Middle School Library - Book Reviews

Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan is about Katya Ivanova, a young girl living in Russia, in 1913. She lives in a world of glittering jewels and extravagant parties. But there’s another world, one where children work in factories, and revolutionists plot the downfall of Tsar Nikolai II. Katya’s revolutionist cousin, Misha, is sent to military school. Katya’s mother is then chosen to be Empress Alexandra’s lady-in-waiting. The Imperial family becomes like Katya’s own family. But, World War I arrives, and thousands of peasants are sent to the battlefield, as well as Misha. The peasants are starving and everyday, more wounded soldiers are brought to the Catherine Palace, a palace turned into a makeshift hospital. On top of that, the revolutionists are stirring up the peasants and they threaten to overthrow the Tsar and send him and his family to Siberia. Katya and her mother must choose to either flee for their lives and live like peasants, or stand by the Imperial family, and live in exile. What will she choose? How will she even survive?

I loved this book. It always keeps you wondering, “What’s going to happen next???” But it also teaches you about history with a spin. The author shows history through the eyes of both the aristocrats and the poor. It teaches you about all the things that the Imperial Family went through. Anyone who likes reading historical fiction will definitely love this book, but I think anyone who can read will love this book!

Written by Camille Villa