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The Six Queens of Henry VIII
Not yet published
Expected 3 Feb 26Win a free print copy of this book!
0 days and 14:04:43
25 copies available
U.S. only
We all know Henry VIII had six wives. But these ladies are FAR too interesting to only be known as wives. Did you know that Catherine of Aragon rallied her troops in full armour while heavily pregnant? Or that Anne of Cleves met Henry VIII BEFORE they married - only she didn't realise, because he was in disguise! Or that it was Catherine Parr who persuaded the king to return his daughters Mary and Elizabeth - two of British history's most famous monarchs - to the line of succession?
Get ready to lose your head as the six wonderful women behind the man take centre stage to overthrow her-story. From rumours of scandals and LOTS of lying, to political plays and fabulous frocks, The Six is a story filled with ambition, treason and strong women.
Get ready to lose your head as the six wonderful women behind the man take centre stage to overthrow her-story. From rumours of scandals and LOTS of lying, to political plays and fabulous frocks, The Six is a story filled with ambition, treason and strong women.
48 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 3, 2026
2 people are currently reading
3650 people want to read
About the author
Honor Cargill-Martin
11 books112 followersA twenty-four year old from London, Honor read Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Oxford, where she won a scholarship before graduating with a first-class degree in 2019. She remained at Oxford to study for a masters degree in Greek and Roman History, graduating with a Distinction. Honor completed a second masters in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute in London, where she was awarded a Distinction for work focusing on the art of the Italian - and especially the Venetian - Renaissance. She is currently studying for a doctorate focusing on political sex scandals in Ancient Rome at Christ Church College Oxford.
Honor has published a number of fiction titles for children and teenagers. Her first non-fiction book Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery tells the story of the 1st century AD Roman empress Messalina, and reflects Honor’s passion for bringing to light the untold lives of historical women and for unpicking how gender and sexuality shape how we understand history.
Honor has published a number of fiction titles for children and teenagers. Her first non-fiction book Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery tells the story of the 1st century AD Roman empress Messalina, and reflects Honor’s passion for bringing to light the untold lives of historical women and for unpicking how gender and sexuality shape how we understand history.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 12, 2025
This is a children's book for 8-12 year olds covering the history of The Tudors, that scandalous royal dynasty from the 1500s. For that reason it is a bit lighthearted and somewhat thin on details, although it doesn't shy away from mentioning pregnancies and the beheading of Queen Anne Boleyn. I actually was taken aback when one of the color illustrations was of the dripping bloody sword following this execution. Otherwise, there are lovely color illustrations throughout the book supporting the bare bones history of the Six Tudor Queens and some extended players in the Tudor Court. This is a cute book for a youngin' to dabble in this history. It takes about 15 minutes to read.
Thank you to the publisher SOURCEBOOKS Kids who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
November 13, 2025
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
As someone who enjoys non-fiction, I really think there should be more graphic novels in this genre. Not everyone has the time or drive to read a biography, but many of those same people will read a graphic novel. Thus was a great way to learn more about Henry VIII and his wives.
For those who may be concerned, the worse thing in the book is a bloody sword.
There is tons of great historical information here that is age appropriate for children. I would definitely recommend this.
As someone who enjoys non-fiction, I really think there should be more graphic novels in this genre. Not everyone has the time or drive to read a biography, but many of those same people will read a graphic novel. Thus was a great way to learn more about Henry VIII and his wives.
For those who may be concerned, the worse thing in the book is a bloody sword.
There is tons of great historical information here that is age appropriate for children. I would definitely recommend this.
January 16, 2025
I listened to a podcast interview with the author of this book and knew we had to own it. I ordered it from England. The day it came it was the last I saw it for a month. My daughter Evelyn (12) snatched it up and read it multiple times with her sister Courtney (10). She kept coming up to me telling me random facts about the six wives and Henry VIII. I was seriously impressed. We read it tonight as a family and with lots of commentary from the two girls.
They loved the illustrations and the graphic novel type stories. Well done all the way around.
They loved the illustrations and the graphic novel type stories. Well done all the way around.
