By Colorado Kids Advisory Board member Tyler A. Schroeder

Title: Henry VIII and His Chopping Block
Author: Alan Macdonald
Illustrator: Philip Reeve
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Number of pages: 176

"Off with her head!" This book presents King Henry VIII's life in a humorous fashion. It keeps you laughing like a hyena as heads roll, axes swing, and King Henry eats.

Apparently, His Highness enjoyed watching heads violently depart with their owners. He also liked hunting, gambling, jousting, and knocking down monasteries. He even started his own church!

This book is quite a lot of fun to read. You can read the author's interpretations of what the soon-to-be-headless had to say when they gave their explanations and alibis on the "FOR THE CHOP" pages, and articles on what's happening during Henry's reign in a lively newspaper format on the "TUDOR TATLER" pages.

I liked this book because it educates you about history while tickling your funny bone. And, aside from the humor, it's also interesting just to learn about what life was like in Tudor times.

I recommend this book for kids and adults ages 8 and up. (December, 2000)