The Secret in the Tower is a fascinating historical adventure set in medieval England amidst the battle for English throne. Jack Broom is an apothecary's boy who dreams of becoming a surgeon when he gets mixed up in the mysterious boy up in the Tower of London.

There's plenty of political intrigue, medieval medicine, and adventure as Jack and his friend Alice navigate their way through perilous times. There's lots of fascinating historical details as well. The tale is immersive and captivating. A quick read and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to every young reader interested in adventure and history.

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Set during the new infamous period of The Wars of the Roses, we encounter Jack Broom a young apothecary apprentice whose only desire is to become a surgeon.

The war may well be raging on, but Jack firmly believes he has no place in it, nor the politics that surrounds the outcome of what will happen regardless of which house wins be it York or Lancashire..

But as with all things, what you think will be your life, isn't always the case.

The Secret in the Tower is the perfect story for introducing young readers to the still unresolved mystery of the two Princes, King Richard III, and the Medieval Tower of London where many a poor soul found themselves. Beattie has brought this harrowing time in English history to life, with a vivid London filled with shady characters, unruly soldiers and many other characters that will have the reader taken back more than 500 years.

It's an excellent read, captivating plot and a perfect introduction to history and it's troublesome issues.

This is a great historical fiction for kids. Telling the story of the Princes in the Tower of London, it teaches kids about a somewhat mysterious part of the Tower’s history. I like that the book includes a map, I think that’s a great addition so kids can try to picture the area while reading.

This is set in the period of the wars of the roses. This book is very interesting. It’s very well written and full of twists.
It was full of action and intrigue.

1485: Jack Broom is just an ordinary boy who works at his aunt’s apothecary shop. He dreams of being a surgeon one day, so he studies hard at school. When he meets a soldier from the Tower of London who could introduce him to the famous surgeon, Dr. Argentine, Jack goes against his gut feeling and follows the soldier. However, Jack is in danger when he gets to the Tower. The Tower holds conspiracy, treason, and secrets about Jack’s past.

This was a thrilling children’s novel about the Tower of London. In the 15th century, when Richard III became King, he imprisoned two boys, who were the rightful heirs of the crown, in the Tower of London. They were never seen again, so they were thought to be murdered. This story imagines what happened if they were living in secret in the Tower. I loved the suspense of the secrets in Jack’s past, that even he didn’t know about. It kept me guessing until the end. I loved this reimagining of history.

The Secret in the Tower is a great middle grade historical story!

Thank you Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: child death, parental abandonment, death of parent, blood, vomiting

Set in 1485, King Richard the third is on the throne of England. The “ crook back” or “ hunchback” King has long been suspected of murdering his two nephews, Princes Edward and Richard Plantagenet in the Tower of London for many reasons, both personal and political.
Jack Broom is an apprentice to Old Mother Cobb, who is an apothecary, she treats him badly, yet wants to keep him safe. They live near the Tower of London, and London is getting ready to fight Henry Tudor of Wales, who is planning to invade England and claim the throne for his family. When a guard at the Tower sees Jack, he reacts most unexpectedly, and so do others. After a kidnap attempt, family secrets , long kept begin to emerge and put Jack and his friends in great danger. This is a secret that could bring down Kings.
Aimed at young Adults, this is an entertaining and informative retelling of this mystery, that still has questions to be answered. It introduces new theories as to the sequence of events and those who could have been responsible. I favour the Dr Argentine solution, it seems more plausible than any others I have read about , but it must be stressed, this is a work of historical fiction, blended with historical facts.
My thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishers for my advanced digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review.
A five star review, the style of writing and information given was perfect for the intended age groups.
I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK later.

ARC Review The Secret in the Tower by Andrew Beattie
Introduction
I was given an copy to review by Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing. Reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. I will always try to avoid spoilers in all reviews as well. #TheSecretintheTower #NetGalley #AndrewBeattie #MiddleGrade #HistoricalMiddleGrade #ARCReview

Review
In The Secret in the Tower Andrew Beattie tackles the medieval mystery that to this day remains unsolved and perhaps always will, what happened to the princes in the Tower. The two cousins of Richard III who seemingly disappeared after being reported spirited to the Tower of London in his reign. Beattie retells and adds their own spin of this historical story by introducing us to Jack Broom a simple apothecary boy dreaming of becoming a surgeon and who believes politics and war have nothing to do with him. That is until soldiers mistake him for a boy of noble birth. Narrowly avoiding being dragged and imprisoned the Tower Jack beings a journey to find out who he truly is. With the help of his new friend Alice, he uncovers conspiracies, treason and the deadly lengths people will go to for power.

Now it is probably pretty obvious I am not the intended audience but let me tell you this did not matter to me one bit! I fully enjoyed this from the first page. It was immersive, making you feel you were back in old medieval England. The characters were really enjoyable as well. Obviously with middle grade and children’s fiction you often find the focus is, rightly so, on the protagonists who are of a similar age but the adults also all had well rounded and interesting personalities. You really got a feel for each character and while it may have been a tad through Jack’s biased view it was so fun to read about them. I adored both Jack and Alice, she was such a fun character. I also enjoyed the banter between the ‘Northerners’ and Southerners’.

