Thematic Reading List: To Become a Princess
Some women are born into royalty while others enter through marriage. Below are 12 books about real-life princesses that describe their lives, good and bad, and what it means to be a princess in various countries throughout history.
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To be a Princess: the fascinating lives of real princesses By: Hugh Brewster Recounts the stories of twelve royal princesses, covering a period from 1516 to the present. |
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Queen Elizabeth II By: Jennifer Zeiger Four chapters chronicle Queen Elizabeth II’s life from her birth in 1926 to her current standing as Great Britain’s longest reigning monarch. |
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Kate Middleton Duchess of Cambridge By: Robin S. Doak Covers Kate’s early life, meeting Prince William, the royal wedding, motherhood, and her life as a duchess. |
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Diana, Princess of Wales By: Tim O’Shei Describes the life and death of Diana, Princess of Wales. |
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La Malinche: The Princess Who Helped Cortes Conquer the Aztec Empire By: Francisco Serrano Examines the life and legacy of Princess Malinali, a Nahuatl princess from the coast lands of Tabasco who used her knowledge of Maya, Nahuatl, and Spanish languages to act as an interpreter when her kingdom was at war with the Aztec Empire. |
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The Last Princess: the story of Princess Kaiulani of Hawaii By: Fay Stanley Recounts the story of Hawaii’s last heir to the throne, who was denied her right to rule when the monarchy was abolished. |
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African Princess: the amazing lives of Africa’s royal women By: Joyce Hansen This collective biography offers portraits of six women, who lived in times ranging from 3500 years ago to now. Each minibiography provides birth and death dates, if known, for its subject, and then offers a chronicle of the highlights of her life, including details of youth, family, and ascension to various positions of power, whether it be ruler, consort, or government minister. |
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Princess Kiko of Japan By: Tim O’Shei Describes the life of Princess Kiko of Japan. |
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Real princesses: an inside look at royal life By: Valerie Wilding Get the facts about princesses’ past and present–their clothes, their homes, their families, and their fates. |
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Anastasia’s Album By: Hugh Brewster Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia. Anastasia’s life is told through her photographs and letters. |
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Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman By: Shirin Yim Bridges Presents information about the life of the fourteenth-century Persian noblewoman who was captured and sold into slavery as a child, but whose intelligence, beauty, and compassion led her to become princess, and eventually sole ruler of Kirman after the death of her husband. |
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Princess Grace of Monaco By: Tim O’Shei Before Diana, Princess of Wales, there was Princess Grace of Monaco. Both were blonde, blue-eyed beauties; both died in tragic car crashes; and both will live on in the hearts of millions. |