October 13, 2025
Interesting history book for upper elementary students. Illustrations are a little stiff in places and sometimes confusing, especially the flashback for Catherine of Aragon. (I'm now mostly that first panel is King James IV)
No bibliography in the ARC, hopefully that will be added for final publication.
No bibliography in the ARC, hopefully that will be added for final publication.
January 6, 2025
An interesting and different approach to history and the stories of these infamous women.
There are always going to be arguments about what is fact or fiction. Some depictions of events had me arguing out loud with the pages.
There are always going to be arguments about what is fact or fiction. Some depictions of events had me arguing out loud with the pages.
October 15, 2025
To be fair, I feel like this should be a 3.75.
I will eat up just about anything about the Tudor period, so this really intrigued me. For those familiar with the musical "Six" you can think of this as a somewhat Six-ified take, giving each woman their diva moment to shine with lots of winks and nods to contemporary times and opinionsm. The cover is a big indication of what you have in store, with Catherine of Aragon making heart hands (the least likely Queen or Catherine for this, honestly--helloooo, Catherine Howard?) and Anne Boleyn voguing.
This may sound like I'm making fun, but overall the cheekiness works well. For very condensed biographies, the author pretty effectively makes these portraits feel vibrant and relatable, and Cargill-Martin keeps the spotlight firmly on the women, relegating (a rather buffoonishly-depicted) Henry to set dressing at best.
Having done a number of deep dives on the subject myself, I have to give credit where credit is due in terms of the author's ability to synthesize and reframe for modern readers. Also, I doubt many people are clamoring for justice for "Bloody Mary" but I did appreciate the note in her tiny bio acknowledging possible bias in her historical portrayal and the apt reminder that "history is written by the victors." Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard feel a bit shortchanged here, but then, they often are.
My chief critique is with the art. While the pseudo comic book-style format matches the cheekiness, I wish the illustrator leaned into it more rather than mostly leaning on just the cells themselves to do the work. I would have liked to see more dialogue/speech bubbles and other visual language carried over from the format
Evenore disappointing, however: I know we're delving into tricky territory because we are so reliant on old paintings for reference, but the physical portrayals feel very off. The women look like Tudor Barbies, prettied up and slimmed down in the same sort of way, with features that aren't all that distinguishable from each other or the ladies-in-waiting who are pictured.This glow up is extra pronounced with Catherine Parr (not generally known for being a glamorous queen) and Anne Boleyn, the latter of whom even Cargill-Martin described as having "star quality" rather than beauty. For a book that tries to showcase these women as individuals, not just "wives" or victims, it's a pity that they aren't more physically differentiated and that the illustrator felt she had to make them over to make the relatable or get us on their side. It doesn't mesh with the girl power vibes the author seems to want to project, either. (Some props though to giving Catherine of Aragon fair hair, which most modern depictions get wrong.)
Overall, entertaining for sure, but has its flaws.
I will eat up just about anything about the Tudor period, so this really intrigued me. For those familiar with the musical "Six" you can think of this as a somewhat Six-ified take, giving each woman their diva moment to shine with lots of winks and nods to contemporary times and opinionsm. The cover is a big indication of what you have in store, with Catherine of Aragon making heart hands (the least likely Queen or Catherine for this, honestly--helloooo, Catherine Howard?) and Anne Boleyn voguing.
This may sound like I'm making fun, but overall the cheekiness works well. For very condensed biographies, the author pretty effectively makes these portraits feel vibrant and relatable, and Cargill-Martin keeps the spotlight firmly on the women, relegating (a rather buffoonishly-depicted) Henry to set dressing at best.
Having done a number of deep dives on the subject myself, I have to give credit where credit is due in terms of the author's ability to synthesize and reframe for modern readers. Also, I doubt many people are clamoring for justice for "Bloody Mary" but I did appreciate the note in her tiny bio acknowledging possible bias in her historical portrayal and the apt reminder that "history is written by the victors." Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard feel a bit shortchanged here, but then, they often are.
