I’ve always had a fascination for Russia and the Romanovs, the last Tsar and his family, so I read Rubies in the Snow and much enjoyed it but before we decided to feature it I gave it to my 10 and 12 year old daughters and both were fascinated by the incredible but very sad story. Rubies in the Snow tells in diary format the story of the last Tsarina, Natasha, from the age of just 11 until her sudden death alongside her entire family some 6 years later. As you read it you’ll feel transported into the world of the rich and royal of Russia but equally importantly of the difficulties as the Bolshevik uprising reaches its peak. Reading Rubies in the Snow is a terrific way of children finding out about life in another country and at another time and indeed how the Russian Royal family of the time is so closely linked to our royal family of today. A wonderful insight and a great read.
It is June, 1911, and ten-year-old Anastasia lives life as a whirl of parties, strawberry ice, and skating on the palace lake. Irreverent and charming, Anastasia is the naughty one of the family: she quarrels with her brother and sisters, she’s atrocious at spelling and loves practical jokes – her father calls her ‘the imp’. But if this seems like a fairytale, it isn’t. For Anastasia’s beloved Russia is a country in turmoil. And the common people are no longer enchanted by their princess. Her world is about to change forever...
Kate Hubbard is the author of A Material Girl: Bess of Hardwick (Short Books, 2001), WHO WAS... Charlotte Brontë and WHO WAS... Queen Victoria from the Short Books children’s historical biography series. She lives in London and Dorset.
