Not a widely read book, Walter Dean Myers’ At Her Majesty’s Request: An African Princess in Victorian England is an interesting read for anyone who has been deprived of hearing this fascinating lady's story. The author's (Myers) presentation is spellbinding as he portrays the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who was born in Dahomey (now Benin), the daughter of a king, captured by slave traders and sentenced to death, only to be saved at the last moment and subsequently transported to England where she is introduced to Queen Victoria who becomes Sarah’s protector and the godmother of her daughter. This fictionalized biography could never have been written if Myers did not have a personal fascination with rummaging through old bookstores. During one such foray he discovered a set of about fifty letters and other printed material about Sarah. He even found that he already possessed a book written about her by Frederick Forbes who had originally saved her life.
