"THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS" (a synopsis of Staton Rabin's YA novel from Simon & Schuster)

Logline/Synopsis · Adventure · 5 pages
With the menacing “Mad Monk” Rasputin hot on their trail, two teenagers-- Alexei Romanov, the time-traveling heir to the Russian throne in 1916 whose hemophilia is the Russian royal family’s deepest secret, and Varda, an American science wiz he meets in New York in 2020-- go back in time to the Russian Revolution on an urgent, desperate mission to f...
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Written by Staton Rabin
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Mount Vernon, NY
I get hired by film /TV producers to adapt IP or true stories, biopix, history. "Saving Mark Twain", original spec feature script: PAGE Awards Bronze Prize. Now adapting best-selling author Louis Sachar's THE CARDTURNER into a script for Afterglow. Sachar's previous novel, HOLES, was also a hit movie. "The Girl From Krakow" a WWII drama/LGBTQ Roma...
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This is a synopsis of my YA novel published by Simon & Schuster. I've retained all film/TV/theater rights to the book. I'm primarily a screenwriter. My previous YA novel, BETSY AND THE EMPEROR, was optioned and in development with Al Pacino attached to star, as reported in "Variety". My "Betsy and the Emperor" screenplay was also optioned. Here are excerpts from book reviews of THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS (Simon & Schuster/McElderry Book) ------------------------------------------ “ [A] great trip for lovers of historical fiction.” -----“Publishers Weekly” ------------------ "Staton Rabin's CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS is a beautifully written and brilliantly imagined retelling of a familiar tale. I know the story of the Romanovs backwards and forwards, and this book took me completely by surprise. Highly recommended." -Peter Kurth, Best-selling author of ANASTASIA: THE RIDDLE OF ANNA ANDERSON and TSAR: THE LOST WORLD OF NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA ============= “This fascinating novel of time travel between the Russian Revolution and modern day New York City is gripping from start to finish. The intriguingly ominous voice mirrors the fatalistic tenor of the Romanovs themselves, who bear their imperial burden with stoic, if misguided, grace. Rabin uses the blood line, literally, to tie young hemophiliac Alexei Romanov, heir to the Russian throne, to a contemporary teenager researching a cure for hemophilia after the disease took her father. The dialog and relationship between the two young teens is natural and often funny, but the urgency is always there—to escape the frightening Rasputin, to keep Alexei healthy, to find the Romanov family—and the story's excitement and fast pace make it a quick read. Readers will find themselves effortlessly learning about the Romanovs, hemophilia, and the Russian Revolution. Rabin puts a human face on the doomed royal family and it is hard not to feel the terror of their final hours. Historical notes at the end flesh out the story.” • ---“Children’s Literature” magazine -------------------- "Staton Rabin's CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS is a beautifully written and brilliantly imagined retelling of a familiar tale. I know the story of the Romanovs backwards and forwards, and this book took me completely by surprise. Highly recommended." -Peter Kurth, Best-selling author of ANASTASIA: THE RIDDLE OF ANNA ANDERSON and TSAR: THE LOST WORLD OF NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA From"The New York Post": "PEOPLE ARE talking about "The Curse of the Romanovs." Simon & Schuster is hot about this book. They are claiming it has more jaw-dropping surprises than "The Da Vinci Code." This is a time-travel fantasy with a twist on the death of Czar Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra and their five children who died before a Bolshevik firing squad in the Ural mountains...