Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer - ADVISABLE

Meyer, Carolyn Victoria Rebels, 272 p. Aladdin (Simon), 2013.  $17.  Content: G.  

Victoria is being raised to be the queen of England, though as a child she does not know it.  What she does know is that her mother is consorting with a married man, and the two of them exercise complete control over her life.  While she ors have one confident in her companion, she never feels that she can move an inch without her mother’s or Sir John’s approval.  Should Uncle King die, or when she turns 18, whichever comes first, Victoria is determined to wrest control over her life.  

Meyer’s notes at the end of the book are enlightening - I wish I had read them first.  In using the diary as a mode of writing, Meyer tries to emulate the tone of Victoria’s own diaries as she follows her from childhood until her marriage to Prince Albert. I kind of wish Meyer would abandon the diary style and just use a narrative - it doesn’t always work well to convey the action and dialogue for  a historical subject.  She does excellent research, however and brings life to time periods that most students think beneath their notice.

MS - ADVISABLE. Cindy - Library Teacher