Daughter of the White Rose

By Diane Zahler

New York: Holiday House, 2021. Fiction. 246 pgs.

12-year-old Nell Gould is born a commoner in London in 1426, in the midst of England's Wars of the Roses. Nell, the daughter of the royal butcher, is born on the same day as Prince Edward -- called Ned -- the future King of England, and the two grow up as close friends and companions. When Ned is sent away from London to learn to become King, Nell decides to pursue an education so that she may write letters to her friend. Years later, Ned's father King Edward IV dies and Ned's uncle, scheming to become King Richard III, imprisons Ned and his younger brother Dickon in the Tower of London with Nell and her younger brother as company. This fictionalized telling of a historical story builds to a tragic ending.

Readers who know their English history will be familiar with the tragic story of the princes in the Tower and will see the ending coming: the princes are murdered by their scheming uncle, desperate to become King. Zahler's ending considers historical accounts of the "reappearance" of Dickon years later, and places Nell, a fictional character, as the major agent in aiding his escape and survival. Nell is a wholly worthy heroine, filled with determination, intelligence, and grit. Fans of Karen Cushman, Carolyn Meyer, or Jane Yolen's historical fiction will find a lot to like in this quick-paced novel.

Comments

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog