''The Royal Diaries'' is a series of 20 books published by

Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

from 1999 to 2005. In each of the books, a fictional diary of a real female figure of royalty as a child throughout world history was written by the author. ''The Royal Diaries'' was a spin-off of Scholastic's popular ''

Dear America ''Dear America'' is a series of historical fiction novels for children published by Scholastic Corporation, Scholastic starting in 1996. By 1998, the series had 12 titles with 3.5 million copies in print. The series was canceled in 2004 with its ...

'' series. While ''Dear America'', ''

My Name Is America ''My Name Is America'' is a series of historical novels published by Scholastic Press. Each book is written in the form of a journal of a fictional young man's life during an important event or time period in American history. The series was di ...

'', and ''

My America ''My America'' is a series of fictional diaries of children that take place during significant moments in American history. Created by Scholastic, it is a spin-off of the series, '' Dear America'', geared toward younger children (grades 3-5). The ...

'' were all cancelled in 2004, ''The Royal Diaries'' continued until 2005. Unlike ''Dear America'', which consisted of diaries of young girls living during pivotal periods in American history, ''The Royal Diaries'' is a series that features women of royalty from all over the world. The series is fictional, though it involves real historical figures. Facts and images concerning the historical figure featured in the book are given at the end of each of the books.

Subjects in ''The Royal Diaries''

''The Royal Diaries'' has covered many famous women in royalty, including Jahanara,

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna,

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

Empress Elisabeth Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...

, and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. The series has also covered less known women, such as

Anacaona Anacaona (1474?–1504), or Golden Flower, was a Taíno cacica, or female ''cacique'' (chief), religious expert, poet and composer born in Xaragua. Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, Ayiti or Quisqueya to the Taínos (the Spaniar ...

of the Taínos,

Weetamoo Weetamoo (c. 1635–1676), also referred to as Weethao, Weetamoe, Wattimore, Namumpum, and Tatapanunum, was a Pocasset, Massachusetts, Pocasset Wampanoag people, Wampanoag Native Americans in the United States, Native American Chief. She was ...

of the Pocassets, the Lady of Ch'iao Kuo of the Hsien, the Lady of Palenque of the

Mayans The Maya peoples () are an ethnolinguistic group of indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical reg ...

, and

Nzingha Nzinga Ana de Sousa Mbande ( – 1663) was a Southwest African ruler who served as queen of the Ambundu Kingdoms of Ndongo (1624–1663) and Matamba (1631–1663), located in present-day northern Angola. Born into the ruling family of Ndongo, ...

Ndongo The Kingdom of Ndongo, formerly known as Angola or Dongo, was an early-modern African state located in what is now Angola. The Kingdom of Ndongo is first recorded in the sixteenth century. It was one of multiple vassal states to Kongo, though ...

. It also covers the life and customs of these women. The target age for these books is nine to twelve.

Books in the series

*''

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544'' by

Kathryn Lasky Kathryn Lasky (born June 24, 1944) is an American children's writer who also writes for adults under the names Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann. Her children's books include several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, ''Sugaring Tim ...

(1999) *''

: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C.'' by

Kristiana Gregory Kristiana Gregory (born 1951) is an American children's author. Gregory grew up in a small town by the sea near Los Angeles with her parents and two younger siblings. Gregory is a popular author of children's historical fiction, including sever ...

(1999) *''

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

: Jewel of Castilla,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, 1466'' by

Carolyn Meyer Carolyn Meyer (born June 8, 1935) is an American author of novels for children and young adults. The typical genre for her work is historical fiction, one of her more popular projects being the ''Young Royals'' series, each novel of which tell ...

(2000) *''

: Princess of Versailles,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

1769'' by Kathryn Lasky (2000) *''

Anastasia Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the most ...

: The Last Grand Duchess,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, 1914'' by

(2000) *''

: Warrior Queen of Matamba,

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, 1595'' by

Patricia McKissack Patricia C. "Pat" McKissack (''née'' Carwell; August 9, 1944 – April 7, 2017) was a prolific African American children's writer. She was the author of over 100 books, including Dear America books '' A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, ...

(2000) *'' Kaiulani: The People's Princess,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, 1889'' by

Ellen Emerson White Ellen Emerson White is an American author who has written a number of young adult fiction novels. Writing Ms. White's first book, ''Friends for Life'' (1983) was published while she was a senior at Tufts University. White grew up in Narragans ...

(2001) *'' Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, 531 A.D.'' by

Laurence Yep Laurence Michael Yep (; born June 14, 1948) is an American writer. He is known for his children's books, having won the Newbery Medal, Newbery Honor twice for his ''Golden Mountain'' series. In 2005, he received the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder ...

(2001) *''

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829'' by Anna Kirwan (2001) *''

: Queen Without a Country,

, 1553'' by Kathryn Lasky (2002) *'' Sŏndŏk: Princess of the Moon and Stars,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, 595 A.D.'' by

Sheri Holman Sheri Holman (born 1966) is an American novelist and screenwriter. Biography Holman was born in Hanover County, Virginia. Following graduation from The College of William & Mary in 1988 with a degree in theatre, she moved to New York. After trans ...

(2002) *'' Jahanara: Princess of Princesses,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, 1627'' by Kathryn Lasky (2002) *''

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine,

, 1136'' by Kristiana Gregory (2002) *'' Elisabeth: The Princess Bride,

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, 1853'' by Barry Denenberg (2003) *'' Kristina: The Girl King, Sweden, 1638'' by Carolyn Meyer (2003) *''

: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts-Rhode Island, 1653'' by Patricia Clark Smith (2003) *'' Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal,

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. W ...

, A.D. 749'' by Anna Kirwan (2004) *''

Kazunomiya (''Kazunomiya'') was the wife of 14th ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Iemochi. She was renamed Lady Seikan'in-no-miya after she took the tonsure as a widow. She was the great-great-great aunt of Emperor Akihito, who reigned from 1989 to 2019. Biography ...

: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan, 1858'' by Kathryn Lasky (2004) *''

: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490'' by

Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat (; born January 19, 1969) is a Haitian-American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, ''Breath, Eyes, Memory'', was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written or ...

(2005) *''

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

: The Great Journey, Russia, 1743'' by Kristiana Gregory (2005)

TV films

In 2000,

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

created three TV films based on three of the Royal Diaries books: ''Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (England, 1544)'', ''Isabel: Jewel of Castilla (Spain, 1466)'', and ''Cleopatra: Daughter of the Nile (Egypt, 57 BC)''. The title characters were portrayed by

Tamara Hope Tamara Lindeman (born November 2, 1984), also known by the name Tamara Hope, is a Canadian actress and musician. Her starring roles include ''Guinevere Jones'' and ''The Nickel Children'', as well as a recurring role on CTV's ''Whistler'' as Le ...

Lisa Jakub Lisa Jakub () (born December 27, 1978) is a Canadian writer, yoga teacher, and former actress. She is best known for her roles as Lydia Hillard in the comedy-drama film ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993) and as Alicia Casse in '' Independence Day'' (1996). ...

and Elisa Moolecherry, respectively. Reruns of these adaptations also aired on

Qubo Qubo ( ; stylized as qubo) was an American television network for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Owned by Ion Media, it consisted of a 24-hour free-to-air television network often mentioned as the "Qubo channel" (available as a digital ...

TV series

In November 2021, it was reported that

Legendary Television Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has c ...

and

Scholastic Entertainment Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

were developing a television series adaptation.

External links

''The Royal Diaries'' at scholastic.ca
* * *

References