Twelve-year-old Lena comes to live with her eccentric grandfather in a small Russian town and finds herself mocked and persecuted by a gang of her classmates at her new school.
Russia
Materials from Russia
Pupniks: The Story of Two Space Dogs
This book presents the story of the two Soviet dogs, Belka and Strelka, who were sent into space in 1960, paving the way for the first Soviet manned flight.
Martha
The author relates how he and his Moscow family rescued Martha, a crow with a broken wing, and how she joined their household.
L’chaim: The Story Of A Russian
A unique photographic essay captures the world of a twelve-year-old Jewish boy whose family emigrated from the former Soviet Union in search of religious freedom.
The Three Questions
Nikolai asks his animal friends to help him answer three important questions: “When is the best time to do things?” “Who is the most important?” and “What is the right thing to do?”
The Three Questions has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for January 2021.
Sovietrek: A Journey By Bicycle Across Russia
Chronicles the experiences of the team composed of two American and two Soviet bikers as they made their 124 day and 7,353 mile bicycle trek through Russia.
An Innocent Soldier
A sixteen-year-old farmhand is tricked into fighting in the Napoleonic Wars by the farmer for whom he works, who secretly substitutes him for the farmer’s own son.
Teenage Refugees From Russia Speak Out
Introduces the history and political situation in Russia, and presents a variety of young refugees, who describe the reasons why they had to leave, their travels as refugees, and their experiences adjusting to a new country.
More Russian Picture Tales
Retells ten traditional folk tales about the animals and peasants of the Russian countryside.
The Nose
After disappearing from the Deputy Inspector’s face, his nose shows up around town before returning to its proper place. Based on a story by Nikolai Gogol.