The Family Romanov
Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia
Instructional Resources
Book Review
Written by Candace Fleming
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
Publication Date: 7/8/14
ISBN-13: 9780375867828
Ages 12-17
The mystery and intrigue surrounding the fate of the last ruling family of Russia has yet to be satiated. This book begins by chronicling the life of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family from childhood through their execution. Fleming creates fantastic descriptions of life for the royal family at the Alexander Palace while contrasting it with the bleak lives of the peasants and factory workers. By learning about the childhood of the Tsar and Tsarina, the reasons for the couples' inability to govern effectively are illuminated, and the resulting revolution is unavoidable. While Fleming has used a great number of primary sources that have only recently been available; the greatest of these being the family photographs taken by the Romanovs themselves. Anyone who wants to learn more about Russian history or delve into the mysteries of the Romanovs would enjoy this book.
Awards
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Golden Kite Award 2015 Winner
Robert F. Sibel Informational Book Medal Honor, 2015
Instructional Resources
Students will utilize various types of media to research both the French and Russian revolutions. They will create a multimedia research product that highlights the similarities and differences in the two revolutions.
SOLs Addressed: Reading 9.5, Research 9.8, World History WHII.6e, WHII.10c,
Genetics Case Study: Alexei Romanov
Students will research to find out what hemophilia is as well as the symptoms, causes, and treatment. Students will then create Mendelian genetic squares to show the possible genotypes exhibited by the Romanov family, in particular Alexei. Students should determine possible carriers of the hemophilia trait, those free of the trait, and those who would suffer from the disease.
SOLs Addressed: Research 9.8, Biology Bio.5
Students will construct an online timeline detailing the major events and causes of the Russian Revolution. Students will incorporate links, images and videos into their timelines, and have properly formatted (MLA or APA) citation/ reference page.
SOLs addressed: World History WHII.1b, Research 9.8
Divine Right of the Tsar
Students will compare and contrast the teaching of the Russian Orthodox church with those of other branches of Christianity. Students will demonstrate understanding of how the Tsar's role as the head of the church helped support the absolute monarchy in Russia.SOLs addressed: World History WHII.6b, WHII.15a
Students will create their own family tree representing at least 3 prior generations. Students will review primary source documents and the family tree used in The Family Romanov. They will utilize available primary sources available from their families in addition to databases and online resources to find information for each family trees. Students will use online tools to create and enhance family trees with images and other available media and/or documents.
SOLs Addressed World History WHII.1a, Research 9.8.
Partner Titles
The Curse of the Romanovs
Rabin, S. (2007). The curse of the Romanovs. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Rachel's Secret
Sanders, S. (2012). Rachel's secret. Toronto, Canada: Second Story Press.
Russia ABC's
Berge, A. (2004). Russia ABCs: A book about the people and places of Russia.
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary
Fleming, C. (2008). The Lincolns: A scrapbook look at Abraham and Mary.
Childhood
Gorky, M. (2010). Childhood. Chicago, IL: Ivan R. Dee.
Further Explorations
- The book trailer for The Family Romanov is below.
- Interested in seeing more of Candace Fleming's work? She has written more biographies as well as picture books and short stories. Check out her website.
- Find out more about Rasputin.
- Learn more about hemophilia.
- Interested in the royal family? Learn about earlier Romanov rulers.
- Learn more about the Romanovs and Russian culture here.
- See more about the Jews living in Imperial Russia under the reign of Tsar Nicholas II with this fictional depiction.
References
Atchison, B. (2012, May). Russian history websites - Romanov dynasty - Alexander Palace. Retrieved from http://www.alexanderpalace.org/
Biography.com. (2015). Rasputin full episode [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/rasputin-9452162/videos/rasputin-full-episode-2074727529
EdTechTeacher, Inc. (2015). Timelines. Retrieved July 20, 2015, from http://thwt.org/multimedia/timelines/
Familiality. (2015). Family Echo - Free online family tree maker. Retrieved from http://www.familyecho.com/
Fleming, C. (2005). Candace Fleming author speaker. Retrieved from http://www.candacefleming.com/
Fleming, C., & Winding Oak. (2014, July 8). The family Romanov: Murder, rebellion, and the fall of imperial Russia [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/xyxp8_crFNM
Mgamvod. (2014, April 11). Fiddler on the roof [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/qdV2Ohq82xY
National Hemophilia Foundation. (2015). Types of bleeding disorders | National Hemophilia Foundation. Retrieved July 20, 2015, from http://www.hemophilia.org/Bleeding-Disorders/Types-of-Bleeding-Disorders
Tsarkoye Selo State Museum-Preserve. (2015). Russian monarchy. Retrieved from http://eng.tzar.ru/museums/history/monarchy