This is a very timely book to add to your school library collection. Catherine Reef has written many biographies for younger readers and this one about Queen Victoria does not disappoint. Typical of any biography, it talks about her childhood, living in a palace, ascending to the throne at 18, her coronation, wedding, politics and national decisions, her family life and her love for her husband. The text is engaging and it reads like a story.
The book itself is gorgeous. From the beautiful cover, to the photos, portraits and period engravings. All of the images contribute to the story of one of history’s most interesting women. I personally enjoy the Victorian era and this book gives a lot of insight as to how much influence one woman had on society. There are a lot of notes, sources and a family tree in the back of the book that I think students will find quite interesting.
I think this would be appropriate for a middle school to high school library. Adults will enjoy it too. There are obvious connections with history, this book could be used for a variety of projects. It could be used in an ESL classroom as an example of biographical text. It would fit into CCSS and into an IB curriculum. I will definitely display as part of a British History or British Monarchy display. It might be a good choice to tempt a fiction- only reader to give this non-fiction text a try. ( )

Well researched, thoughtfully written biography of Queen Victoria. ( )

Well researched, thoughtfully written biography of Queen Victoria. ( )