The story was fun and full of action, intrigue and historical accuracy. Not only will it be perfect for engaging children in reading but history as well, making it fun and relatable as well as hopefully inspiring their own investigations into the mystery but I also feel it will be a fun and enjoyable read for people like myself who love history and sometimes enjoy a little lighter read!

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Jack Broom is an apothecary’s boy, living in the shadow of the Tower of London during the short reign of Richard III. He wants nothing more than to become a surgeon but when he meets the daughter of the Constable of the Tower and comes to the attention of one of Richard’s soldiers, it becomes clear that his ‘aunt’ has not been truthful about who he really is.

This is an interesting twist on the story of the princes in the Tower, Richard III’s two Plantagenet nephews whose mere existence posed a threat to his reign and that of his successor, Henry Tudor. No-one knows what really happened to the two young princes, whether they were murdered or simply imprisoned, but this story takes this historical fact and weaves an interesting story around what could have happened, through the eyes of Jack Broom.

The setting of medieval London and the Tower itself were brought to life through vivid descriptions. The book also gave an insight into the political tensions running through the country, with people supporting the claims of different men to the throne, whilst knowing that to support anyone other than the person currently on the throne would amount to treason, and with allegiances having to change overnight when King Henry came to power.

A great piece of historical fiction but ultimately a good adventure story.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice read. It has mistaken identity which leads the main character Jack into some fun situations. He uses this new identity to find out who he really is with the help of a new friend, Alice. This books has many different twists that keeps the reader engaged and guessing. I enjoy reading period pieces no matter if it is historically accurate or if it takes some liberties and this book was great.

i loved reading this. i like reading about Tudor history and i also liked the boys in the tower so when i saw this pop up i was excited, i can honestly say i was not disappointed!!

it was exciting going on this journey to find out who jack bloom was. this book had some good twists and turns and some great facts written in too.
this book is great for all the history lovers adults and children.

The book is really good and has surprises that make you want to keep reading. This story goes quickly and has some true facts that are told well, but there are some mistakes because it's not all true and just made up of course and it is understandable. This book is great for young readers who want to learn about history. Some parts might be hard to understand, but it's okay because history about kings and queens can be complicated. Jack is very brave and capable for being young. He seems like a hero. I really liked Alice because she was clever and able to solve problems quickly when they needed help.

pace of the story could have been faster. Despite this, the characters are well developed and the relationship between Jack and Alice is heartwarming. The ending is also satisfying and ties up all the loose ends nicely. Overall, it's a decent historical fiction novel with accurate historical details and likable characters, although the pacing could have been improved.

Thanks for the arc NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced reader copy of "The Secret in the Tower" by Andrew Beattie.

I had trouble with this one, so much so I didn't want to finish it. I found for a start that there were two writing styles and two levels of writing that were at odds with one another right from the get go. The author clearly has researched his material and has provided much historical detail about King Richard and the building up to the War of the Roses. He has also done a good job of world building in terms of describing what streets would have looked like, what people would've been wearing, and the kinds of businesses that would have been operating at this time.
So we know then that this author is skilled with his use of language. What I found has let him down is his character dialogue which I found very juvenile and jarring considering the heavy historical facts he is throwing at these young readers.

I also take issue with his black and white portrayal of King Richard considering the wealth of research that has been published in the past decade.

The time period covered by The Secret in the Tower is one that fascinates so many people. To this day, no one truly knows what happened to the two princes sequestered in the Tower of London by their uncle, King Richard.

This story for upper elementary through middle school students tackles the subject through the fictional character of Jack Broom who bears an uncanny resemblance to one of the princes. He finds himself swept away from the life he knew as an apothecary's apprentice into one of danger and intrigue.

Overall, this was a great historical fiction title for this age range. Even though I am much older, I enjoyed it as well.

Loved this middle grade novel! Excited to hand this to my historical-loving children!

I especially love the deep dive into England and the story behind the tower. I recommend for any well-reading kid who has a desire for knowledge about the era.

Jack lives with Old Mother Cobb, helping her grind her herbal remedies and frequently being beaten for any misdemeanor. A meeting with an army officer leads to a visit to the Tower of London and a meeting with the warden's daughter and a secret that it will be dangerous to know. Caught between the different factions of York and Lancaster and based on the stories of the princes in the Tower, this is an intriguing historical adventure with an energetic and engaging pair of central characters. A good read for older Key Stage 2 children and the beginning of secondary school.

My 4th grade self would have adored this novel! An adventurous tale of Jack, an apothecary's boy, filled with twists and turns that are a fun and enrapturing introduction to a mysterious pocket of English history.

This book has such classic vibes (dare I say Dickens but for easy-to-read for young readers)! The history threaded throughout this story, the reveals, the setting and the archetypes reminded me of that book we all pick up at school hesitantly, but then fall deep in love the further you read.

A historical fiction retelling of The Princes in the Tower - King Richard III’s nephews who disappeared in the Tower of London.

Introduces a new character, Jack Broom, whose uncanny resemblance to one of the princes leads him to discover his true identity.