In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family’s flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the others emigrate to America.
Letters from Rifka
Russia
Materials from Russia
Danny’s First Snow
“Look at the snow!” says Mommy.Danny watches the white flakes dance outside his window.But what is snow? Danny wonders, and he goes out to see for himself. Snow is friendly, but it can also be fierce. It just depends on your imagination!
A Child’s Day in a Russian City
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
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.
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 Land And People Of The Soviet Union
Introduces the history, geography, people, culture, government, and economy of the Soviet Union.
Knock, Knock, Teremok!: A Traditional Russian Tale
In this cumulative tale, a fly, a mouse, a frog, a duck, a hare, a fox, a pig, and a wolf come to live together, until a bear comes along.
The Nose
When a barber finds the nose of one of his clients in a loaf of bread baked by his wife, strange events ensue as the client tries to get his nose back. At the same time, in another part of the city, the Deputy Inspector of Reindeer awoke and looked in the mirror–only to find a totally empty spot where his nose should have been.
No Words To Say Goodbye
Forced to leave her native Soviet Union because of anti-Semitism, a young girl journeys to the United States where she records her experiences in a journal, as she adjusts to a new way of life. Also written by Kelli Pryor.