Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

I've read other books by this author, one being Ophelia. I love the way Klein plays with her characters and plot, giving a little spark to all her books. This book, I've got to admit, has the most spark. It's about a girl named Cathrine living in the Elizabethan times, in England.

Cate was only five years of age when her father died, leaving her an orphan.(her mother had died during childbirth) She was left to live with her selfish aunt, who worked Cate to her death. One day, Cate was washing the floors when a mail carrier came in, claiming he had a letter to her from the queen, Queen Elizabeth. Cate, stunned and delighted, opened the letter to discover the queen requesting Cate as one of her ladies in waiting! This was a great honor indeed, and Cate's aunt could not disobey the queen.
So it was settled, Cate was to reside at the castle as one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies in waiting. There, she met the haughty Frances, a friendly girl named Emme, and lovely Lady Anne, one of Queen Elizabeth's most highly prized ladies in waiting. Although Cate loved and respected the queen very much, she also noticed that the queen was, in a way, very unkind and selfish. Also, she discovered that the queen had a false kind of beauty, using loads of face powder everyday and instead of just leaving her hair be, Elizabeth insisted on using wigs upon wigs. Cate was ashamed to have her respect for the queen decrease so much, but there was so much to the queen that she had not ever known until now.
Then, Sir Walter Raleigh entered the stage, and Queen Elizabeth soon discovered that Cate and Sir Walter were lovers! The queen, green with envy, has Cate banished to the island of Roanoke in the New World, and so has Raleigh all to herself.
Cate, desperate to see Sir Walter, is very unhappy at the island, and longs to go back. However, when Cate meets a friendly Native American called Maneto, her view of everything completely changes, and finds herself rethinking Sir Walter's values. Would a hero be cooped up in Queen Elizabeth's castle, not doing anything? Would a hero let his lover suffer, and not take action? No, this cannot be, therefore Cathrine Archer came to the decision that this so called, "hero" must be a coward. Kate's real hero was somewhere else, far, far from England.

To find out this, you must, I am happy to say, read the book. (Yes, I know, cliffhanger!) This book has the perfect mix of history and romance, giving a good taste of reality but at the same time shadowed closely with a touch of fiction. I highly recommend this if your doing some kind of report on Roanoke Island, or Walter Raleigh. You'll get information in a interesting and compelling fashion. Of course though, I also recommend picking this book up at the library and reading it for no specific reason; it's amazing! If you like this book, I also highly suggest reading Ophelia, another masterpiece by Lisa Klein. Well, enjoy! :)