(or did they?). The mad monk Rasputin had been an adviser to the tragic empress. What a movie role for somebody like Al Pacino! Of course, Al is already set to star as Napoleon in a film titled "The Master of Longwood," based on Staton Rabin's previous novel "Betsy and the Emperor." “Harry Pottered out? Try Alexei Romanov.” -- “The New York Times”, Sunday 7/29/07, lead-in to article about Staton Rabin and THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS ---------------------------------------------- “Rec(ommended): Yes… This is an excellent novel written in diary form mixing science fiction and historical fiction. An author’s note separates fact from fiction.” ------Archdiocese Library Media Association, Book Review Committee for all the Catholic Schools in Baltimore -------------------- “Through The Looking Glass Children’s Book Review”: “In this superb book Staton Rabin weaves together fact and fiction to create a book which truly gives readers a sense of what it might have been like to be a part of the Romanov family…. And then there is the adventure side to the story, the gripping and thrilling journeys through time which allow Alexei to come into contact with a girl from New York City who grows to love him and who discovers that she is connected to him in more ways than one….Wonderfully crafted and thoroughly enjoyable to read, this excellent book shows once again that Staton Rabin is clearly a writer to watch.” Ð ----------------------------------------- from Travel for Kids (www.travelforkids.com): The Curse of the Romanovs Staton Rabin “Alexei, the future tsar, escapes Russia in 1916, time traveling to New York in the 21st century. Learning the monarchy will be overthrown, Alexei and his future cousin Varda return to the past to try to save his royal family. An exciting, original adventure. (Chapter book).” --------------- THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS. By Staton Rabin. Simon & Schuster. Ages 12 and up. 273 pages. $17.99. “…readers will be swept up in the story of Russian tsar-to-be Alexei Romanov’s time travel straight from 1916 to modern-day New York City. Alexei valiantly battles both his deadly hemophilia and the changes taking place in his country while dealing with a wise-cracking, street-smart, distant female cousin...[from the future]. Middle-school readers should enjoy this combination of history/futuristic plot-hopping." ♣ Monica Young, “Winston-Salem Journal”; article about children’s books with a World War I-era setting. ♣ -------------- The Curse of the Romanovs by Staton Rabin (Margaret K. McElderry Books, $17.99, 247 pages). Ages 12 and up. Alexei Romanov, the hemophiliac son of Czar Nicholas II, time-travels forward to the 21st century where he falls in love with a girl, finds out that his family is going to be executed by the Bolsheviks, then travels back in time to try to rescue them. The author offers the same riproaring action and interesting historical background found in “Betsy and the Emperor” (about Napoleon Bonaparte)…the sinister figure of Rasputin here certainly adds to the suspense.” --Jean Westmoore, book reviewer, “The Buffalo News” ---------------------------- “If I were to recommend one book to reignite an older child’s interest in reading, it would be this one…a blockbuster, can’t-put-down winner that will captivate just about any older child and teen!” ν Chinaberry Books catalog -------------------------------------------------- From www.teensreadtoo.com: THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS by Staton Rabin Rating: 5 Stars Gold Starred Review/”Hall of Fame” title “THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS by Staton Rabin is an absolutely spell-binding story of Alexei Romanov and the Russian Revolution…. a novel unlike any I have ever read. So much of the story is fact-based that you will find yourself believing every word. Rabin captures the voice of a young Alexei so well…. So many stories have been written about the Romanov family…. But Rabin's take on this famous story is so different than all of the others….” ν Amber Gibson, Book Reviewer, TeensReadToo.com The Curse of the Romanovs – Review by Amelia, Teen Advisory Board, for the Seattle Public Library: The Curse of the Romanovs, by Staton Rabin “… a fantastical tale involving time travel and romance that explains (fictionally, of course) why Alexei's body was not found after his family was assassinated in 1918. No knowledge of Russian history is needed to enjoy this novel because the author explains it quite well. I would definitely recommend this book to history and fantasy lovers alike, and also to any teen looking for an entertaining and educational read. 5 stars out of 5!” “Are you obsessed with the rich and famous? Ever wondered what life would be like if you became one of the most powerful people in the world? Rabin's innovative creation takes the reader inside the secret lives of the Romanov family. The heart-wrenching story of the royal family is creatively retold through the eyes of the 12-year-old future tsar of Russia, Alexei Romanov. From his point of view, the reader gets an unexpected and surprising look at the events that led up to the murders of the Tsar and his family. Alexei tells of his struggles with hemophilia and describes his fears and excitement at becoming the future leader of Russia… This book is a challenging historical read which younger adolescents would enjoy.” --ALAN Review