LitBit Speaks

An incredible lineup of authors explore the lives and deaths of the wives of Henry VIII. A complex and in-depth examination of complicated people, each of whom has very different reasons for wanting to be queen ( or not ) and the sometimes bizarre behind-the-scenes reasons for their downfalls. Henry VIII - M.T. Anderson Katharine of Aragon - Candace Fleming Anne Boleyn - Stephanie Hemphill Jane Seymour - Lisa Ann Sandell Anna of Cleves - Jennifer Donnelly Catherine Howard - Linda Sue Park Kateryn Parr - Deborah Hopkinsons Queen Elizabeth I - M.T. Anderson This thorough collection of detailed accounts is a history-lover's dream. Each queen's voice is distinctive, exploring each woman's ascent to the precarious position of Henry's wife. Henry's obsession with a male heir fuels much of his unhappiness with each woman, but others are also working in the background for their own purposes, throwing out false accusations of infidelity, incestuous relations, an...

Jules Devereux just wants to keep her head down, avoid distractions, and get into the right college, so she can leave Fullbrook and its old-boy social codes behind. She wants freedom, but ex-boyfriends and ex-best friends are determined to keep her in place. Jamie Baxter feels like an imposter at Fullbrook, but the hockey scholarship that got him in has given him a chance to escape his past and fulfill the dreams of his parents and coaches, whose mantra rings in his ears: Don’t disappoint us. As Jules and Jamie’s lives intertwine, and the pressures to play by the rules and remain silent about the school’s secrets intensify, they see Fullbrook for what it really is. That tradition, a word Fullbrook hides behind, can be ugly, even violent. Ultimately, Jules and Jamie are faced with the difficult question: can they stand together against classmates—and an institution—who believe they can do no wrong? No . No is a word with a lot of power. At least, it's supposed to be. We live ...