Exceptional books have the ability to not only show you what the characters see, but also make you feel what they feel and think how they think. These books go beyond making you step into the shoes of characters, by making you walk in their shoes. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman is that kind of exceptional book. This book explores an historical event of which I was unaware in a setting I knew almost nothing about — the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. The first couple of pages of the book were intriguing and drew me in. Blankman goes on to paint a picture of the earliest hours after the nuclear explosion — the crimson glow in the sky, the “unearthly blue” smoke, the metallic smell in the air, all set to the backdrop of fear of the government. The story is set in 1986 in Pripyat, Ukraine, and tells the interconnected stories of three characters — Valentina, her grandmother Rifka, and Oksana. Valentina is a Jewish girl who lives with her parents in the former Soviet Union. During those times, people were prejudiced towards Jews. Valentina was bullied and teased by girls like Oksana, the second character, who has been taught that Jews are thieves and fools. Both girls’ parents’ work in the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Then something strange, unexpected, and devastating happens. The nuclear power plant explodes causing radiation to spread throughout the city. Together, Valentina and Oksana escape to Leningrad, Russia to live with Rifka, Valentina’s grandmother, who is the third major character in the book. Valentina had never really known her grandmother until she came to live with her. Rifka shares her experiences about life during the Holocaust with the girls and they learn how she had to leave her home and family to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. These women stand together and experience pain, fear, and persistence as friends, as the “Blackbird Girls.” The friendship between Valentina and Oksana and overcoming hardship are certainly central themes in the book. For me, however, this book is about the truth. In The Blackbird Girls, the Soviet government hides the truth of the nuclear disaster and dangers of nuclear power. The girls have learned that nuclear power is the safest, cleanest source of energy and an accident at the power station was a “statistical impossibility.” The government did not tell citizens that there is radiation in the air and they went about their lives as if it was a normal day. When people got worried about the radiation, they were told by the government that their motherland will protect them. Finally, when people found out about the disaster and the whole city had to be evacuated, the Soviets lied to the world that a disaster even occurred. Later, citizens were misinformed that radiation can be cured by cucumbers and milk. Even though the story is set in the 1980s in a country with a non-democratic government, there are uncanny similarities to the US. Like Russians, Americans have heard lies like these from our government for the past four years and beyond. So many people in America continue to be misinformed about our elections and vaccines. Like Oksana, so many people are prejudiced against people who look different from them, speak a different language, or practice a different religion because of lies they are taught to believe. Lies are dangerous. They can shape people’s perspectives and determine their behavior. This story taught me how important it is for the government to be truthful. It speaks to some of the biggest challenges of our times. Blankman expresses the agony of the characters in an unforgettable way. The death of many loved ones and the pain of the three characters makes the book depressing. Even though I wish the book would be more hopeful, experiencing the suffering of the characters through Blackman’s beautiful writing is what makes this book so impactful. I learned that sharing the experience of suffering and grief might make us move past prejudice and bigotry. But what I really loved and appreciated is how this book speaks to our culture and the moment we are living through right now. It’s a piece of historical fiction that has many parallels to contemporary times. I give it my strongest endorsement. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. Viking Books for Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
book review
The Infinite Lives Of Maisie Day, reviewed by Pragnya, 13
Hypotheticals are born everyday, usually from seemingly insignificant occurrences that align together to form questions that aren’t necessarily easy to answer. Of course, they’re meant to stay inside the depths of our imagination, but sometimes they start to shape themselves into a culmination of coincidental thoughts. What if, one day, you woke up, only to find the world around you gone? What if all the color in the world had been sucked out of your body? What if, one day, you woke up only to discover yourself dead? What if you never woke up again? The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is a show-stopping science fiction novel that follows child prodigy Maisie Day and all the events that take place on the day of her 10th birthday. Told from alternating first-person perspectives, the story starts with our protagonist waking up on the day of her 10th birthday to completely disorienting darkness. As she slowly but (un)surely navigates her way through a different environment, our perspective shifts to Maisie with her family, celebrating her birthday like any other person would. With added suspense, the story starts to pick up, providing much-needed context through monologues and fast-paced realization. Maisie starts to question everything she’s ever learnt and her existence starts to take on a whole new meaning. Who is she? And was her 10th birthday ever meant to be? This story, although relatively short, packed in an extremely complex plot by mixing in concepts of science and math, while never decreasing the interest. It chose to focus on a few characters rather than including too many of them, and the author skillfully constructed a narrative between Maisie, and her older sister Lily. I especially enjoyed Lily’s character development, who went from being portrayed as angsty and uncaring to mature, sensitive and creative. This ties into a very well-done aspect of the story, which is how the point of view affects our idea of the characters. Maisie, while being academically gifted, does not let it get in the way of her child-like nature, and seeing how she views the world around her elevates the story. I especially enjoyed reading her thought process and how she incorporates her learnings into the real world. With brilliant foreshadowing, a unique storyline and characters skillfully woven to come alive on the page, The Infinite Lives Of Maisie Day will suck you in and make you ask the question, “What would I do if I had never read this novel?” The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge. Random House Children’s Books, 2018.
