Skip to main content

Review: The Plot to Kill a Queen

By


The Plot to Kill a Queen
By Deborah Hopkinson
New York: Scholastic Press, 2023. Fiction. 210 pgs.

Emilia dreams of becoming a successful playwright in 1582, something unheard of for girls in her day, but she hopes that entering a writing competition under a pseudonym will give her a chance. When she overhears a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, though, Emilia agrees to help discover who is behind the plan. Sent undercover by Elizabeth's spymaster, Emilia infiltrates the circle of the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots to find out the truth. As Emilia spends more time around the exiled queen, she works to complete her play for the upcoming competition and discover the true culprits before it is too late.

This book is written in three acts, with scene divisions like a play. Narrator asides from an older version of Emilia are interspersed to explain historical context for readers, and extensive historical notes are included at the back of the book. The book also includes a script and stage directions for a complete one-act play with up to 26 parts that can be combined or divided as needed, so readers can practice being in a play themselves! Readers who like learning about the past and love strong female leads will enjoy this book. Multifaceted historical fiction fun.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Library in the Woods

By
  The Library in the Woods Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, 2025. Picture Book. I am always intrigued by picture books that tell stories from the past in beautiful and meaningful ways, leaving the reader educated, and also hopeful and inspired. This book definitely did that for me! The cover is a beautiful peek into the story waiting on the pages. Junior and his family have lived on a farm that is having a hard time producing what it needs to for the family to survive economically. The parents make the hard decision to move away from the farm and into the city. Junior misses a lot of things about his life in the country. However, when Junior's friends tell him about a library in the woods, things change for him in the best way! He is amazed by the seemingly endless collection of books, and is eager to check some out for his family. Junior excitedly borrows a few books, including one about a farmer for his dad ...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Story Time: The Letter "F"

By
Preschool Time Frank and Bert By Chris Naylor-Ballesteros Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow, 2023. Picture Book. This laugh-out-loud picture book follows best friends Frank and Bert as they play hide-and-seek, but when Bert isn't so good at hiding (despite thinking he is), Frank must decide between winning or making Bert happy. --Editor Preschool Time All at Once Upon a Time Written by Mara Rockliff Illustrated by Gladys Jose New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. Fairy Tale land experiences a topsy-turvy transformation where classic stories become mixed up and makes Prince Charming climb a beanstalk, Cinderella kiss a frog, and Rapunzel's nose grow every time she tells a lie. --Editor Toddler Time Sometimes I Am Furious Written by Timothy Knapman Illustrated by Joe Berger New York: Penguin Workshop, 2023. Picture Book In rhyming text, a small girl admits she sometimes gets angry when she is frustrated, and her grandmother shows her how to cope. --Editor Book Babie...
Post a Comment
Read more