Breaking Stalin's Nose

Author: Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429949953
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
A Newbery Honor Book. Sasha Zaichik has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six: The Young Pioneer is devoted to Comrade Stalin, the Communist Party, and Communism. A Young Pioneer is a reliable comrade and always acts according to conscience. A Young Pioneer has a right to criticize shortcomings. But now that it is finally time to join the Young Pioneers, the day Sasha has awaited for so long, everything seems to go awry. He breaks a classmate's glasses with a snowball. He accidentally damages a bust of Stalin in the school hallway. And worst of all, his father, the best Communist he knows, was arrested just last night. This moving story of a ten-year-old boy's world shattering is masterful in its simplicity, powerful in its message, and heartbreaking in its plausibility. One of Horn Book's Best Fiction Books of 2011

Arcady's Goal

Author: Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 1627792910
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
From Newbery Honor–winning author Eugene Yelchin comes another glimpse into Soviet Russia. For twelve-year-old Arcady, soccer is more than just a game. Sent to live in a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state, it is a means of survival, securing extra rations, respect, and protection. Ultimately, it proves to be his chance to leave. But in Soviet Russia, second chances are few and far between. Will Arcady seize his opportunity and achieve his goal? Or will he miss his shot? This title has Common Core connections.

Spy Runner

Author: Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250120829
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
In Spy Runner, a noir mystery middle grade novel from Newbery Honor author Eugene Yelchin, a boy stumbles upon a secret that jeopardizes American national security. It's 1953 and the Cold War is on. Communism threatens all that the United States stands for, and America needs every patriot to do their part. So when a Russian boarder moves into the home of twelve-year-old Jake McCauley, he's on high alert. What does the mysterious Mr. Shubin do with all that photography equipment? And why did he choose to live so close to the Air Force base? Jake’s mother says that Mr. Shubin knew Jake’s dad, who went missing in action during World War II. But Jake is skeptical; the facts just don’t add up. And he’s determined to discover the truth—no matter what he risks. Godwin Books

The Haunting of Falcon House

Author: Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 1627796606
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
A long undisturbed bedroom. A startling likeness. A mysterious friend. When twelve-year-old Prince Lev Lvov goes to live with his aunt at Falcon House, he takes his rightful place as heir to the Lvov family estate. Prince Lev dreams of becoming a hero of Russia like his great ancestors. But he'll discover that dark secrets haunt this house. Prince Lev is the only one who can set them free-will he be the hero his family needs? This title has Common Core connections.

Luli and the Language of Tea

Author: Andrea Wang
Publisher: Holiday House
ISBN: 082344614X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 41

Book Description
Though they may speak different languages, kids from all over the world come together to enjoy the shared pastime of tea in this delicious book for young readers. When five-year-old Luli joins her new English as a Second Language class, the playroom is quiet. Luli can’t speak English, neither can anyone else. That’s when she has a brilliant idea to host a tea party and bring them all together. Luli removes her teapot, thermos, and teacups from her bag and calls out “Chá!” in her native Chinese. One by one, her classmates pipe up in recognition: in Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, and Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili. Tea is a tasty language they all know well, and it gives them a chance to share and enjoy each other’s company. When all the tea is gone and it’s time for dessert, Luli gets to use her favorite English word, cookie! After that, the playroom isn’t so quiet. Informed by her own experience as the child of Chinese immigrant parents, Andrea Wang makes the point that when you’re looking to communicate with people, you look for a common bond. The word for “tea” is similar in many languages, and tea becomes the unifying metaphor that brings a diverse group of children together. Additional material at the back of the book explores the rich and ancient history of tea drinking across cultures all around the world and contains maps, statistics, and fascinating details that will delight young readers. An American Library Association Notable Children's Book A Booklist Editors’ Choice Selection A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children's Book of the Year

Won Ton

Author: Lee Wardlaw
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 1429991054
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Book Description
Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, this adoption story, Won Ton, told entirely in haiku, is unforgettable. Nice place they got here. Bed. Bowl. Blankie. Just like home! Or so I've been told. Visiting hours! Yawn. I pretend not to care. Yet -- I sneak a peek. So begins this beguiling tale of a wary shelter cat and the boy who takes him home.

The Rooster Prince of Breslov

Author: Ann Redisch Stampler
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0547505833
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 37

Book Description
This picture book brings a light touch and engaging silliness to the story of a prince who rejects the lavish luxury of his upbringing in favor of a life as . . . a rooster. The only person who can persuade the prince to reconsider is neither a doctor nor a magician but a wise teacher who is willing to become a rooster too. Told to the author by her grandmother, who brought it from Eastern Europe a century ago, this traditional tale is accompanied by strikingly witty and graceful illustrations that add their own folkloric flavor. Author's note.

Heart of a Snowman

Author: Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061259268
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Book Description
Very Christmas Eve, a boy named Owen builds the very best snowman he can, only to see it melt away on Christmas Day. There must be a way to make it last, he thinks. So begins an adventure that leads Owen to a magical place where curious animals study his snowman piece by piece in an attempt to remake a perfect snowman. But in the end, it is Owen who supplies the one thing they need the most. Have they finally found the secret to making a snowman that will last forever?

Elephant in the Dark

Author: Mina Javaherbin
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 054563671X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Book Description
A bold, humorous rendition of "The Three Blind Men and the Elephant" maginificently illustrated by an award-winning artist! When the villagers hear of a huge and mysterious creature that has come all the way from India, they steal into the dark barn to find out what it is."It's like a snake!" says one. "It's like a tree trunk," says another. "No, it's like a fan!" argues the third. Who is right? Which of them knows the creature's true shape?Mina Javaherbin's charming and witty retelling combined with Eugene Yelchin's refreshingly brilliant illustrations bring this enlightened classic, inspired by Rumi's poem, vividly to life.

Krysia

Author: Krystyna Mihulka
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613734441
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Book Description
Few people are aware that in the aftermath of German and Soviet invasions and division of Poland, more than 1.5 million people were deported from their homes in Eastern Poland to remote parts of Russia. Half of them died in labor camps and prisons or simply vanished, some were drafted into the Russian army, and a small number returned to Poland after the war. Those who made it out of Russia alive were lucky—and nine-year-old Krystyna Mihulka was among them. In this childhood memoir, Mihulka tells of her family's deportation, under cover of darkness and at gunpoint, and their life as prisoners on a Soviet communal farm in Kazakhstan, where they endured starvation and illness and witnessed death for more than two years. This untold history is revealed through the eyes of a young girl struggling to survive and to understand the increasingly harsh world in which she finds herself.