Brief Description: Diary of Taino princess when Columbus lands, depicting daily life of Taino people before arrival of Christopher Columbus. Part of The Royal Diaries series
Geographical Setting: Caribbean Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Hispaniola, North America
Historical Era: 15th Century
Date Range: 1490-1493
Keywords: Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus, Haiti, Hispaniola, New World, Taino
Original Publication: 2005
Suitable for Grades: 5-8th
Target Audience: Middle Grade
Librarian's Review
This Scholastic Royal Diary book teaches us about the peaceful Taino people of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic) before their encounter with Christopher Columbus. Despite the lack of written historical records, the author has done a great job imagining the life of the popular queen Anacaona and her people. Things do not go well for the Taino after Columbus and his men arrive in 1492, and the novel ends on a sad note.
I read this book some time ago, before I fully developed my plans for this website. I therefore don’t have a comprehensive list of historical key words. My short review and lack of key word detail in no way reflects my impression of this novel. I highly recommend this read to learn more about the Taino people, and to gain a different perspective of the arrival of Columbus and its tragic effects on the indigenous peoples of the “New World.”