This book is two stories woven together. There is firstly the tale of the Princes in the Tower and secondly Will & Meg’s whodunit story. The tale of the murdered princes is very dark, and is not softened much in the telling. The character who tells the story was a supporter of Richard III and guarded the Princes during their imprisonment. The story of Meg and Will is much lighter and more humorous, and I would expect it to be this aspect of the book that most engages children’s attention.

I found the array of family characters at Marsden Manor slightly confusing, and never quite got the hang of who was who, but then they aren’t very important to the story. The characters of both Will and Meg are very well drawn and practically jump off the page. Meg is a very strong girl character whose presence is important in this otherwise male story. Their search for the truth about the murder teaches Will to look, listen and think. This encourages the reader to do the same, and we are given plenty of opportunity to solve the mystery before Will does. The characters the children meet along the way are delightfully drawn.

This would obviously be a useful book for a class interested in this period of history. Terry Deary, of Horrible Histories fame, is an eminent historian who also has the gift of bringing the past to life. I did think that some of the more bloodthirsty details of the time and the endnote about the buried skeletons found in the Tower could be upsetting for some children. Others would no doubt delight in it. A satisfying read.

2008-01-04