to Anne of Cleves, which he regrets and they break up. He marries another time to Catherine Parr, who gets executed two years later, which leads to Henry’s last wife, Catherine Parr, who became good friends with Mary. On January 28, 1547 Henry finally dies because of his age and how his health was slipping away mainly on his legs.

This book was good. It was fun learning more about King Henry because I read a Wicked History book about Mary Tudor, his daughter. I learned he was not such a good person. For example, he was married six times and divorced or killed his past wives. He would raise taxes for stupid reasons like buying new cloths. Also because he changed many religious laws because he was mad at his wife. Even though he had a good sense of humor and had a charm, he used his rights for evil. Overall, I liked this book because if had given lots of information.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful trip down he royal lane of arrogance and excess. This man decided to defy Popees and other world powers as he helped Great Britain on its way to world domination. Hubris is too small a word to apply to an ego such as Henry possessed. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded survived: this is the well-known fates of his six wives. The search for a legitimate heir knows no bounds, it seems. Not a wonderful person, but this small volume is a very entertaining and informative epistle on his exploits.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly cute, light book for tweens about "Great Harry" who beheaded two wives in the Tower of London, possibly poisoned one, divorced/annulled two, and was survived by one very patient wife: he had ballooned more than Orson Wells and his oozing pustules left him quite malodorous. And because of his desire for male heirs, he changed world history, as his negation of Catholicism and England's rising power led to America becoming a largely Protestant land. I can't wait to get back to London and his old haunts in May with my students. ;-)

[chrissssss personnnnnn]

Literary Paragraph for Ms.Hsieh:

In Henry VIII: Royal Beheader by Sean Stewart Price, Henry is a man who has oddly changed over the course of his life. First, on page 18, Henry is described as a talented, happy, handsome, natural-born-prince boy. This was possibly the only bright side of his life. He did not get any better as he got older. Only worse. Second, on pages 114-119, Henry at his old age is now described as a depressed, unhappy, grouchy old man. Here was his downfall. Henry VIII died this way, as he gripped the end of his pillow on his death bed and waited for the worst.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series will draw in readers with its dark humor and factual information. It makes good use of graphic images and maps to help tell the story. The information is good, and should be enough for middle schoolers. The author presents the facts, allowing the readers to decide if the person was wicked or not. Also helpful is the index, glossary, list of sources and suggestion for further reading.

It held my attention well and I am looking forward to reading the other titles in this series.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got hooked into Henry VII's story with the HBO series The Tudors. This was in the most recent Scholastic book order and I thought it would be good. It was a very fast read with a "just the facts, ma'am" way of writing, but I thought it was very informative without being too encyclopedic. Now I need to go to Blockbuster.com and put the second season on my Queue!

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading I was interested in some additional Henry VIII.
Wow, what a king he was! I will have to find some more books on the Tudors and Henry VIII. Any suggestions anyone?

[Robin Sandwina Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, entertaining, and educational. However, this book is not for every pre-teen or teen due to the violence. One thing I like about the book is it allows the reader to make his/her own determination of the person's character by giving a brief summary at the end of the book. It's part of a series titled Wicked History, and wicked indeed he was. At least in my opinion.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my nine year old. We read it after reading the bio of Mary Tudor, which I think I liked a little better. However both books were quite good though a little too difficult for a fourth grader. This is a simplified version of his bio but a great introduction to the topic of the Tudors.

[Maria]

This book is biography about Henry VIII, the king of England during 1491-1547, he was a ruthless king who killed anyone who didn't agree with him, he had about 6 wives, two of them he beheaded, the other 3 he divorced and one of them died during childbirth.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little history book. Gets right to the point, with enough details and pictures to keep you interested. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and informative

[Sam L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was one of my favorite nonfiction books. It was very interesting to see his history.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accurate basic tale of Henry VIII and his wives, about 5th grade level. Has nice period illustrations and helpful charts, glossary, and timeline.

[Jaden · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was about king Henry. When he get mairred he had a lot of wife's

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm fascinated with this jerk, lol. started watching the tudors, so i wanted to learn more. history wasn't my favorite subject in school, but it's interesting now.