by Linda Sue Park
Clarion Books, 2006
Language: English
Hardcover: 978-0618596317
Paperback: 978-0440422044
176 pages, ages 10-12
Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All
Perfect for anyone fascinated by the Royal Wedding, the tragic lives of Henry VIII and his six wives are reimagined by seven acclaimed and bestselling authors in this riveting novel.
He was King Henry VIII, a charismatic and extravagant ruler obsessed with both his power as king and with siring a male heir.
They were his queens–six ill-fated women, each bound for divorce, or beheading, or death.
Watch spellbound as each of Henry’s wives attempts to survive their unpredictable king and his power-hungry court. See the sword flash as fiery Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery. Follow Jane Seymour as she rises from bullied court maiden to beloved queen, only to die after giving birth. Feel Catherine Howard’s terror as old lovers resurface and whisper vicious rumors to Henry’s influential advisors. Experience the heartache of mothers as they lose son after son, heir after heir.
Told in stirring first-person accounts, Fatal Throne is at once provocative and heartbreaking, an epic tale that is also an intimate look at the royalty of the most perilous times in English history.
Resources
Who’s Who?
M.T. Anderson … Henry VIII
Candace Fleming … Katherine of Aragon
Stephanie Hemphill … Anne Boleyn
Lisa Ann Sandell … Jane Seymour
Jennifer Donnelly … Anna of Cleves
Linda Sue Park … Catherine Howard
Deborah Hopkinson … Kateryn Parr
Fatal Throne Discussion Guide
Recognition
Amelia Bloomer Book List 2019 (an American Library Association list of well-written books with significant feminist content, intended for young readers)
New York Public Library Best Books for Teens: Top 10, 2018
Reviews
“Romance and intrigue dominate these accounts, as do the frustrations of being female in a time when 'no woman—not even a Queen—can … show her own power …”
—Shelf Awareness, starred review