The story of Mary Tudor’s childhood is a classic fairy tale: A princess who is to inherit the throne of England is separated from her mother; abused by an evil stepmother who has enchanted her father; stripped of her title; and forced to care for her baby stepsister, who inherits Mary’s rights to the throne. Believe it or not, it’s all true. Told in the voice of the young Mary, this novel explores the history and intrigue of the dramatic rule of Henry VIII, his outrageous affair with and marriage to the bewitching Anne Boleyn, and the consequences of that relationship for his firstborn daughter. Carolyn Meyer has written a compassionate historical novel about love and loss, jealousy and fear--and a girl’s struggle with forces far beyond her control. Teen fans of the movie Elizabeth will be fascinated with the pomp and sinister intrigue of Mary, Bloody Mary , an engrossing story about the teen years of Mary Tudor, half sister to Queen Elizabeth and daughter to Henry VIII. As a baby, Mary was adored by her father, who carried her around on his shoulder and displayed her for the court to admire. But as his marriage with her mother, Catherine of Aragon, waned for lack of a male heir, Henry began an affair with the beautiful Anne Boleyn. Mary was convinced that Anne was a witch. Didn't everyone know she had a sixth finger? And wasn't it Anne who persuaded Henry to declare his first marriage invalid (rendering Mary a bastard)? As the king grows ever colder, Mary is banished to a distant house, forbidden from seeing her mother, left to wear rags, and finally--at Anne's bidding--summoned back to court to be a servant to her baby half sister Elizabeth. Once there, Mary lives in constant dread that she will be poisoned or sent to the executioner's block in one of her father's rages. By the time Anne Boleyn herself is beheaded, Henry's first daughter has become the bitter and angry woman who was to be known as Bloody Queen Mary for her savage religious genocide. Carolyn Meyer, long acclaimed for her teen fiction ( Drummers of Jericho ), accurately captures the glitter and grandeur as well as the brutality of this fascinating period in history. (Ages 10 to 16) --Patty Campbell Grade 6 Up-Utilizing a first-person narrative, Meyer delivers a compelling account of Mary Tudor, who literally went from princess to servant. Henry VIII's oldest daughter lives the privileged life of royalty until her father becomes obsessed with producing a male heir. His realization that Mary's mother will never give him a son coincides with his infamous affair with Anne Boleyn, whom he ultimately marries. This marriage changes not only the course of history, but gravely affects Mary's life as well. She once expected to inherit the throne; now she merely hopes to survive her father's violent reign. After years of banishment, separated from her family and friends, Mary is summoned back to court so that she may act as her half-sister's (the future Elizabeth I) servant. The novel ends with Anne's death and the spurned princess's tenuous readmittance into court. Meyer deftly handles the intricacies of court intrigue and Henry's descent into madness while focusing on how these events shaped Mary's life and personality. The excellent characterization brings these historic figures to life. Perhaps the novel's only flaw is its failure to emphasize Mary's early religiosity that led to her eventual zealotry. The author's note discusses Henry's virtual parade of marriages as well as Mary's "reign of terror." This book will inspire readers to further investigate the fascinating Tudor monarchy. Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TX Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. England's Queen Mary I has been known throughout history as Bloody Mary for the burning of some 300 Protestants considered heretics. This novel, written from Mary's point of view, covers Mary's life from age 10 to 20, when she fell from her position as cherished Princess of Wales to "bastard" daughter of King Henry VIII and his cast-off queen, Catherine of Aragon. Meyer underplays Mary's religious perspective, focusing more on her emotions--fear, abandonment, and, most of all, hatred for Henry's new love, Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I. Forced to wait on the baby Elizabeth, and scolded abusively, Mary nonetheless formed a strong affection for her half sister, one that is not reflected in Kathryn Lasky's book about Elizabeth, reviewed elsewhere in this issue. Meyer writes powerfully and sympathetically, mixing the grim details of life in the 1500s with glamorous, fascinating descriptions of life in the court of Henry VIII. This fine novel includes an eye-catching jacket and concludes with a historical note recounting the sad ending to Mary's life. Susan Dove Lempke Meyer (Gideon's People, 1996, etc.) presents the youth of Mary Tudor, oldest daughter of Henry VIII, as a bitter tale of mistreatment, political machination, and battling wills. From the outset, Mary bla