The Montmaray Journals

This lovely, lovely trilogy by Michelle Cooper should thrill any student who enjoys historical fiction, in particular girls. Consisting of A Brief History of Montmaray, The FitzOsbornes in Exile, and The FitzOsbornes at War, the books are structured as the journals of Sophie FitzOsborne, a princess of the tiny fictional island nation of Montmaray, whose populace numbers less than ten in the years leading up to the Second World War. Sophie recounts the royal family's hardscrabble existence on the island in pre-war years, their exile to England because of a German takeover, and their efforts to help the Allies and reclaim their home during the war. As this nontraditional royal family, most of whom have distinct voice and character, navigates the harrowing time, Cooper includes many less-known aspects of wartime England. Sophie is an energetic narrator who incorporates her own perspective into her tales of both a teenager's coming of age and the world's struggles.