During this ‘25/26 school year, sophomores had read The Family Romanov by Candance Fleming, assigned by English teachers Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Kasten in the English Department. This book explores the life and rebellion under an Imperial Russia governed by none other than Tsar Nicholas Romanov, following the lives and eventual deaths of all the Romanovs. This book was assigned as a long-term assignment for Honors English 10 students, and tied in historical fiction and a dash of “historic connections and practice with different texts,” says Kasten.
This novel was assigned after the class read George Orwell’s Animal Farm for the Summer Reading Assignment, which then continued to fuel group discussion and goal setting within these English classrooms.
While feedback from the novel was diverse, Smith says, “We found that some did not enjoy historical fiction, but this provided good exposure regardless” then went on to explain that this book was selected for YSU’s English Festival, and both teachers read the book on their own terms.
Kasten adds that “it was a positive experience all around and fit in with our curriculum.”
Both teachers plan to continue to add Fleming’s novel to their curriculum for future students to reflect on alongside in class reads, such as The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and After the Ball by Leo Tolstoy. This novel has found itself in the hands and on the shelf of many sophomores at Poland Seminary High School.
