anne_abundantcolors's review
4.0
I read this one to my 8-year-old son at bedtime. It kept his interest and he asked questions about communism that I did my best to answer.
Yelchin did a great job of keeping the story at a child's perspective. I appreciate how he used humor to lighten up the story.
Yelchin did a great job of keeping the story at a child's perspective. I appreciate how he used humor to lighten up the story.
tabatha_shipley's review
5.0
What I Didn’t Like:
-Anything I can point out that people may not love actually works for the intended audience! Does it explain everything in full detail? Not really, but it’s intended for a young audience. Does it wrap up with a perfect ending? Not really, but it’s a memoir of a living person. I don’t have much to point out that is an actual negative.
What I Did Like:
-Reads like a fictional story. Kids are going to LOVE that this feels like a character. It doesn’t read like a dry memoir. It’s fun and relatable.
-Great history lesson on cold war Russia. I can absolutely see this book popping into social studies classrooms all across the country.
-Art. Obviously, as Eugene Yelchin is the artist who this story is about. This is crammed full of great illustrations that bring the story to life.
Who Should Read This One:
-Teachers who have the Cold War in their curriculum. Seriously.
-Middle School readers who like true stories but want them to feel like fiction.
-Middle school readers who like stories they can relate to about kids struggling to seem good enough.
My Rating: 5 Stars. This one will appeal to nonfiction and fiction readers alike. The story is amazingly well written and the art only brings it up a level. Highly recommended!
-Anything I can point out that people may not love actually works for the intended audience! Does it explain everything in full detail? Not really, but it’s intended for a young audience. Does it wrap up with a perfect ending? Not really, but it’s a memoir of a living person. I don’t have much to point out that is an actual negative.
What I Did Like:
-Reads like a fictional story. Kids are going to LOVE that this feels like a character. It doesn’t read like a dry memoir. It’s fun and relatable.
-Great history lesson on cold war Russia. I can absolutely see this book popping into social studies classrooms all across the country.
-Art. Obviously, as Eugene Yelchin is the artist who this story is about. This is crammed full of great illustrations that bring the story to life.
Who Should Read This One:
-Teachers who have the Cold War in their curriculum. Seriously.
-Middle School readers who like true stories but want them to feel like fiction.
-Middle school readers who like stories they can relate to about kids struggling to seem good enough.
My Rating: 5 Stars. This one will appeal to nonfiction and fiction readers alike. The story is amazingly well written and the art only brings it up a level. Highly recommended!
cocoanut7's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Could have been more captivating than it was. Still, it’s a poignant look at the iron curtain.
shighley's review
4.0
I had heard many great things about this book, and, in a way, it seemed fitting to read it while Russia was invading Ukraine. It was very eye-opening to read about some of the policies that affected everyday life during the height of the Soviet Union. I would have really liked more background, even an author's note at the back, because I have so many questions. I have explored Yelchin's website and other sources, but still have questions! I liked this better than Yelchin's other books, and wonder if perhaps a sequel is in the works. I would love to know how his emigration to the United States came to be.
irinagoldberg1's review
5.0
This book is incredible! So heartbreaking and honest and beautifully written. Eugene Yelchin explains the soviet experience perfectly so that a child can understand and relate to it. I am looking forward to rereading this book with my American born nine year old so he knows where I was born.