Written by Candace Fleming
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
ISBN: 978-0-375-86782-8
Ages 12 & up
Awards:
School Library Journal Best Book 2014
YASLA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
Cybils Award in Nonfiction for Young Adults 2014
New York Public Library Best Books for Teens 2014
Review:
In this non-fiction book, readers learn all about the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family. Their lives develop in relative peace and isolation while the country collapses around them. The book also contains clips of real life outside the palace walls. Could you imagine what it would be like to live in absolute squalor and despair while you know that your leaders is enjoying every luxury known to man? That is the scene in Russia during the early 20th century that Fleming paints in vivid detail in this book. Nicholas spends his days enjoying life and his family, reading reports, and making decisions without taking an active interest in his country and what is actually happening. Fleming shows in great detail how the lives of the Romanovs change throughout the Russian Revolution, World War I, and the Communist take over.
Professional Review
Kirkus Starred Review
Teaching Ideas
All standards listed are from the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning (2015).
1 - World History II.1b & Mathematics 8.3a
WHII.1 - The student will improve skills in historical research and geographical analysis by b) using maps, globes, artifacts, and pictures to analyze the physical and cultural landscapes of the world and to interpret the past since 1500 A.D.
Mathematics 8.3a - The student will solve practical problems involving rational numbers, percents, ratios, and proportions.
Create a map of the Romanov family movements after Nicholas abdicated the thrown. Using Thinglink, find an appropriate image and use it as the background. Annotate each stop along the way to their final destination with what their life was like at each one. Calculate how many kilometers they traveled from when they left Tsarskoe Selo and arrived in Ekaterinburg.
2 - World History II.16b
WHII.16 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of cultural, economic, and social conditions in developed and developing nations of the contemporary world by b) assessing the impact of economic development and global population growth on the environment and society, including an understanding of the links between economic and political freedom.
Think about what happened to the Romanovs and what has changed throughout the world over the last few hundred years. How many countries in the world still have a royal family? What's the appeal, both to citizens of that country, and the general public around the world? Why does the British Royal Family get so much attention in the United States but other royals do not? Do we need royalty in the world today? Why or why not? (The Classroom Bookshelf, 2014)
3 - World History II.9b, English 10.8d, & Computer Technology 9-12.1A
WHII.9 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of the Industrial Revolution during the nineteenth century by b) explaining the emergence of capitalism as a dominant economic pattern, and the subsequent development of socialism and communism.
English 10.8 - The student will collect, evaluate, organize, and present information to create a research project. d) Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, point of view or bias.
C/T9-12.1 Demonstrate an operational knowledge of various technologies. A) Use various types of technology devices to perform learning tasks. Demonstrate the ability to perform a wide variety of complex tasks using technology, including creating and using models and simulations, developing multipage documents and multimedia presentations, capturing and manipulating video, and constructing spreadsheets that use mathematical or logical functions to manipulate and present data.
Research why communism as so appealing to many Russians during the nineteenth century. What were their daily lives like and why did they think communism could fix them? Did communism live up to the expectations of the Russian people? Explain your findings in a digital presentation created using a program of your choice. Some suggestions include PowToon, Voki, and Emaze.
4 - English 10.2b
English 10.2 - The student will analyze, produce, and examine similarities and differences between visual and verbal media messages. b) Evaluate sources including advertisements, editorials, blogs, Web sites, and other media for relationships between intent, factual content, and opinion.
Search for political cartoons and advertisements from Nicholas II's time as Czar. What messages did these portray and is it possible to tell what groups of people might have created them?
5 - World History II.4b
WHII.4 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the impact of the European Age of Discovery and expansion into the Americas, Africa, and Asia by b) describing the influence of religion.
"What does it mean to let your faith rule your decision-making? Rasputin, the unofficial advisor to Nicholas and Alexandra, was by all accounts a fraud. Yet, they put their faith in him, and he put his faith in his visions and healing powers (or his ability to trick people). What is the line between religion, faith, and leadership? Is there a line? Have your students explore the ways in which the Romanovs relied on Rasputin. How have other leaders in different countries and time periods also relied on advisors aligned with their personal faith? Were all the advisors who they said they were? What relationships were healthy? Which were problematic?" (The Classroom Bookshelf, 2014, para. 4)
Further Exploration
Book Trailer - This book trailer gives a brief summary of what to expect in The Family Romanov and includes real images from Russia.
