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Queen of the Sea



written and illustrated by
Dylan Meconis

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Candlewick
Imprint
Walker Books Ltd
ISBN
9781536204988

Awards and Honors
Kirkus Best Books - 2019
Publishers Weekly Best Books - 2019
SLJ Best Books - 2019
NPR’s Book Concierge - 2019
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Violence: Mild Violence
$7.20   $6.00
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QTY
Out of stock

When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her kingdom, where the nuns of the convent spend their days peacefully praying, sewing, and gardening. But the island is also home to Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl whose life is upturned when the cold, regal stranger arrives. As Margaret grows closer to Eleanor, she grapples with the revelation of the island’s sinister true purpose as well as the truth of her own past. When Eleanor’s life is threatened, Margaret is faced with a perilous choice between helping Eleanor and protecting herself. In a hybrid novel of fictionalized history, Dylan Meconis paints Margaret’s world in soft greens, grays, and reds, transporting readers to a quiet, windswept island at the heart of a treasonous royal plot.

Author’s note. Full-color mixed-media illustrations.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Violence: Mild Violence

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

400

Trim Size

10" x 6 2/3"

Dewey

[Fic]

AR

4.7: points 5

Lexile

GN710L

Genre

Fiction

Scholastic Reading Counts

10

JLG Release

Sep 2019

Book Genres


Topics

Alternate history. Monarchs. Orphans. Nuns. Islands. Political intrigue. Sisters. Royalty. Comics and graphic novels.

Standard MARC Records

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Cover Art

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Praise & Reviews

Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:

Publishers Weekly*, Booklist*, Kirkus Reviews*, The Horn Book Magazine, School Library Journal*

Horn Book

In a graphic novel loosely inspired by sixteenth-century British history “during the reigns of King Henry VIII and his daughters, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I,” young Margaret has lived on the Island in a convent of nuns since she was a baby. At almost twelve (and nearly one hundred pages into the story), Margaret discovers an unhappy secret about her beloved Island and her own status there: she is in fact a prisoner. Soon after, the Island receives Lady Eleanor, the queen of Albion (modeled after Elizabeth I), who has been deposed by her older half-sister Catherine. Distrustful of everyone else on the Island, Eleanor enlists Margaret as a companion, but this relationship eventually leads to another startling revelation, this time about Margaret’s parentage. When a mysterious ship washes ashore, its sole survivor alters the course of Margaret’s and Eleanor’s futures as they escape the Island together, in an open-ended conclusion. Sympathetic protagonist Margaret’s first-person narration occasionally pauses to enlighten modern young readers about religious practices, politics, and conventions of the period, such as convent holy hours, saints, and the rules of chess. These sections are often accom-panied by spot art resembling images in illuminated manuscripts, whereas the rest of Meconis’s angular, detailed drawings depict characters realistically. Throughout, the mixed-media illustrations in an earthy palette are a dynamic mix of panel sizes and shapes that—along with the speech-bubble dialogue—reflect the emotions, intrigue, and actions of the complex characters, to great cinematic effect.

Praise & Reviews

Horn Book

In a graphic novel loosely inspired by sixteenth-century British history “during the reigns of King Henry VIII and his daughters, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I,” young Margaret has lived on the Island in a convent of nuns since she was a baby. At almost twelve (and nearly one hundred pages into the story), Margaret discovers an unhappy secret about her beloved Island and her own status there: she is in fact a prisoner. Soon after, the Island receives Lady Eleanor, the queen of Albion (modeled after Elizabeth I), who has been deposed by her older half-sister Catherine. Distrustful of everyone else on the Island, Eleanor enlists Margaret as a companion, but this relationship eventually leads to another startling revelation, this time about Margaret’s parentage. When a mysterious ship washes ashore, its sole survivor alters the course of Margaret’s and Eleanor’s futures as they escape the Island together, in an open-ended conclusion. Sympathetic protagonist Margaret’s first-person narration occasionally pauses to enlighten modern young readers about religious practices, politics, and conventions of the period, such as convent holy hours, saints, and the rules of chess. These sections are often accom-panied by spot art resembling images in illuminated manuscripts, whereas the rest of Meconis’s angular, detailed drawings depict characters realistically. Throughout, the mixed-media illustrations in an earthy palette are a dynamic mix of panel sizes and shapes that—along with the speech-bubble dialogue—reflect the emotions, intrigue, and actions of the complex characters, to great cinematic effect.

Grades 5-8
Graphic Novels Middle Plus
For Grades 5-8

Book-length narratives presented in comic book style, graphic novels foster both visual and verbal comprehension skills while exposing readers to interesting dialogue and satire, as well as affirming diversity.

JLG's selection of these unique books, some of them only published in softcover, are ideal for attracting reluctant readers and introducing them to literature they might not encounter otherwise. You may find that the 14 books in this category will turn your reluctant readers into eager readers.

14 books per Year
$293.02 per Year
Interests
Diversity,ESL,Fiction,Graphic Novels,Reluctant Readers,Transitional Readers,Funny/Humorous
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Grades 5-8
Graphic Novels Middle Plus
14 books per Year
$293.02 per Year

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