Another quick one that I could pick up and put down at a moment's notice.

This fictional diary of a girl in Catherine of Aragon's train as she comes to the English Court to marry Prince Arthur follows the same pattern as the rest of the books in the series. However, there is one small difference; this one actually links directly to another book. The main character in this one, Eva De Puebla, is the mother of the main character in the book I read yesterday, 'Anne Boleyn and Me' (although this book ends before Elinor is born). It's a nice addition, as you get the view of the whole of Catherine of Aragon's English life through the eyes of one family, and the narrative all ties together really well. 

This one feels like it has more personality behind it though; I feel like I know more about Eva and her life and thoughts. The author has achieved more of the diary feel in this one, rather than just a simple recounting of events. 

That being said, again it is stretched out over a long time period, and so there are some quite big omissions - very little is said about Catherine's marriage to Arthur; one moment they're married and the next he's passed away. Given that very little is known about that period, it does feel like an opportunity has been missed to weave a little tale into that gap. Likewise, the years that Catherine spends waiting for her fate to be decided are really only marked out by the effect of the various Spanish ambassadors, rather than by the daily struggles. I do wonder if this book would have been better focusing on these aspects and telling Eva's story, ending with the triumphant wedding of Henry and Catherine. 

I'm not sure that this one would hold a child's attention as much as others in the series, but as an introduction to the 'did they didn't they?' question that leads to the King's Great Matter, it's a well written piece that goes into enough detail so that the reader can understand, but not so much that you wouldn't feel comfortable giving it to a child to read.