Where Is the Kremlin?

Where is/are...?

by Deborah Hopkinson, Dede Putra (Illustrations)

Get the inside story on the famous fortress in the heart of Moscow that has withstood fires, invaders, and revolutions for almost seven hundred years.

Lined by nineteen beautiful towers, the high walls of the Kremlin enclose colorful domed cathedrals, treasure-filled museums, and the Russian capitol. But this Moscow fortress has had its share of dark days. Follow along with author Deborah Hopkinson as she recounts the tales of spying, murder, missing children, and lost treasure that are part of this landmark's long history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Geography, Childrens

112 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2019

About the author

I write nonfiction and historical fiction, picture books, and Golden Books. I speak at school, libraries, and conferences. I also love to garden and offer manuscript critiques. (Deborahhopkinson@yahoo.com)

NEW books in 2024 include DETERMINED DREAMER: THE STORY OF MARIE CURIE, illus by Jen Hill, ON A SUMMER NIGHT, illus by Kenard Pak, TRIM HELPS OUT and TRIM SAILS the STORM, illus by Kristy Caldwell, EVIDENCE! illustrated by Nik Henderson, and a nonfiction work called THEY SAVED THE STALLIONS. I'm delighted to say that Trim Helps Out, Trim Sails the Storm, On a Summer Night and Evidence! are all Junior Library Guild selections.

I live and work in Oregon and travel all over to speak to young readers and writers.

Reviews

[Desi A · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOL - I got this for JP as part of his Christmas books. He likes history, knows I lived in Russia and studied Russian History.

Well, we made it through the first few chapters....up to the beginning of the Romanov dynasty when he crankily ripped the book from my hands and said, “I hate this book. Every other word is about death!”

Oh sweetie, you don’t know the half of it.

At this point, it’s looking like Russian history won’t be a future course of study!

[Amy Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this in our homeschool Morning Time. Not bad, but it was disconcerting to read on page 50 that Napoleon’s son took over his throne—that’s not correct, although he did indeed try to do so, he did not succeed and did not rule France following Napoleon. It’s minor perhaps, but when books get things wrong like that, it’s bothersome.

Also, I’m always bothered by St. Basil’s being shown to represent the Kremlin (cover art). Because of this typical depiction, in movies and books, I grew up misunderstanding that the Kremlin is a walled complex next to St. Basil’s and Red Square, and that the walls of the Kremlin complex contain a collection of government buildings and palaces, including the Annunciation Cathedral. For too long, I thought the colorful St. Basil’s was something analogous to the U.S. Capitol building. Cover art like this one just perpetuates that kind of confusion.

[Richard Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off promisingly as a history of Russia and the Kremlin. By chapter 8, it turns into American Cold War propaganda. The book, published in 2019, writes on p. 67 "...the Communist Party, which is still in power in Russia today." No, it's not. It continues on with the myth that America won WWII, justifies American hegemony during the Cold War and concludes with an anti-Putin screed in the last chapter. Putin and the Russian government have problems, but this book reads like it was written by the CIA.

I actually like the "Who Was" series and I usually don't even assign ratings or write reviews, but I made an exception for this one.

[Dana Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty solid, if brief, history of Russia (oddly, the Kremlin only figures peripherally in this book). I dinged it a star for promoting US hegemony.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much everyone knows this series and that it's written by various authors.
This one is timely because Russia is in the news so much, and it's full of historical information without being too detailed - in other words, age appropriate.

I will admit that as an educated adult, I still learned quite a bit.
Examples:
Russia is so vast that it has 11 time zones and it's larger than China and two times the size of Canada.
Czar is from the word caesar which means emperor.
Architecture information.
Serfs were like slaves, and that system ended about the time of our Civil war, which ended slavery.
And much more.

Hopkinson didn't avoid the historical atrocities and problems, and she handled them matter-of-factly and in an age appropriate way.

[Grazie Mille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this one was super interesting, especially since I'm also currently reading the Brothers Karamazov. It helped me get a bigger view of the current events in Russia during that book's time period.

And although I'd heard of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, I hardly knew anything about them other than they were bad people, but not discussed nearly as much as Hitler. Well now I know why they have a bad reputation!

Speaking of bad reputations, Ivan the Terrible? Sheesh! First he beats his daughter-in-law with a stick for not wearing enough layers? Which kills her baby? And then he beats and kills his own son with a stick?!? No wonder he was called Ivan the Terrible!

[Luvy Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational text is about where the Kremlin is located. The author goes through and explains the history behind this beautiful building. It goes through the history of Russia from the beginnings of talks of Kremlin, which means fortress in Russian, to currently what is happening in Russia. Good book and great information.

[Rinku · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but I kind of zoned out while reading it.

[Vani Ghanate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read about the Kremlin and Russia’s history.

[Amy T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be titled: What is the entire history of Russia? We read this as a supplement to The Story of the World, volume 2.

[Lydia Tyndall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be called “What is the history of Russia” But that was still very interesting. I know much more about Russia than I did before reading this book.

[Christian Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more a brief history of Russia than about the Kremlin.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how informative these books are. This one definitely makes you want to dive further into Russian history. My children have really enjoyed this series.

[Tina Wargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative. Read with a student.

[Elexndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library borrow

[Scott]

Turns out I didn’t know much about the Kremlin.

[Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment felt... sloppy? It seems like the information was given sort of slap-dash. Seems to happen every so often in this series. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Kristi Clemow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concise history - and learned a few interesting things - including fresh water seals (had no idea those existed). But seemed pretty negative toward the end - almost like pointing out the flaws and not entirely accurate or fact-based. I have noticed that in a few other books from this series - but overall still enjoy the series

[Karthika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot that I had read this already.