Nine Days a Queen

All of these books about the noblewomen who lived in in sixteenth and seventeenth century England make me so sad. These are women who truly were the pawns of fathers, brothers, and husbands. Lady Jane Grey was the cousin of Edward VI, the King of England and was fifth in line to throne. Through the maneuverings and intrigues at court Lady Jane ended up as the Queen of England (much to her dismay), but had reigned only for nine days when Mary Tudor and her supporters took back the crown and a few months later and Jane was executed. She was only sixteen years old. Ann Rinaldi is one of the best known young adult historical fiction authors. I liked her portrayal of Jane. Not a helpless girl but one who was born into truly a man's world. She did try to assert herself but was always slapped back down.