Hook, line and sinker, this reader went for Monarchy because of the cover.  The young Elisabeth with her coronation garb made me want to read about her.  No wonder my double take after the 1st chapter when I realized that the rest of the book would be about the history of monarchies, as the title so simply states.  Silly me.  Rebecca Stefoff’s history lesson is a well-written account of the various types of monarchies around the world and the splinter off shoots, including king-priests, pharaohs, emperors, sultans, as well as the mix of religious leadership positions that play a role in control of a people.  Full color, glossy pages throughout, this is a great selection to see how monarchies are dependent on the area in which they “govern”.  The history lesson clips along — not too dry, but not necessarily pleasure reading.  VOYA said in 2009 that “Each of the series’ six volumes includes a helpful chart that compares the six forms of government, which also include dictatorship, theocracy, communism, and monarchy. This series for older teens is an excellent and well-researched collection addition.”