(4) 4-6 Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames series. Illustrated by Peter Malone. Profiling some of history's most notorious women rulers, this series employs crisp writing along with an appealing mix of dramatic paintings and photographs (mainly of places and items). The main texts deliver plenty of gory details; most volumes include sidebars highlighting cultural specifics. It's a little all over the place, but the series, with its sharp hook, should appeal to a diverse readership. Review covers these Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames titles: Agrippina, Catherine de' Medici, Cixi, Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, and Mary Tudor.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) YA Young Royals series. Sumptuous details of sixteenth-century Italy and France enhance this tale of young Catherine de' Medici, the beleaguered wife of King Henry II of France. Meyer convincingly humanizes Catherine, showing how her childhood days as a political pawn could have shaped her unpopular actions as queen. The text is equally rich with history and narrative.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) YA European Queens series. Whether they came to the throne through their own machinations or because they were next in line, these five women made history-altering contributions--both good and bad--to their respective countries. While the books don't neglect to discuss the intrigues and assignations of these monarchs, the laudatory tone downplays each ruler's flaws. Black-and-white and crisp color reproductions appear throughout. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these European Queens titles: Marie Antoinette and the Decline of the French Monarchy, Catherine de'Medici and the Protestant Reformation, Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment in Russia, Queen Isabella and the Unification of Spain, and Queen Victoria and the British Empire.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman