Cate of the Lost Colony

Cate of the Lost Colony
By Lisa Klein
Bloomsbury Children's, 2010. 329 pgs. Young Adult

Thrilled to be a ladies maid to Queen Elizabeth, orphaned Catherine Archer sets out for London realizing that a person’s fortune can change on a whim as she discovers the Queen’s mercurial nature. Catherine soon captures the attention of Sir Walter Ralegh, a favorite of the queen’s, and they begin a whirlwind, secret romance, but it doesn’t last among the jealousies and spying of the court. The Queen dooms Catherine to the New World, which does not turn out to be the paradise everyone envisioned. Catherine and her fellow colonists struggle to survive on Roanoke Island, but realize they might need help from the native Indians. This book isn’t a bad read for a lazy afternoon, especially for readers who are interested in an interpretation of what might have happened to the lost colony of Roanoke or those wanting a little romance.

MN