TO BE A PRINCESS

For anyone who has ever wondered about the lives of real princesses, these seven chapters provide some eye-opening narrative. These royal girls did indeed live in splendid palaces and wear magnificent clothing and jewels, but they also encountered danger and duplicity and often had little control over their lives. Mary and Elizabeth Tudor were rivals for the English throne; Marie Antoinette had little background or training for the political position she was placed in as Queen of France. Hawaii’s Ka’iulani never became queen, and the Tsar’s four daughters died horribly with the rest of their family in 1918 Russia. Chapters focus on the early years of each princess, often on one or two events, and sometimes seem to end abruptly. The tone is informal and gossipy—more E! than History Channel—and tends to gloss over darker events, like Marie Antoinette’s execution. The text is lavishly illustrated with McGaw’s (Journey to Ellis Island, 1998, etc.) original paintings as well as photographs of contemporary artifacts and documents. Historical timelines are included for only some of the women’s lives and the bibliography and glossary seem curiously truncated. But as this doesn’t seem aimed at a scholarly audience, it will probably satisfy (and possibly enlighten) its intended readers. (glossary, selected bibliography, picture credits, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)