Growing Up With History #3

When I first began planning this feature I knew I wanted to take some time to showcase some of the novels that got me into reading and loving historical fiction in the first place. So here goes.

The Royal Diaries Series

Big thanks to Renae at Respiring Thoughts for reminding me how much I loved these books!

I remember in elementary school we would do bi-weekly visits to the school library and the day I stumbled upon the shelf full of the Royal Diaries books was a glorious day for the reader in me. I checked out these books week after week in an attempt to read them all. If the school library didn't have one, I'd drag my mom to the library to pick it up. I was determined to read every single one.

I remember some specific novels in the series that really captured my eye and my attention.

 The stories of Catherine, Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, and Mary, Queen of Scots are the four that really stand out to me as diaries I loved reading. I think for Cleopatra and Marie Anotinette that had a lot to do with them being figures I already knew about and therefore had me dying to read more. I loved how the diary format made these young women so accessible and so easy to relate to. I will never face the struggles and decisions that these girls did, but when I read these books I felt like they were just like me.

I think reading and loving these novels when I was young helped develop the love I have today for historical fiction novels that provide the perspective of a royal figure. Not only are they full of drama because of all the deception and the power at stake around them, but more often than not, when a novel like that is very well written, I still feel like I can relate to that figure, despite having never experienced anything like what they did on a regular basis. I absolutely love those novels, and I think these books set that love up for me.

Also, side note: on three of the four covers the girls have an animal with them. What does that tell you about young me?

Have you read the Royal Diaries or a similar series? Do you enjoy historical fiction from a royal perspective nowadays? I want to hear your thoughts!