My top 5 favorite royal diaries

I love the Royal Diaries series. The books in it are very similar to the Dear America and Dear Canada books, with one small twist - each Royal Diary is written from the perspective of a teenage princess, queen, or royal family member from the past. There are 20 books, each from a different period and part of the world. While the diaries themselves are fictional, most of the people, places, and events are real, making it a fun way to learn more history. All of the Royal Diaries also have gorgeous cover illustrations! Today, I’ll be sharing my five favorite Royal Diaries with you. 

Image courtesy of goodreads.com

Kaiulani - The People's Princess
​This diary tells the story of Kaiulani, a Hawaiian princess in 1889. Kaiulani must leave her homeland to attend school in England, but she doesn’t want to go. Will she ever be able to be happy in a strange land without her family?  The book also talks a lot about the government and political problems in Hawaii’s past. It discusses the annexation of Hawaii to the United States, which meant that Kaiulani would never be queen. An interesting, sometimes sad, historically rich book. 

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Image courtesy of Goodreads.com

Cleopatra VII - Daughter of the Nile
This book is intensely dramatic, with an evil and conniving not-quite-queen, secret meetings, and death threats. I love this book particularly because of Cleopatra’s strong, determined character. The book is set in 57 BC in Egypt and is pretty historically accurate. I love reading sumptuous descriptions of foreign places, and Cleopatra VII doesn’t disappoint.

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Lady of Ch'iao Kuo - Red Bird of the South
Meet Princess Red Bird, a teenage Hsien princess who is studying at a Chinese school, living in two worlds. The peace between Hsien and Chinese is fragile, and when it breaks, will Princess Red Bird be able to mend the damage before war begins? I particularly admire this main character, because she is very intelligent, clever, and mature. I love learning about her culture, and as far as I can tell, the historic facts of 531 A.D. have been replicated very well. 

Image courtesy of goodreads.com

Elizabeth I - Red Rose of the House of Tudor
Elizabeth I is not your typical young lady. No way. She’s a crafty tween princess who fights for her father’s love, detests her stepsister, and lives in several large castles in the year 1544. For some reason, this is the Royal Diary I’ve read the most. Either because of Elizabeth’s fun personality or the interesting descriptions of daily life at court, I keep coming back to this book. You’ll find it a rather accurate volume of English history, filled with all the delightful elements of a fiction book. 

Image courtesy of goodreads.com

Victoria - May Blossom of Britannia
Victoria is also set in England, but three centuries later, in 1829. The main character, Victoria, is younger than many of the girls in the Royal Diaries, at just nine years old when she starts her diary. It’s written with a voice that is very authentic and amusing, and seems like someone I could be friends with today. It is very fun to see her transformation from girl to mature teen. Once again, it is very interesting and historically realistic! 


Which Royal Diary will you be reading first? 
Love,
A