Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Stuart Quartet
Called La Jardiniere, a resourceful and clever jester to the queen's court, Nicola was a most unlikely person to end up "fool" and friend to Mary, Queen of Scots. But Nicola isn't an ordinary comedian clowning before the court; her sharp tongue is rare amongst the fawning nobles. As fate takes Mary from France to Scotland, and into confrontations with rebellious lords and devious advisors, Nicola remains deep in the queen's inner circle. But when the Scots start to turn on Queen Mary, Nicola struggles to find something-anything-that she, just a fool, can do to save her friend.
"Rich and involving . . . Readers are treated to a fascinating look at royal politics through the eyes of Nicola." (School Library Journal, starred review)
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"Where history ends, storytelling begins," writes Jane Yolen in her author's note to this exciting novel based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Only a few facts are known about Mary's young female jester, le Jardiniere, but Yolen and her collaborator, Scottish writer Robert Harris, have created a fascinating girl narrator based on this historical oddity. Le Jardiniere relates the true and tragic tale of the ill-fated 16th-century queen of Scotland.
In 1559, when a ragtag troupe of traveling entertainers is snatched from the sodden streets of Rheims to amuse the bored visiting French court, 13-year-old Nicola Ambruzzi impresses the queen with her wit and honesty. The beautiful young Mary takes the girl under her protection as "the queen's own fool," commissioned to speak the truth boldly amid the fawning lies and schemes of the courtiers. Around them swarm secret plots, duplicity, and betrayal; death is a constant threat.
After her weak boy-husband King Francis dies, the kindhearted Mary is unwilling to hear Nicola speak the truth about her suitors. She experiences two disastrous marriages, first with the handsome wastrel Darnley and then--for political expediency--with his murderer, the treacherous Bothwell. When he plots against her, she must flee back to Scotland to try to resume her throne in the midst of swirling conflict between the Protestant lords and their Catholic rulers. Nicola's wit and daring get them through some dangerous situations, but Mary is eventually imprisoned in the stark castle of Lochleven, where their hairsbreadth attempts at escape wind up a story from history as exciting and deeply affecting as any of Yolen's fantasy novels. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
W said that this lengthy first-person narrative that centers on "La JardiniŠre," one of the court jesters to Mary Queen of Scots, "will appeal to fans of historical sagas." Ages 10-up.
Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."
This book is FASCINATING. Literally from the very first page you realise that what you are looking at is not a painting but a tapestry, with depth and texture to fill up the world it depicts. The enigmatic character of Nicola Ambruzzi, La Jardiniere, one of Mary Queen of Scots' female jesters (this is historical fact), is beautifully and quite believably depicted from the opening page through all the wild swings of Mary's fate and the poignant ending. All of the main characters are rounded and complex - few writers have the ability to make characters so flawed, so interesting, and so very human. Poor doomed Queen Mary is made understandable and, indeed, irresistable, as seen through the eyes of one who loved her as her guiding light. Even Mary's disastrous marital decisions make a kind of sense in view of the character as seen by the eminently witty and very clever narrator Nicola, whom we grow to care a great deal for through the course of the novel, from meeting her first as a precocious child of eleven through the course of her life in the service of the Queen.
I found the use of poetry written by Mary herself to introduce each new section very effective, and a fine tie with real history. This NOVEL is wonderfully evocative and well-researched, and as I live near Edinburgh I know many of the landmarks the authors refer to, which added a fun dimension to that section of the book. Jane Yolen and her new partner-in-crime Robert Harris write together seamlessly, producing a new voice between them of great power and depth. There are scenes in this book - of Nicola hanging by a rope in Kirk O'Field while death waits before and behind - that will stay with me for a very long time, and that is one of the hallmarks of really fine writing. I can only hope that Yolen and Harris will continue this partnership, for if this is only their first outing, I cannot wait to read what the future holds!
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Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris
Yolen, America's Hans Christian Andersen, with co-author Harris weave magic, mystery, and just the right amount of mayhem into this grand historical novel for young adults. This is the story of Mary Queen of Scots as seen through the eyes of her jester, or fool, an Italian orphan named Nicola. The young ladies have numerous adventures and escapades as they move from the sophisticated decadence of the French court to the coarse and rugged life of the royals and nobility in Scotland. The novel is based loosely on fact; Mary Stuart did indeed have a female fool. This rollicking read in the entirely engaging Yolen style, while not exactly like the Royal Diaries series, has all of fun and eloquent features of those novels. Jane Yolen's talent is simply immense.
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I've read historical fictions before, and Queen's Own Fool ranks on the top of the list. However biased or twisted some of the points in the novel are (Darnley's actions might be questionable), Ms. Yolen is able to create a great novel with these ingredients- a fascinating plot, vivid characterization, and a talent for creating atmosphere and foreshadowing.
Nicola Ambruzzi, the narrator in the story, is an orphan who's been part of her abusing uncle's Troupe Brufort (a traveling circus). When Troupe Brufort was summoned to the French court, Nicola was discovered by Queen Mary (Queen of France) with her wit, truthfulness, and bold humor. Suddenly, Nicola is Queen Mary's personal fool- someone to open her eyes among lies and brighten her life. Nicola is also the Queen's advisor-guiding her through her first husband's death, Mary's decision in ruling Scotland, etc. Even when event take a very wrong turn, Nicola was always beside her Queen.
Though I thought the ending rather left everything hanging, the rest of the story was well-written enough to keep me reading day in and day out.
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