Praise for The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia:
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature
Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist
Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction
* "A remarkable human story, told with clarity and confidence." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "A wonderful introduction to this era in Russian history and a great read for those already familiar with it." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "For readers who regard history as dull, Fleming's extraordinary book is proof positive that, on the contrary, it is endlessly fascinating, absorbing as any novel, and the stuff of an altogether memorable reading experience." — Booklist, starred review
* "Fleming has outdone herself with this riveting work of narrative nonfiction that appeals to the imagination as much as the intellect." — The Horn Book, starred review
* "This is both a sobering work, and the account of the discovery of their bones and the aftermath is at once fascinating and distressing. A solid resource and good recreational reading for high school students." — School Library Journal, starred review
* "With comprehensive source notes and bibliographies of print and online materials, this will be a boon to student researchers, but it's also a heartbreaking page-turner for YAs who prefer their nonfiction to read like a novel." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
Praise for Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart:
* "Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars (What did Earhart eat during flight? Tomato juice and chocolate) complete this impeccably researched, appealing package. A stunning look at an equally stunning lady." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "The book's structure and scope, along with the story's inherent drama, provide a taut, cinematic backdrop for the history of Earhart's doomed flight." — The Horn Book Magazine, starred review
* "Ho-hum history? Not in Fleming's apt hands. What could be a dry recitation of facts and dates is instead a gripping and suspenseful thriller... This book is splendid. Hand it to everyone." — School Library Journal, starred review
* "Fleming cleverly structures this biography to give the tale of tragedy a fresh and dreadful impact... As a result, this offers not only a provocative introduction to Earhart but also compelling glimpse of what it was like to watch her disappear from the world." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
08/01/2021
Gr 6 Up—Fleming has done it again and created another engaging nonfiction history for middle and high school students with this deep dive into the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Grave robbers had been looting Egyptian tombs for thousands of years and British and French politics dominated Egypt at the turn of the century with little oversight of the ransacking. Despite this disarray, Tutankhamun's tomb remained hidden and largely untouched until 1922, when it was unearthed by Howard Carter, an archaeologist seen as a disreputable outsider in Europe's snobbish Egyptology scene. He was working for the hapless Lord Carnarvon, a British noble who fancied excavation as a hobby. Together they would toil away for years, excavating the hundreds of treasures while battling local and international politics over ownership rights. With swiftly moving text, Fleming covers many aspects of the story, including the gruesome mummification process, ancient Egyptian history, as well as the discriminatory policies of colonial rule. In addition to a spirited narrative of the facts, Fleming adds to the mystery and intrigue by opening each chapter with dark, cryptic anecdotes of some of the strange, unexplained deaths that were often attributed to the belief that the tomb was cursed. A final chapter discusses the possibilities and probabilities of such a curse. VERDICT This engrossing read is a sure bet that will please all history lovers. Recommended for all libraries serving teens.—Karen Bilton, Franklin Township P.L., NJ
2021-06-24
The oft-told story of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb is framed around the purported curse of the pharaohs.
In 1906, in British-occupied Egypt, the wealthy, occult-loving Earl of Carnarvon hunted treasure in the Valley of the Kings. He met Howard Carter, a mildly disgraced archaeologist, and the two began a long partnership that started with the meager excavation of picked-over sites and culminated with the most glamorous discovery in all of Egyptology. The two Englishmen who dug up the people of ancient Egypt were professionals and aristocrats who dined in luxury on crystal and china while their Egyptian workers remained unnamed, their opinions unheard. But the 1922 discovery of the lush treasures of King Tut’s tomb, described in loving, fascinating particulars and illustrated in well-chosen photographs, is situated here amid something Carter and Carnarvon barely noticed: the nationalism of interwar Egypt and rising anger toward the colonial British occupiers who allowed them access to the tomb. Unfortunately, each chapter concludes with a section that opens with “it was said” and proceeds to detail bad omens and terrible events that befell people who had even tangential connections to the tomb or its treasures. A final chapter states that the mummy’s curse doesn’t exist, but the earlier maunderings feed into Orientalist tropes and don’t fit with the overall historical narrative—a straightforward telling of Carter’s excavations.
A solid retread of familiar ground marred by the frequent evocation of a tired trope. (author’s note, map, timeline, bibliography, source notes, photo and illustration credits, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
