I loved this book. It had some wonderful first hand pictures of what went on during the last years of the reign of Tsar Nicolas.

I thought this book was gorgeous. The history of Nicholas II and Alexandra's family up to the revolution was presented with their own family photos as illustration. It was a bit jarring to realize that like many families today the Russian monarchy enjoyed taking snapshots of their children. Family photos tend to reveal things that posed portraits do not. With this book, which is arranged chronologically we see glimpses of silly little girls and their parents. I particularly liked the photo of the daughters rollerskating on the deck of the Tsar's yacht, and the photo of the girls with shaved heads after their bouts with measles. History is made real when the persons involved can evoke a feeling be it good or bad. It's easy to understand political motivations for the revolution, but at the same time the monarchy were individuals as well. This book does a nice job of causing real thought by presenting people rather than figureheads, they way they saw each other. ( )

This beautiful picture book made up from photographs from the last Tsar of Russia's youngest daughter, Anastasia, is definitely for the older reader. It has an entire story woven through photos, quotes and letters. History buffs will be sure to enjoy all the details of this book. ( )

This version of Anastasia's life story is short and sweet giving the reader all the basic's of her short life. The book can satify all readers, those wanting just basic information, as well as those that read this book and it entices them to want to read more indepth about her life. This book is also good for pre-teens who find they are interested in history.

Historical Fiction

Anastasia's Album is a wonderful Historical Fiction children's book that gives the reader a unique insight into the last ruling family of Russia under Tsar Nicholass II of the Romonavs in Imperial Russia 1901-1918.

From family photos to elaborate descriptions of the imperial grand balls, Hugh Brewster combines all of the photos and details from the Tsar's youngest daughter Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaievna to give a distinctive and intimate account of historical fiction. Compiling her own letters and photographs of the Imperial family, the book provides snippets of daily life, the birth of her brother Alexei (who was discovered to be a hemophiliac during his infancy), letters written by Anastasia to her family and friends, and the influence of the Imperial family up until the Bolshevik takeover and the tragic fate of the Imperial family. Certainly a powerful and insightful historical fiction for children and adults to read--in cirriculum for middle school to high school level education.