My chief critique is with the art. While the pseudo comic book-style format matches the cheekiness, I wish the illustrator leaned into it more rather than mostly leaning on just the cells themselves to do the work. I would have liked to see more dialogue/speech bubbles and other visual language carried over from the format
Evenore disappointing, however: I know we're delving into tricky territory because we are so reliant on old paintings for reference, but the physical portrayals feel very off. The women look like Tudor Barbies, prettied up and slimmed down in the same sort of way, with features that aren't all that distinguishable from each other or the ladies-in-waiting who are pictured.This glow up is extra pronounced with Catherine Parr (not generally known for being a glamorous queen) and Anne Boleyn, the latter of whom even Cargill-Martin described as having "star quality" rather than beauty. For a book that tries to showcase these women as individuals, not just "wives" or victims, it's a pity that they aren't more physically differentiated and that the illustrator felt she had to make them over to make the relatable or get us on their side. It doesn't mesh with the girl power vibes the author seems to want to project, either. (Some props though to giving Catherine of Aragon fair hair, which most modern depictions get wrong.)
Overall, entertaining for sure, but has its flaws.
December 24, 2025
Having read many adult level books on the Henry VIII era, I have to admit to more curiosity over how they'd handle, well, how he disposed of so many wives in a children's nonfiction book. As it turned out, pretty well. True, be forewarned that there is one illustration of a bloody sword, but overall it simply says they died and moves on. Don't get me wrong, there's quite a bit of info shared within, including the usual intrigue and efforts to gain status and position within the royal court, but it simply shows the times and, well, Henry VIII's ego and intent upon having whatever he wanted no matter what.
As for the wives, it actually does a nice job sharing their personalities with us. The charts used for each were quite informative, including education and interests, among other things, including date of demise. The illustrations are lively and colorful with the focus on the women, not Henry, I might note. The sections on each draw you in and provide the basics without drama. Heck, even Anne's end is handled rather matter-of-fact style. The sections also seem to follow the same pattern. giving a bit of the six queens background, how they encountered Henry, their doings within the royal court, and then their downfall. Again, all told without drama. We even get a peek at his daughter Elizabeth. The dress of the day is definitely fun to see and is well done by the illustrator.
Bottom line, while I question somewhat the designation of the book for "children", I don't feel most children today would find much to be shocked at within. While I can envision some reaction to the executioner's bloody sword, for instance, let's face it, kids will be kids, they've surely seen far more explicit scenes on television by the time they'd be ready to tackle this book. The family tree info and timelines at the back are also useful in helping ground us in the Tudor Era. The cover actually helps set the tone and was a fun prelude to the saga. Thanks #SourcebooksKids for this early peek at a period in history that has always fascinated me. I wonder how history might have been changed had Catherine Parr not been able to persuade Henry to return his daughters to the line of succession.
As for the wives, it actually does a nice job sharing their personalities with us. The charts used for each were quite informative, including education and interests, among other things, including date of demise. The illustrations are lively and colorful with the focus on the women, not Henry, I might note. The sections on each draw you in and provide the basics without drama. Heck, even Anne's end is handled rather matter-of-fact style. The sections also seem to follow the same pattern. giving a bit of the six queens background, how they encountered Henry, their doings within the royal court, and then their downfall. Again, all told without drama. We even get a peek at his daughter Elizabeth. The dress of the day is definitely fun to see and is well done by the illustrator.
Bottom line, while I question somewhat the designation of the book for "children", I don't feel most children today would find much to be shocked at within. While I can envision some reaction to the executioner's bloody sword, for instance, let's face it, kids will be kids, they've surely seen far more explicit scenes on television by the time they'd be ready to tackle this book. The family tree info and timelines at the back are also useful in helping ground us in the Tudor Era. The cover actually helps set the tone and was a fun prelude to the saga. Thanks #SourcebooksKids for this early peek at a period in history that has always fascinated me. I wonder how history might have been changed had Catherine Parr not been able to persuade Henry to return his daughters to the line of succession.
