Seven-year-old Polina lives in St. Petersburg with her parents; her grandparents live next door. This book shows one day in her life and delivers plenty of cultural information
A Child’s Day in a Russian City
Russia
Materials from Russia
The Road of Bones
In school, Yuri is taught that the revolution liberated his country. He learns how the new leaders are always working for the greater good. But the truth is that life for his family and those around him is a brutal, poverty-stricken struggle. The government does nothing except punish those who protest. And one day, to his shock and horror, Yuri himself is branded an “enemy of the state” simply for dropping a few careless words.
In an author’s note, Anne Fine describes The Road of Bones as an adventure-escape story set in “a sort-of Russia, in a sort-of 1930s, under a Stalin-type leader.” This chilling political thriller follows the frantic footsteps of a teenager on the run, a criminal who hasn’t committed a crime, a young man on a path to discovering the truth about how far he will go in order to survive.
The Absentminded Fellow
Leaping into a shirt and thrusting his arms into his pant legs, the Absentminded Fellow dashes out into the London streets, frantically hails a cab, rushes through the train station and right into an abandoned car. Three days later, to his surprise, he’s still in London…This droll character portrait will quickly have listeners chiming in on the chorus.
Holocaust
Explaining the complex political and social backdrop that allowed the Holocaust to occur, as well as its progression and aftermath, this comprehensive volume contains first-hand testimony from survivors and enables readers to appreciate the impact of the Holocaust on real people and the lives they and their families have rebuilt today.
A Dog Called Grk
When Tim is followed home by a dog on the street, he’s determined to find out who the friendly stray belongs to. But with a little investigating, Tim discovers that Grk’s owners don’t live in his town, or even in his country. Max and Natascha Raffifi, Grk’s owners, have been kidnapped with their ambassador parents by the evil Colonel Zinfandel and taken to a prison in Eastern Europe! Tim knows he’s about to undertake a mission his parents wouldn’t exactly approve of. He sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night with Grk, catches a taxi to the airport, then hops a plane to Stanislavia. Together he and Grk will have to break into a high-security prison, pilot a helicopter, and make a nail-biting run for the border in this high-octane, international adventure.
The Sound Of The Dragon’s Feet
The time spent with her “revolutionary” tutor opens 10-year-old Sasha’s eyes to more of life in turn-of-the-century Russia than her somewhat sheltered existence had previously allowed her to experience.
The Ant And The Astronaut
An ant meets an astronaut one day as he is landing back on earth, and the astronaut tells him of his space travels and some stories about the other side of the world.
Angel On The Square
In 1913 Russia, twelve-year-old Katya eagerly anticipates leaving her St. Petersburg home to join her mother, a lady in waiting in the household of Tsar Nicholas II, but the ensuing years bring world war, revolution, and many changes to her life.
Yellowbeak
A baby starling that had apparently tried to fly away from his nest had fallen to the ground and was frightened that someone would eat him.
Pack Of Wolves
In the forests of Belorussia in 1942 a group of disabled Russian partisans makes its way to a medical unit while being pursued by traitorous partisans, German soldiers, and vicious dogs.