Shadow and Bone, Reviewed by April, 13
When Netflix’s Shadow and Bone television show premiered in April of this year, it was immediately met with overwhelming success. The fantasy show amassed over one billion viewership minutes in its second week of release! Thus, it came as no surprise that many of my friends were die-hard fans. Over the months, I saw the show, quite literally, everywhere: on social media, in the news, and especially in my friends’ moony-eyed text messages. I was skeptical, however. Being more of a book than a film person, I decided to pick up the novel that the show was based on in the first place: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. When I say this book did not disappoint, I say it wholeheartedly. Shadow and Bone is a fantasy novel set in the lavish kingdom of Ravka, where a magical elite called Grisha wield coveted powers. But, the kingdom is plagued by a dark, mysterious land called the Fold. Countless ships, people, and Grisha have gone missing while trying to cross the Fold because of the man-eating creatures—volcra—that reside there. But people still cling to the hope of a Sun Summoner. The Summoner is believed to be a Grisha who will eradicate the Fold and restore peace to the land at last. When seventeen-year-old Alina Starkov is called to journey across the Fold, she is seized with terror. Not only is she scared for herself, but she fears for the safety of her best friend since childhood, Mal. She might not admit it, but she has come to develop feelings for him that go beyond friendship. So when Mal is brutally injured in a horrifying volcra attack mid-journey, Alina unknowingly unleashes a power that saves his life. Before Alina can even comprehend what she has done, a mysterious Grisha named the Darkling whisks her away to train along with the rest of the Grisha as the most powerful of them all: the long-awaited Sun Summoner. I loved every minute of reading Shadow and Bone! The worldbuilding, a rich tapestry of friends, foes, kingdoms, and language, was fantastic. And I loved the language influences so much—they established the vibe of the story. I haven’t read a solid fantasy book in quite a while, and this book reminded me of how lovely and well-crafted they usually are. While the entire story was such fun to read, the ending was what truly had my heart racing. I genuinely struggled with having to put this book down and go to sleep when I was in the middle of the climax. There was so much suspense and emotion that I was full to bursting, and even when I finished the book, I had to close my eyes and mentally recollect myself. There aren’t many books that can do that, so it was truly a thrilling and memorable experience! On the downside, one of the weakest parts of the book was the romance. Mal is the main love interest in the story; however, his relationship with Alina is terribly underdeveloped. Mal wasn’t present for the majority of Shadow and Bone, so it was hard to root for him as a friend and love interest when I didn’t see him interact with Alina frequently. All I saw was Alina pining for him and writing letters that he never responded to. Not the most electrifying relationship. Overall, Shadow and Bone was an exquisite fantasy novel that merits a full five-star rating. I look forward to finishing the trilogy and seeing how the show measures up to the novel. This is truly a story that deserves to be adapted on-screen. Thank you for this masterpiece, Leigh Bardugo! Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Square Fish, 2o13. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
