Nicola is given her position as fool just before Mary's husband, the king of France, dies. Having no reason to stay in France, Mary goes back to her native Scotland and sets herself up as queen. Nicola goes with her, serving as a courtier, and also as a friend, during the years between Mary's return to Scotland and her exile in England.

The book starts slowly, and is almost but not quite boring until the murder of David Riccio, a close friend of Mary and Nicola. Then it picks up, starting with a touching scene of Nicola visiting David's grave. After this beautiful interlude, the real action begins. Nicola must keep Darnley, Mary's frat-boy husband, from usurping the throne, and later has to help Mary escape from imprisonment on a remote island. The second half of the book is much more interesting than the first, but I suppose it would have made no sense without the background of the first half. *shrug*

Overall, a decent novel about Queen Mary for middle-schoolers or thereabouts. It might even encourage you to read more about the Tudor/Stuart period.

Have you have seen a mouse read? This book is about a mouse named Flora that lives in a school. Once Flora watches a little kid read in Kindergarten, Flora is really curious about reading. But her family sees no use in it. Flora tells them it is very important, especially when Flora finds a bag marked Poison!

I loved this book because it was so fun to see how a mouse can read in Kindergarten and 1st grade. I also like this book because it had such good words that I could imagine the pictures.

I think the author wants to show that reading is very important. Also I think the author wants to show that even if you are a mouse, learning is important.

I saw ELSKE on this site and couldn't resist buying it to see if Voigt was still as good as ever. Turns out she's even better -- I've read all the books in the "Kingdom" series and this, though I love the others, is my favorite. It's an adventure story about two young women making their own way in a world against them, and it's got everything: "primitive" tribal customs, plots against a royal family, narrow escapes, war, even love. It's got morals, too, but Voigt skillfully avoids hitting you over the head with them. All told, it's as great for adults as for kids.

NOTE: I would recommend that any "kid" reading it be old enough/mature enough to understand and handle things like rape and sexual innuendo, which are in no way graphic or overdone, but certainly are important elements in the story.

Elske tossed into an un-known world makes her way as a hated enemy. Surprisingly enough attracts many types of friends, through her innocence as well as decieving appearence. As she turns away many situations where she could live a peacefull life, only to serve a "feindly princess." Beriel a girl fighting for what was hers as well as mustering a dark secret..... Together they make do with each other and even befriend each other.

The one thing about this that makes it so appealing is that Elske is not your average distressed maiden making it through life suffering, but always content while sharing a romance with a good hearted man of higher or lower status. Beriel and Elske's characters are very captivating.... You'll love this book if you are a fan of or have read: Jackaroo, On Fortunes Wheel, or Wings of a Falcon. New readers will enjoy this book just as much because no other former "tid bits of the last books plot" are key facts.

. . . Yes, the novel is well written, and Ms. Ozick certainly has a highly developed vocabulary... or at least she has access to a good thesaurus. . . .

The main point of the book is that while some of us dream, strive and struggle for intellectual greatness, we usually wind up being just a bunch of ordinary folks. How silly, how depressing! What unrealistic, high falootin' ideas of greatness this woman has! She illustrates her idea of ordinariness by telling us that unless we're great we're doomed to be mere "plumbers". Don't plumbers think? She never passes up a chance to heft her great intellectual superiority complex on the lower forms of life that she and, apparantly, her characters are destined to rub elbows with.

I found Ozick's tone infuriatingly patronizing and false. What all the hubbub about her is all about, I'll never understand.