Mary Tudor (A Wicked History) Paperback – Illustrated, September 1, 2008

Scholastic's "Wicked History" series is a wonderful idea that actually works in execution. The books are small, short paperbacks intended for middle school aged children, but that can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in history. Each book takes an historical figure, usually infamous or nefarious, and gives a brief history. The work is enriched with the use of maps, a "web" of actors (genealogy and key figures in that person's life) and historical pictures or drawings. The font size is also larger than standard, for younger readers.Here, we get a glimpse into the life of Mary Tudor, nicknamed "Bloody Mary" for the nearly 300 protestants she had burned during her short reign as queen. In fact, the book opens with one such burning, a dramatic way to draw a reader in. However, there was more to her than that and this book tries to give a more balanced look at a much maligned figure. How she went from cherished, pampered daughter to exiled bastard.These are not intended for history buffs/people highly familiar with the subject. They are more like an expanded, enriched encyclopedia entry. Great for hooking a child's interest, and then literally offering sources at the end of where to go for more information. I was especially impressed that they do not only list scholarly books, but also websites. Overall, a great idea and I intend to continue with the series. Many of the figures I know absolutely nothing about, and a little bit more history would be welcome. Henry VIII: Royal Beheader (Wicked History) Sir Francis Drake: Slave Trader and Pirate (Wicked History)

fantastic book with perfect purse size to read while waiting for bus or trapped in waiting room at drs office great read love it never to old to go back to school and learn new topics

This book is more geared toward young adult readers who have to get some facts quickly for history class. It gives the facts, but doesn't look into the psychology of this fanatical monarch. For anyone who is seriously interested in the Tudors and the chaos that took place after Henry VIII died (not that he was any prize) this will leave you wanting a bigger, better book.

My daughter loved it!

This book was absolutely atrocious. There were over 100 errors in what the author called facts. Although, that isn't surprising when you take into account two of the books she used as sources: Bloody Mary by Carolly Erickson, which is a work of fiction and A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester, a book that is, in one lump summation, an utter farce. Also, all of the pictures, except the picture of Henry and the picture of Edward, were manipulated in some way, shape or form to where they look utterly different from the actual, original portrait. In short, this book is a waste of money, a waste of time, and a complete waste of ink, paper, images and every other thing that goes into creating & publishing a book. I would give it a negative rating if I could.***Side Note: I like Carolly Erickson, but her books are fiction and should not be used as a source for a supposedly factual book.

I really love this series of book, and especially this overview of Mary Tudor. Because, of course, history is written by the victors, Elizabeth I frequently gets the Heroine Treatment- which leaves Mary to be the wicked older sister. This book is wonderfully balanced, and presents events from Mary's point of view, which I found quite refreshing. And though the series is appropriate for children, it doesn't change or hide history when it's ugly. It explains it- and very well.

This is a myth of simplistic good and evil. Protestants are good, Catholics are evil. Queen Mary was bad. Queen Elizabeth was good. No attempt at a balanced approach was made. This "book" is nothing more than a vicious attack on the Catholic Church. I would have said "thinly disguised attack," however no attempt was made to disguise the motive of this anti-truth, anti-Catholic "author." The numerous lies and errors in this slim volume written for easily impressionable children were addressed in a previous review which cannot be read in its entirety due to a malfunction in Amazon's website. (As a matter of fact, all the reviews are unavailable. Hopefully this will be rectified.)Part of the problem is that the book is dated. Anything newer on Queen Mary Tudor would be more accurate than this, as newer historical research has revealed the problems with "Foxes Book of Martyrs," which like much pseudo-history written too close to the time of events, is emotional, error-ridden, and has an axe to grind. Newer, (or better-researched) books on Queen Mary recognize the problem of relying on a book like FBOM for historical reality.The title is misleading, suggesting that both sides of the controversy are addressed. They are not. The author totally fails to address the "Courageous Queen" in her title, and devotes herself to solely to her attack on the Catholic Queen and the Catholic Church at every opportunity. Lie after lie, misinterpretation after misguided misunderstanding repeat Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.Buy this book only if you have a closed mind and want your children to become so also.

its super awesome I have been a fan of wicked histories for so long and it totally satisfies me

This book while being short and well bloody histronic really put the Queen where she was famous for the age of the intolerance of other religions, and she proved what happens when a person becomes bent at an early age She proved if it moves and does not give you what you want you kill it so others will obey in her way. The road to ruin took five bloody years.