Overview
Queen Elizabeth is furious at the production delays of her new coin. To escape her bad temper, Lady Grace and her fellow Maids of Honour skate down the frozen River Thames to the eagerly anticipated Frost Fair. But a gruesome discovery on the ice–a dead man with coins covering his eyes–interrupts the winter revelry. As the Queen’s Lady Pursuivant, Grace must unravel the mystery.
Uncover a dangerous world of counterfeiting and corruption inside the private daybooke of Lady Grace, the queen’s favorite Maid of Honour.
All miscreants and ill-thinkers, keep out! The Lady Grace Mysteries come to us from the most privy and secret daybooke of Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honour to her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I of that name.
Thirteen-year-old Lady Grace Cavendish, maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth I, describes in her diary her efforts to discover who is counterfeiting the new English silver coin.
Synopsis
Queen Elizabeth is furious at the production delays of her new coin. To escape her bad temper, Lady Grace and her fellow Maids of Honour skate down the frozen River Thames to the eagerly anticipated Frost Fair. But a gruesome discovery on the ice–a dead man with coins covering his eyes–interrupts the winter revelry. As the Queen’s Lady Pursuivant, Grace must unravel the mystery.
Uncover a dangerous world of counterfeiting and corruption inside the private daybooke of Lady Grace, the queen’s favorite Maid of Honour.
All miscreants and ill-thinkers, keep out! The Lady Grace Mysteries come to us from the most privy and secret daybooke of Lady Grace Cavendish, Maid of Honour to her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I of that name.
Debbie West - Children's Literature
Book Four in "The Lady Grace Mysteries" series begins in November, 1569. Written as a diary, Lady Grace's daybooke cites the unusual adventures of the brave thirteen-year-old orphan who is under the queen's custody. Lady Grace Cavendish, maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth I, is the queen's secret Lady Pursuivant. Unbeknownst to anyone, she seeks out wrongdoers and those who wish to harm the queen. Being the daughter of the woman who once saved the queen's life has its advantages. While other maids are content to perform tedious embroidery, Lady Grace writes in her daybooke of her adventures and writes a historical account of court life. When one of the queen's maids of honor stumbles upon a dead body at the Frost Fair, Lady Grace is the first to notice unusual details. The man's eyes have been covered with new coins—coins that the queen herself has just approved to be minted and are not in circulation yet. The queen gives Lady Grace five days to find the murderer. With the help of her friends, Ellie, a laundress, and Masou, a court jester, she travels through the seedier side of London in disguise, and unravels a counterfeiting scheme led by the protege of the head mint master. The book includes a glossary for the lesser-known words used, and a brief history of Queen Elizabeth is given as well. 2005, Delacorte Press/Random house Children's Books, Ages 11 to 15.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Book Four in "The Lady Grace Mysteries" series begins in November, 1569. Written as a diary, Lady Grace's daybooke cites the unusual adventures of the brave thirteen-year-old orphan who is under the queen's custody. Lady Grace Cavendish, maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth I, is the queen's secret Lady Pursuivant. Unbeknownst to anyone, she seeks out wrongdoers and those who wish to harm the queen. Being the daughter of the woman who once saved the queen's life has its advantages. While other maids are content to perform tedious embroidery, Lady Grace writes in her daybooke of her adventures and writes a historical account of court life. When one of the queen's maids of honor stumbles upon a dead body at the Frost Fair, Lady Grace is the first to notice unusual details. The man's eyes have been covered with new coins—coins that the queen herself has just approved to be minted and are not in circulation yet. The queen gives Lady Grace five days to find the murderer. With the help of her friends, Ellie, a laundress, and Masou, a court jester, she travels through the seedier side of London in disguise, and unravels a counterfeiting scheme led by the protege of the head mint master. The book includes a glossary for the lesser-known words used, and a brief history of Queen Elizabeth is given as well. 2005, Delacorte Press/Random house Children's Books, Ages 11 to 15.—Debbie West