Candace Fleming's Website - This link will take you directly to the part of the website on The Family Romanov, but you can also explore her other books, videos, and her blog.
Podcast on Researching Nonfiction - A conversation with Candace Fleming on readwritethink.org that discusses why she wrote The Family Romanov, research as a process of questioning, and how authors of nonfiction are pushing the envelope in books for today's teens.
Written Interview with Candace Fleming - "Inside and Outside the Gates" is an interview conducted by School Library Journal with Candace Fleming after she wrote The Family Romanov.
Anastasia Movie Trailer (1997) - Although this movie is a fictionalized account of Anastasia Romanov, it is one of the reasons Candace Fleming wrote The Family Romanov and demonstrates the fascination the Russian people had with the Romanovs and what happened to them as well as life in Russia after the revolution.
Nicholas and Alexandra Online Exhibit - This is an online exhibit from the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia filled with more information about the Romanovs, primary sources, and photos.
The Missing Romanov Family - This is a short video on the missing Romanov family from National Geographic.
Possible Partner Titles
By Russell Freedman
This is a non-fiction book written specifically for young readers on World War I and what was happening in the world before, during, and after the war. This book would be a nice companion for those students who wish to learn more about some of the events discussed in The Family Romanov in an easier-to-read format than many books on the topic.
Publishers Weekly Starred Review (2010b)
By Jim Murphy
This book is another good resource for students who would like to know more about World War I. However, this one focuses on what happened December 25, 1914 when the troops suddenly stopped fighting to celebrate Christmas with each other.
Publishers Weekly Review (2009)
By Carolyn Meyer
For those students more interested in the Romanov children, this book is written from the point of view of the youngest daughter, Anastasia, starting at the age of 13.
By Laura Whitcomb
Students intrigued by the setting of the Russian Revolution might enjoy this fantasy story about Calder, a Fetch sent to collect dying people and escort them to the afterlife. He ends up falling in love with Anastasia and embarking on a journey with her and Alexei around the world. While this story does include real people, it is certainly a fictional love story.
Publishers Weekly Review (2008)
By Suzanne Collins
In this conclusion to the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen finds herself exiled to District 13 where he life is dictacted and there is little that reminds her of home aside from her family and one friend. Her every move was watched and documented. The Romanovs faced a similar situation when they were removed from their home and put under armed guard. Initially they retained some of their luxuries of home. However, as time went on they ended up being treated more like inmates.
Publishers Weekly Starred Review (2010a)
References
Atchison, R. (nd). Nicholas and Alexandra. Retrieved from http://nicholasandalexandra.com/
Brown, J. (2014). Inside and outside the palace gates: A conversation with Candace Fleming. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2014/07/interviews/inside-and-outside-the-palace-gates-a-conversation-with-candace-fleming/#_
Fleming, C. (2015). Candace Fleming books - The family Romanov. Retrieved from http://www.candacefleming.com/books/bk_romanov.html
Kirkus. (2014). The family Romanov: Murder, rebellion, and the fall of imperial Russia. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/candace-fleming/the-family-romanov/
MeiLing. (2009). Anastasia 1997 - Official trailer. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNj53-mu7xw
National Geographic Channel. (2015). Missing Romanov family. Retrieved from http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/videos/missing-romanov-family/
Publishers Weekly. (2008). The fetch. Publishers weekly, 255(49), 58-59. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-618-89131-3
Publishers Weekly. (2009). Truce: The day the soldiers stopped fighting. Publishers weekly, 256(43), 59. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-545-13049-3
Publishers Weekly. (2010a). Mockingjay. Publishers weekly Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/9780439023511
Publishers Weekly. (2010b). The war to end all wars: World War I. Publishers weekly, 257(26), 45. Retrieved from: http://www.publishersweekly.com/9780547026862
Readwritethink. (2014). Episode 79 - A conversation with Candace Fleming [Podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/podcast-episodes/conversation-with-candace-fleming-31134.html
The Classroom Bookshelf. (2014, September 22). The family Romanov [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-family-romanov.html
Virginia Department of Education. (2015). Standards of learning (SOL) & testing. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/index.shtml
Winding Oak. (2014). The family Romanov: Murder, rebellion, and the fall of imperial Russia. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyxp8_crFNM
No comments:
Post a Comment