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History Books I rate: Tudors

Some of you might know I teach History at High School. I love finding good YA historical fiction which I can use in the classroom if only to recommend to my students as wider reading.

I do however find that I can be very critical of historical fiction and I do find myself having to give up on books others have raved about because I can't get over historical inaccuracies or stories where events are treated lightly.

This month I have a selection of books set in and around the Tudor Period

YA Titles


Gilt by Katherine Longshore
I really enjoyed this book and its companion Tarnish. I loved how it looked at the story of Henry VIII in a slightly different way from the way the story is usually told.



Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb
I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this book. I love its potential to engage teenage girls who are into paranormal romance into historical fiction. However I hate the role of Elizabeth I in it and it really bothers the historian in me.


VIII by HM Castor
I freaking love VIII. It looks at Henry VIII from a young man right the way through his reign and challenges the stereotypes we always see about Henry VIII. It's not to say that he didn't become those things but it also looks at him as the young, desirable and powerful man he started out as.


Traitor's Kiss by Pauline Francis
I must admit I cannot for the life of me remember too much about this plot. I do know it is about a young Elizabeth I and I do remember flying through it and really enjoying it and thinking about how I could use it at school.


The Other Countess by Eve Edwards
I loved this series. It has a Downton feel but set in Tudor England. I loved the scandal and gossip and seeing the ways in which the people lived at the time. Definitely worth a read.

Comments

I recently bought VIII on my Kindle and today's post makes me even more excited to read it. E is studying Henry VIII at school and we were talking about it over dinner the other night ... I found it amazing how much information I had retained about him since school and also how much more about him that E knew :) It was fun. I said that we'd spend more time looking at different historical time periods so I'm really looking forward to more history posts from you!:)
Leanna Elle said…
I loved VIII too! I haven't read the rest but Gilt and Tarnish are in my possession, so must get to them soon.
Your recommendations are such a huge help for school. Thank you so much for doing them <3