the hardships of being Princess Elizabeth

The Redheaded Princess by Ann Rinaldi
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: young adult historical fiction
Challenge: A-Z (title)
Summary/Review: An easy read of a period of Elizabeth I's life not often studied. The book begins when Elizabeth is a child and ends when she is made Queen. In between, we learn of how she was a Princess one day and a "mere lady" the next, only to have her title and her place in the line of succession to England's throne returned to her, all at the whim of her father, Henry VIII. We hear of how she was treated when her brother Edward was King, and when her sister Mary was Queen, and how she observed the reigns of her father and siblings closely and took lessons from them that would help her when it was her turn to be Queen.

Although this book does little more than gloss over the turmoil of the time and the factions warring for the throne, this is a good book to read for anyone interested in a basic outline of what Elizabeth's life was like before she became Queen.