October 11, 2025
I am puzzled by the subject selected for this highly illustrated, partial graphic novel that has the appearance of books targeted at elementary school. Most children are not interested in the royal politics of 16th century England even if there is a king who had 6 wives. However, the digitally created graphic panels, illustrations and striking borders on each wife’s snapshot biography certainly draw the eye and may create readers who are drawn in by their attractiveness.
The pattern for each wife’s section is the same: The first page has a beautiful border, a large illustration of the woman, brief sidebar biography and a chart of details including birthdate, education, allies, years of marriage and death. This introductory page is followed by several pages of traditional text with several illustrations and often arranged in columns with sub-titles. The final section for each wife is done in graphic panels and provides a look at a possible event from her life. The beheadings of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard are stated but with only a bloody sword and no other gore. Any dalliances of the wives or Henry VIII were handled in a vague, non-sexual way.
Attractive, picture book length, multi-formatted non-fiction book with the publisher target age of 8 and up. Age 8 is probably accurate but in my opinion and considering the illustrations, page length and overall brevity of information, the “and up” interest level will likely end at about age 10 or 11. With that in mind, I hope that in the final addition, the author’s bio is edited to remove the word “sex” when her doctoral focus of political sex scandals in Ancient Rome is stated or simply include that Honor Cargill-Martin is pursuing a doctorate.
Thanks for the print arc, Sourcebooks Explore.
The pattern for each wife’s section is the same: The first page has a beautiful border, a large illustration of the woman, brief sidebar biography and a chart of details including birthdate, education, allies, years of marriage and death. This introductory page is followed by several pages of traditional text with several illustrations and often arranged in columns with sub-titles. The final section for each wife is done in graphic panels and provides a look at a possible event from her life. The beheadings of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard are stated but with only a bloody sword and no other gore. Any dalliances of the wives or Henry VIII were handled in a vague, non-sexual way.
Attractive, picture book length, multi-formatted non-fiction book with the publisher target age of 8 and up. Age 8 is probably accurate but in my opinion and considering the illustrations, page length and overall brevity of information, the “and up” interest level will likely end at about age 10 or 11. With that in mind, I hope that in the final addition, the author’s bio is edited to remove the word “sex” when her doctoral focus of political sex scandals in Ancient Rome is stated or simply include that Honor Cargill-Martin is pursuing a doctorate.
Thanks for the print arc, Sourcebooks Explore.
November 22, 2025
This is a very colorful, accessible, and informative little book about the queens of Henry VIII. The history is told mostly chronologically with each queen being introduced with some facts about her and a biography of her life with some eye catching illustrations. These bits sort of reminded me of trading cards, which I found to be fun and I could definitely see kids enjoying. There are a few flashbacks to give more context to some of the issues that each queen had to deal with. It's pretty lighthearted considering two queens were beheaded and two died after giving birth, but it also stuck to the facts. I also appreciated that this book touched on the religious conflicts of the time. I think this would be a great introduction for any kids interested in learning more about history.
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Kids and NetGalley for the review copy.
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Kids and NetGalley for the review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
With the popularity of Six the Musical, I can see many younger children looking to find out more information about Henry VIII's six wives. This book is a great place to start as it is only 50 pages and has lots of illustrations. It gives a short bio of each wife, and talks about their achievements while queen. While the Tudor time period was very brutal and bloody, this book gives brief mention of beheadings, going to war, childbirth (and death in childbirth), but not in a gratuitous way. There are simple summaries of the many political feuds that were happening, but not too much to get bogged down with. If you have an upper elementary student looking for more information about this time period, I recommend starting with this book.
I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.
I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.
November 25, 2025
Perfect for 8-12 year olds, set in a graphic novel format, the descriptions of the six wives of Henry VIII go a long way to generate interest in history of the Tudors and the 1500s. There will be questions and comments - how could he have someone murdered? Cutting off someone's head - ewww!, which open the way for more discussion of the 1500s and customs of those times. The book is relatively factual and not overly gross. Pregnancies are mentioned, as well as women going into battle, and the beheading of Anne Boleyn.
Color illustrations, short amounts of text - I can see children this age become intrigued by the information found in this book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids and Sourcebooks Explore, in exchange for an honest review.
