The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, the Last Grand Duchess By: Carolyn Meyer

Source

• Title: The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, the Last Grand Duchess
• Author: Carolyn Meyer
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication Date:  September 1, 2000
• Pages: 218
• Genre: Middle Grade/ Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 9+
• First Read: 2013
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

Anastasia is born into a life of privilege and pomp, and she, along with her three sisters and brother are the children of the most powerful man in the world, Tsar Nicholas II. But her life is about to take an interesting turn, and she's not sure if she'll come out of it unscathed.

When I was little, I read every single one of the books in this series, and Anastasia's life particularly captivated me. Her idyllic lifestyle was just so isolated from the common people of Russia, and when I was little, I wanted to be a grand duchess too, and live her life. 

I loved all of the insights into the Romanov way of life and thought it was particularly interesting that her brother, Alexei, had hemophilia, like many of Queen Victoria's descendants. This diary takes place right at the breakout of World War I, when everything starts changing for not only Anastasia, but for her entire country. 

This book is aimed at a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nevertheless because it transported me to early twentieth century Russia, and introduced me to the life of Anastasia Romanov. The ending of this book even gives additional historical information and actual photographs of the Romanov family.

It's a fascinating read that I'm sure everyone will enjoy.