Myers, Walter Dean. (1999). At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England. New York: Scholastic Press. 146 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: nonfiction

Summary and Critique

This book had its roots in a packet of letters offered by a small London bookshop. From that packet, Myers has created a fascinating and dramatic glimpse into the life of an African princess living in Victorian England. In 1848, a very young Egbado princess watched as her parents were murdered and her village burned. Her captor, King Gezo of the Dahomans, kept her alive to be a human sacrifice. She was rescued two years later by Commander Frederick Forbes of the HMS Bonetta, a strong opponent of the slave trade in Africa. He gave Sarah Forbes Bonetta her name and brought her to England where she entered into an amazing new life. Queen Victoria took an interest in the young girl, bringing her to Windsor Castle on frequent occasions. She placed Sarah under her protection, dictating many of the events that shaped Sarah's life.

Myers's well-researched book is liberally illustrated with photographs, drawings, and excerpts from the letters. He fleshes out the letters, diary entries, and dry account book lists, giving the reader a better understanding of the upper-class Victorian lifestyle that Sarah lived. The language is very clear, making it a good choice for middle schools. The format of this volume also makes it appropriate for older readers, especially those searching for high interest materials. The questions about Sarah that Myers raises in his epilogue are waiting to fuel many discussions.

Awards

2000/2001 Lone Star Reading List

1999 Blue Ribbon Award from the Center for Children's Books

2000 Orbus Pictus Award

Virginia Young Readers Titles for 2001-2002

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

Author Information

Although Walter Dean Myers was born in West Virginia, he was raised in Harlem, New York by foster parents. He had a speech impediment and feared reading other people's work out loud, so he began writing his own stories and poems to present to his fifth grade class. Myers continued writing while holding an assortment of jobs after dropping out of high school. Currently, Myers and his family reside in Jersey City where he volunteers at schools.

For more information on Walter Dean Myers:

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/wdmyers.html Biographical and bibliographical information

http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/myers.html Information about his life, works, awards, films, and resources about him and his works

http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-myers-walterdean.asp: An article and interview in which he specifically discuss his memoir"Bad Boy"

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/myers.htm Links to resources about Myers

Media Connections

Movies

Shaka Zulu (1987) Explores the life of the Zulu leader, Shaka.

Ceddo (1977) An African tribe attempts to retain their culture and religion despite recent encounters with Muslims, Christians, and slave traders.

Adanggaman (2000) A West African king engages in the slave trade during the 17^th century.

The Color of Friendship (2000) A Caucasian South African girl becomes an exchange student, and lives with an African American family in Washington D.C.

Jaguar (1967) Three men from Niger go in search of fortune.

Howard's End (1992) Examines families from three different social classes during Victorian England.

Online Resources

http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/westafrica/dahomeykgd.html Information on the history of Dahomey.

http://husky1.stmarys.ca/~wmills/course316/7Dahomey.html Information about life in Dahomey.

http://www.victorianweb.org/ Information about Victorian England.

http://www.victorianstation.com/home2.html Extensive information about Victorian England.

http://www.black-history.org.uk/bonetta.asp Biography of Sarah Forbes Bonetta.

http://www.blackpresence.co.uk/detail.php?recordID=21 More biographical information on Sarah Forbes Bonetta.

http://www.egbaegbado.org/ Historical information on Egbado, Sarah's native land.

Related Texts

Packard, Jerrold M. (1998). Victoria's Daughters. New York: St. Martin's Press. 370 pp. Biographical information on Queen Victoria's daughters.

Walvin, James. (1972). The Black Presence: A Documentary History of the Negro in England, 1555-1860. New York: Schocken Books. 222pp. Presents factual information about the history of the African people in England.

Koslow, Phillip. (1997). Dahomey: the Warrior Kings. Philadelphia: Chelsea House. 63pp. Information on Dahomey during the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Diouf, Sylviane A. (2000). Kings and Queens of Central Africa. New York : F. Watts. 63 pp. A topical overview of various kings and queens of the central region of Africa.

Piqué, Francesca and Leslie H. Rainer. (1999). Palace Sculptures of Abomey: History Told on Walls. Los Angeles : Getty Conservation Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum. 116pp. The history of the Dahomey kingdom and includes beautiful color photographs of bas-reliefs on palace walls.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Geography Lesson" Trace Sarah Forbes Bonetta's journey from West Africa to England back to Africa (Sierra Leone) back to England back to Africa (Freetown) to Madeira, Portugal where she is treated for and dies of consumption.

(2) "Historical Fiction" Have students research a specific historical event related to At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England. Using a variety of information (letters, pictures, biographies, etc.) obtained from a variety of sources, students should choose a character through which to narrate their stories. Students should use appropriate dialogue and point of view, but, since this is historical fiction, they should feel free to elaborate (realistically, of course) when appropriate. They should also include a bibliography of sources used.

[Summarized/adapted from "Historical Fiction Writing" by Jane Long in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. December 1996.]

(3) "Historical Film Script" Using the aforementioned historical fiction writing assignment, students can adapt their historical fiction short stories into scripts and perform in small groups. Encourage students to create costumes that are somewhat historically accurate. Thrift stores, butcher paper, and bolts of cheap fabric are excellent inexpensive sources for creating costumes.

(Review written by Maria N. Dach and Jennifer E. Moore and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)