All opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Disclosure here.
“Gripping, compelling, and exciting.”
Reading age
12+
Genre
Historical fiction
Publisher
Chicken House Ltd
Publication date
04 Feb 2021
My summary of the book
Cat Sparrow, a young orphan living in a convent, has had a terrifying change one day. A man kidnapped her sister Meg! Cat is determined to find her older sister and bring her back home. Along the way, Cat meets a French-English boy Jacques Bonhomme, whom she calls “Jack-Bon.” They soon enter the court of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon; Cat becomes the “Queen’s fool.” Cat and Jacques soon enter the “Field of Cloth of Gold.” Despite the entertainment, Cat and Jacques discover a plot to disrupt the peace between the English and the French.
My thoughts
This historical book was right up my alley. I loved the descriptions of the palaces, the Field of Cloth of Gold, etc. I loved how Cat talks, even though it’s odd, but in a good way. The friendship between Cat and Jacques was so strong that you couldn’t even comprehend it. I can understand her bond with her sister, as well, because I believe that sisters are one of the strongest bonds in the family ever known. I wish that I have Cat’s courage and determination. There is a lot of adventure in this story. I like stories with people trying to foil the villain’s plot! The villains were one of the sneakiest characters in this book. I would love to reread this book because I loved it so much, and it’s interesting to read a commoner’s perspective during that period.
My rating
About the author
“Ally Sherrick was born in Epsom, Surrey. When she was growing up she wanted to be an Egyptologist and dig up mummies – the type wrapped in bandages, not the living breathing ones! At school her favorite subjects were reading, creative writing and history. After spending many years writing magazine articles, press releases and publications for a living, she took an MA in Writing for Children from the University of Winchester and fell in love with reading children’s books all over again.
Her award-winning first novel, ‘Black Powder’, published in 2016, is a page-turning adventure about young Catholic boy, Tom’s desperate quest to save his father from the hangman’s noose at the time of the infamous Gunpowder Plot.
‘The Queen’s Fool’, her exciting new Tudor England-set adventure will be published in February 2021.” – Amazon.
