Materials from Russia
It is 1982 and nineteen-year-old Laura Reid is spending a semester in Leningrad studying Russian, but when she meets Alyosha she discovers the dissident Russia–a world of wild parties, underground books and music, love, and constant danger.
A single china cup from a tea set left behind when Jews were forced to leave Russia helps hold a family together through generations of living in America, reminding them of the most important things in life.
Russian Book. “Circus in the casket” is a modern fairy tale about childhood, friendship, magic and how dreams become reality. And also children in this world are not alone and can always find support. Sometimes – on the most unexpected side!
Aaron and Zev have been protected from serving in the Czar’s army for very different reasons–Aaron’s father has always paid to keep his scholarly son free. Zev takes the job of khapper, kidnapping other poor, young Jewish boys to fulfill the czar’s army quotas. Zev’s jealousy of Aaron turns to hate when he discovers that the girl he loves is to marry Aaron. When Zev decides to rid himself of Aaron forever, he kidnaps him and turns him over to serve in the army. He knows Aaron’s fate is sealed–few survive the forced labor. A trick of fate, however, pits the boys against each other face-to-face. Sworn enemies, they must endure the cruel captivity together. Will they join forces to survive or will they destroy each other?
Twelve-year-old Ivan has escaped from the siege of Leningrad, but when the town he has taken refuge in is occupied by Hitler’s troops, he sees his chance to help the partisans he has met–and to rescue to German shepherd puppies, Zasha and Thor, from the cruel Commander Recht.
An old and tired winter wind is searching for a place to rest. But wherever he goes, the wind is turned away, until his pain fuels a raging storm. Then he meets a good-hearted child who offers him a place to stay, and in gratitude the old wind leaves the child a lasting legacy. From Sheldon Oberman, author of the award-winning The Always Prayer Shawl, comes a timeless tale about the good that flows from kindness and understanding. Neil Waldman’s stunnign art evokes the world of old Russia, where the story originated.
Brought to Moscow in 1990s Russia by his mother’s abusive boyfriend, five-year-old Mishka is forced by a gang of homeless children to lie and steal until he finds comfort and love with a pack of dogs. Includes historical note.
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue. An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines-and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men-George Alexandrovich, the tsar’s standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina’s help to safeguard Russia, even if he’s repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn. The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose-and to whom will she give her heart?
The Russian Federation has been an independent country since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. For Russian teenagers, this change has presented many opportunities. At school, teens are learning about a history that the communist government tried to hide. In their free time, they are learning to express themselves in ways their parents were not allowed. Teens in Russia is part of Global Connections, a series that uncovers the challenges, pastimes, and customs of teens around the world.
In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, 10-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values and beliefs.