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.
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