12th February 1554
Through my roof hole I am watching the final touches being put to the scaffold on Tower Green. It is draped in black, and straw has already been strewn around the block to catch the blood. There is no axe yet. The executioner will bring that. I wonder if mother will let us watch? We usually do, on Tower Hill, but this is the first execution within the tower walls since I was about one and a half years old. Mother says that was a double execution – a queen and her lady – and tomorrow is the twelfth anniversary of those deaths. I do not remember them, of course, but I will certainly remember this…there have been many, many deaths in other parts of the tower – some we never hear about. This bloody tower.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: @@@@@
Pages: 16
Format: Paperback
Comments: This is a great book which gives great insight into the events surrounding Edward VI‘s succession. The story is written in Diary format and shows how events may have looked from the point of view of a girl growing up in the Tower of London. The story is followed by a timeline of events then copies of historical documents. A great way to get kids interested in History.