Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone.

Princess Catherine was daughter to France’s King Charles VI, who suffered from mental illness. During her lifetime, she knew the hardships of France’s civil war and England’s King Henry V’s repeated warring in France. Married off to King Henry, peace between the two countries lasted briefly. After King Henry V’s death, Catherine married a Welsh man, Owen Tudor.

Before giving this book a listen, I knew very little about Queen Catherine. This is a great way to get introduced to this historical figure. The author uses touches of drama here and there to bring this bit of history to life. Since this book is only 69 minutes long, only the highlights of Queen Catherine’s life are covered. However, it is apparent from the beginning that Catherine comes from a line of women known to speak their minds, whether they are speaking to a man or a woman, a peasant or royalty.

This book is classified as creative non-fiction by the author, a classification or genre that is new to me. With that said, the book reads like a historical fiction and is not dry like many straight histories are are. If folks are a bit intimidated by histories or historical fiction, this series of books is a great place to get started.

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks!

The Narration: Once again, Richard Mann has a very nice voice to listen to. He even gives a little singing here and there as the book requires. He has distinct voices for all the characters, and a good range for the male voices. His female voices could use a touch more femininity. ( )

Well-researched and interesting, this story is not my usual choice for reading material, yet I found it fascinating. The author has taken factual information, and interspersed it with imagined dialogue, to make a decent history lesson into a great book. The description lists it as teaching material for primary and middle school, but I disagree that an elementary school child would enjoy this, unless maybe it's read aloud. Late middle school and high school students would, no doubt, enjoy it more than the dry history tomes they are burdened with. ( )

The author, Laurel A. Rockefeller, gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

The stated demographic is grades 2-12. Alex is a 12-year-old who will enter Grade 7 in the upcoming school year. “Catherine de Valois” by Laurel A. Rockefeller was her first exposure to this historical figure. Alex enjoyed that the narrative was a story told to a young bride by the sons of the subject. Rockefeller’s style is very smooth and the anecdotes chosen fit together perfectly. The story led to discussion about historical cultural differences. Would a 12-year-old marry? Isn’t it sad that a mother wouldn’t see her son for years? Wasn’t it terribly cruel for a monarch to take property from people? Alex found the five-year-old Catherine unrealistically mature in he speech but understood that times were different and each day was uncertain especially when surrounded by war and an insane and powerful parent. Alex was happy for Catherine that in the end it seems she was able to do what she wanted even if it meant being separated from her son.

Rockefeller provides a list for further reading at the end of the book as a guide for those, like Alex, interested in learning more. “Catherine de Valois” is an interesting, engaging, well-researched tale of the life of a strong woman in history and a must read for young girls and anyone looking for a quick historical read. ( )