This was another well written book. I didn't know a lot about this point in history, so it was great to learn more about Prussia and Russia. This book was heart breaking at times, but good and I did enjoy it. Really engaging and the dog on the cover is super cute. 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book. ( )

I absolutely love the entire Royal Diaries series. They are all incredibly brilliant. MY favorite are Jahanara, Eleanor and Lady of Ch'iao Kuo. They're a great way to learn history. ( )

The Royal Diaries series is something I stumbled upon a few days ago.

This book caught my eye when I visited the library yesterday. With he intended audience of younger readers, these books are a wonderful way to learn history without pedantic, boring lists of dates and times.

Catherine was a Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst Prussia. Her father was a Prussian general who was not of nobility. Her incredibly cruel, vicious, cold and abusive mother had royal blood.

At the age of 12, Catherine was betrothed to Peter III, the nephew of Empress Elizabeth, the Monarch of Russia.

Traveling 40 days from Prussia to Russia in the bitter cold, Catherine and her mother found the court filled with political intrigue wherein Elizabeth reigned through fear.

A mismatch from the beginning, marrying scrawny, ugly, immature, whiny Peter was challenging. He spent his days playing with toy soldiers and his well dressed rat whom he deemed in charge of the brigade.

When Empress Elizabeth died, Peter inherited the throne. Barely six months after the title of Tsar was bestowed upon him, because of his eccentricities and lack of political savvy, he quickly grew out of favor.

Catherine took the lead and when a conspiracy overthrew her husband, she then ruled effectively for 34 years.

This book does not chronicle the reign of Catherine the Great, rather, like all the royal diary series, it focuses on the early years of life and how they shaped the individual.

For more information regarding Catherine, I recommend a book I read a long time ago Great Catherine: The Life of Catherine The Great, Empress of Russia by Carrolly Erickson. ( )

This is the fictionalized diary of Prussian Princess Sophie who later became Catherine, Empress of Russia. It includes the dates from 1743 until 1745 when she was married to Peter.

I hate to say it, but I was easily bored by this book. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was, but the story just seemed very dry, and I was unable to really connect with Princess Sophie.

Much of Catherine’s travel was during the months of January and February. Describe the weather conditions Catherine encountered during her travel. Explain how the weather would have been different if she had traveled in June and July instead.

If you're interested in learning more about Catherine the Great of Russia's early years, check out "Catherine: The Great Journey" by Kristina Gregory. As part of the popular historical fiction series for middle school-aged girls, The Royal Diaries, this installment is a fictionalized account of Catherine's teenage years, beginning around the time of her betrothal to Peter the III and ending just before their marriage, in the form of diary entries. Readers learn about Catherine's family life in Germany - her siblings, her overbearing mother - and how so much depends upon her making a good match, as the family lacks both money and connections. "Unless I marry someone in line to be a king, I am doomed - my whole family is doomed - to this lowly station in life," Catherine states early on in the book. Catherine must also overcome her less-than-tender feelings for her husband-to-be and her homesickness once she has been brought to Russia.

Although they are by no means historically accurate (despite the authors' best research), as very little is known about the teenage years of the royals represented in the series, The Royal Diaries are fun reads. This book, like the many others in the series, combines both the very familiar and the very foreign; the girls in the stories experience some of the same emotions as teenage girls do today, like homesickness and clashing with their mothers, but the context in which they do so is extremely unlike that of girls today. Unless, of course, there are girls out there who are slated to marry a czar when they turn sixteen. ( )