Color illustrations, short amounts of text - I can see children this age become intrigued by the information found in this book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids and Sourcebooks Explore, in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2025
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio ARC.
I think this is a decent introduction to the subject. It is well suited for a younger audience and felt like it was giving nods to Six the musical. I do think this also showcases just how history can be different based on sources used and different historical biases. I don't dislike this book, but it definitely made me want to debate with different parts. I do think the six wives and their story will always be the subject of debate due to all the different historical sources there are surrounding them. I also didn't really love the art style in this book. At times it felt stiff and I just didn't quite love it. Overall I think this is a decent book to set up for children surrounding the topic.
I think this is a decent introduction to the subject. It is well suited for a younger audience and felt like it was giving nods to Six the musical. I do think this also showcases just how history can be different based on sources used and different historical biases. I don't dislike this book, but it definitely made me want to debate with different parts. I do think the six wives and their story will always be the subject of debate due to all the different historical sources there are surrounding them. I also didn't really love the art style in this book. At times it felt stiff and I just didn't quite love it. Overall I think this is a decent book to set up for children surrounding the topic.
December 22, 2025
I 100% absolutely LOVED this book! As someone who has always been intrigued by the Tudor dynasty especially the lives of the wives (didn't mean to rhyme there) of King Henry VIII and with amazing illustrations! I think this was marketed towards a younger audience to get an insight on this remarkable women's lives but as an adult, I loved it just the same. Chock full of historical information about these women and I felt like I got to know them individually and more than I had ever thought possible. I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC book in exchange for an honest review
October 26, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Interesting overview of the six wives of Henry VIII, done in a graphic novel style with a modern sensibility. I did like the one page brief bios of each woman.
Will pass on purchase for my library, but this would be great to have for readers of Meyer's Young Royals series.
Interesting overview of the six wives of Henry VIII, done in a graphic novel style with a modern sensibility. I did like the one page brief bios of each woman.
Will pass on purchase for my library, but this would be great to have for readers of Meyer's Young Royals series.
May 7, 2025
Lively, colourful non fiction for middle grade readers. You can find my full review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
September 4, 2025
A fun, easy to follow, cheeky, brightly illustrated non fiction book about the many wives of King Henry VIII. A good starting ground for kids who want to know more about Henry and his wives, and a basic understanding of the politics etc of C16th England.
October 31, 2025
A good overview of each of Henry 8ths queens. Highly recommend for a teen or preteen who may be obsessed with Henry and his wives. When I was a teen I would have begged my mom for this at the bookstore!
November 11, 2025
What an excellent way of teaching children and adults about history in a fun way. The illustrations were also great. I would recommend that school librarians add this to their collections. I hope this author writes a series of books about famous people.
November 22, 2025
When I was little I was fascinated with this guy who had so many wives, and killed some of them to make way for the next. This fantastic kid-friendly book collects all the stories in one place, and it's fun and interesting and informative. I highly recommend this for school and home.
May 3, 2025
Wow- what a brilliant book! The contents, the layout, the illustrations, I loved it all! Read from cover to cover in one sitting and will be rereading again and again to reference the dates.
August 28, 2025
Read an ARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss.plus
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
An interesting and clever book. Kept me engaged and reading!
February 14, 2025
This was a great little quick read for me during my lunch break. I've always had a fascination with Monarchy and love all those little series on TV about various different Kings, Queens, Emperors and Empresses etc across the world.
This was such a cool, quirky history book that brought the 6 wives to life! Very in keeping with the west end show SIX which I've seen and LOVED! The illustrations are amazing, and the cool little snippets of comic work showing a random little story for each of the wives was a nice addition. I felt like I wanted more of those comic strips to carry on though as they felt like they only told half the story sometimes.
This was such a cool, quirky history book that brought the 6 wives to life! Very in keeping with the west end show SIX which I've seen and LOVED! The illustrations are amazing, and the cool little snippets of comic work showing a random little story for each of the wives was a nice addition. I felt like I wanted more of those comic strips to carry on though as they felt like they only told half the story sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews