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Jane is really getting into her high school history project: a report on Lady Jane Grey, who was briefly queen England. But when Jane finds a mysterious 16th-century prayer book, she finds herself really, really getting into her project -into the Tower of London in 1553 where the other Jane is awaiting her execution.
About the author
Sue MacLeod has filled her career with the written word, working as a writer, an editor, and a library assistant. Born to a military family, Sue moved many times throughout her childhood but always felt rooted in Nova Scotia, where her family returned each summer. That rootedness is apparent in her two books of poetry and in her novel
Namesake, which received a starred review from
Quill & Quire and was shortlisted for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Sue now lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Summary
Two Jane Greys. One secret.
It started with a history project. Mr. Gregor assigned a research paper on a figure from the Tudor era, and of course Jane Grey had to pick her namesake - Lady Jane Grey, the fifteen-year-old girl whose parents schemed to place her on the throne of England, then abandoned her to face the executioner. The project is engrossing from the start, but when Jane opens a mysterious prayer book and finds herself in the Tower of London in 1553, she finds herself literally drawn into her namesake's story.
Soon, Jane is slipping into the past whenever the present becomes too unbearable, avoiding her mother's demands, her best friend's fickleness, her crush's indifference. In the Tower she plays chess with the imprisoned Lady Jane, awed by her new friend's strength and courage. And it is in the Tower, keeping vigil as the day of the execution draws near, that Jane learns that she, too, must have the courage to fight for her own happiness.
"Suspenseful, emotional and powerful."—Kirkus Reviews
Additional text
Both characters are wonderfully fleshed out . . . MacLeod's evocative prose makes friendship across time seem possible.
