Book Review - The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & The Fall of Imperial Russia

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fleming, Candace. (2014). THE FAMILY ROMANOV: MURDER, REBELLION, & THE
FALL OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA. Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375867828

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Candace Fleming is the author of The Family Romanov, which tells the true story of the
upheaval in Russia under Nicholas Romanov’s leadership which leads to the eventual
demise of his family. This account goes into depth about the discord in Russia and how
poorly it was handled by Czar Nicholas II and delves into his personal life, showing his
struggles as a leader and a father caring for a sick son.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The author organized this book into parts and then chapters and then sections. The
sections help breakdown the sheer mass of information that is provided and needed in
this book to understand the Romanov leadership and how it started going ary. The
reason that the Romanovs were executed is not simple or easy, but the author lays out
the unrest, revolution, and changes in power that span over a decade in a format that is
digestible for middle aged children.

Providing direct quotes, excerpts from articles, and photographs helped support the
accounts and events that occurred during that time. The narrative isn’t dry or dull, but
rather teases the reader with wanting more. One section ends with the quote,
“For the next four weeks they plotted. By December 29, all was ready.” This is in regards 
to then murder plot of Rasputin, but helps build the tension and creates anticipation in the
reader. The author also switches between perspectives, detailing why the murder plot
occurred, how it occurred, and then the reaction from the city versus the Romanovs’, which 
were vastly different. Adding to these multiple perspectives, photographs are also
provided in two sections of the book. This helps add accurate depictions of the family
and gives the reader a frame of mind for what society was like back then.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
BOSTON GLOBE - HORN BOOK AWARD
ROBERT F. SIBERT INFORMATIONAL BOOK MEDAL
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW: “A remarkable human story, told with clarity and confidence.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Students could take the common rumors that have been prevalent with the Romanov
Family and find evidence in the book proving them false
*Students could create a timeline of cause and effect, connecting problems that arose
early on that led to the tragic events of the Romanovs’ lives.
*Other nonfiction books by Candace Fleming:
AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART. ISBN
978-0593177846
UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF FLYING SAUCERS, ALIEN BEINGS, AND
ROSWELL. ISBN: 978-1338829464

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review - Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Denise, Christopher. (2022). Knight Owl . Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316310628 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this story a little owl has dreams of becoming a knight. When knights start disappearing off the castle wall, the little owl signs up to join the guild. He's not the strongest, but he excelled as a student which earns him a post on the Knight's Night Watch. One night, he encounters a hungry dragon and, b eing clever, he persuades the dragon to have some  pizza instead of the owl himself for dinner. The  little owl befriended the dragon, the  disappearances stop, and he earns a great many friends from his  efforts. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Christopher Denise tells a story of overcoming obstacles and never giving up on personal dreams. The story of this little owl longing to be a knight teaches perseverance, courage, and friendship. The main character   saw an opportunity to make his dreams come true, and even though it was difficult at tim...
Read more

Book Review - The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig

  BIBLIOGRAPHY Trivizas, Eugene. (1993). THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG. Ill. by Helen Oxenbury. Margaret K. McElderry Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. ISBN: 9780689815287 PLOT SUMMARY In this version of the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs, there are three little wolves trying to stop a big bad big pig from blowing down their house. Following the classic storyline, they build three houses, but each one is foiled by the pig. They start with brick, move to concrete, and finally metal, but on each one the pig finds a way to demolish it. The last house the three wolves build is made of flowers and when the pig smells the flowers, he decides he wants to become the big “good” pig. The story ends with the wolves and the pig becoming friends. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig stays true to some elements of the original fable, but diverges from the very beginning. The species swapping creates an interes...
Read more

Book Review - The Lion & The Mouse

  BIBLIOGRAPHY Pinkney, Jerry. (2009). THE LION & THE MOUSE. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316013567 PLOT SUMMARY The Lion & the Mouse is an Aesop’s fable retold in pictures. In the book, a little mouse escapes death twice, once by skill and the second by the kindness of a natural predator, a lion. After the lion lets the mouse go, he accidentally springs a trap set up by hunters and gets caught. The mouse hears his distress and chews through the rope to cut him free, forming an unlikely friendship in the process. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The pictures really do paint the story in this retelling of a classic fable. There are very minimal words used throughout the book. The only details he gives through words are the sounds of various animals: the “screech” and “who” of an owl, the “roar” and “grrr” of a lion, the “squeak” and “scratch” of a mouse, and the “putt, putt, putt” of a car driving through the safari. These sparsely used onomatopoeias enhance the apprehens...
Read more