A novel in diary form in which the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II describes the privileged life her family led up until the time of World War I and the tragic events that befell them.

Long ago, Carolyn Meyer fell in love with the story of Anastasia Romanov, the daughter of the last tsar of Russia. "The movies made her life seem so romantic, like a fairy tale. Years ago I saw a movie starring Ingrid Bergman as Anastasia. Recently, I saw the animated version of the story. Those movies always made it seem as though everything turned out beautifully for Anastasia. I was broken-hearted when I found out the truth. "Anastasia was born in this century. It was hard for me to imagine a girl born about the same time as my mother living a life of such incredible wealth and privilege. I loved looking at photographs of the Romanovs' palaces and their enormous yacht and luxurious train. And those marvelous Faberge Easter eggs! But I hated reading about what really happened to the Grand Duchess Anastasia and her family - the part you don't see in the movies. The tragedy made me want to weep - and in fact I did, as I wrote the final pages." Carolyn Meyer is the author of more than forty books for middle school and young adult readers, including Isabel, Jewel of Castilla for The Royal Diaries series. Where the Broken Heart Still Beats, White Lilacs, Drummers of Jericho, Gideon's People, and Jubilee Journey were all named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association. Her recent novel, Mary, Bloody Mary, was named a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. She lives with her husband in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she does a little gardening, a little cooking, and a lot of reading and writing.