Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408882016 £6.99
This is Lucy Worsley’s second novel for children, and is based around the life of Queen Victoria as a child, growing up in Kensington Palace, before she is certain she will inherit the throne following the deaths of George IV and William. All the action is based on real people, such as Sir John Conroy and Victoria’s mother. The story centres around the relationship between Conroy’s daughter Victoria and the real Princess Victoria. Brought in as a playmate for the future queen, Victoria, or Miss V as she is commonly known, is used by her father to control Princess Victoria and make sure Conroy, and Victoria’s mother the duchess remain in control of the young princess. As the story unfolds the plot thickens and nothing is quite as straightforward as it seems… Lucy Worsley obviously draws extensively on her ‘day job’ as Curator of Royal Palaces to fill in the details about Kensington Palace and Victoria’s childhood. The story is riveting, with a most surprising ending, but the language may be a little advanced for KS2, unless they are very strong readers. This is an interesting and unusual take on a well-known story!
Alf Wilkinson, The Historical Association
