The Queen Must Die by K A S Quinn (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

June 2011, Atlantic Books 

304 pages, Paperback

Review copy 

Themes: Time travel, survival, friendships, secrets, life in the royal court, intrigue, danger, high stakes, gorgeous costumes,

Content: fair amount of humour, tissues needed

Summary from Atlantic Books

This is the story of Katie Berger-Jones-Burg. 

One minute, she’s under the bed of her New York apartment… the next she’s in Buckingham Palace, at the height of Queen Victoria’s reign... A dangerous place to be.The Royal Family is in mortal peril. In the secret passages of the palace, a plot is afoot. Suspicious figures huddle in the gas-lit streets of London. And Katie is not the only time-traveller in the city…

Nayuleska's reasons for loving Katie - her adventure is incredible, she gets to make a difference in the past, present and future. 

Is there another character who deserves a special mention? Princess Alice has enough attitude, intelligence, wit and determination to make me wish she has her own story. 

How evil/nasty is the enemy? If found to be an imposter, Katie will be in trouble. If she can't get home, she risks changing the entire world with every extra action she does. As for having murderers on her tail, well, I'd say that they are pretty evil. 

Are there plenty of plot twists and surprises? There were several moments where I held my breath for Katie - I loved every moment of her journey. 

One of my favourite parts was...when Princess Alice mentally stepped into the royal shoes and used her position to help Katie. 

I give it a solid 10E/10E. 

Suggested read

Follow Picky as she takes on people's personas in the past to solve mysteries in Mary Naylus's The Dresskeeper

(Young Adult, 10E/10E)