Saturday 29 September 2018

Breaking Stalin's Nose

Breaking Stalin's Nose
Author: Eugene Yelchin
ISBN: 978-1-250-03410-6



Hi Everyone

It is school holidays! 

Spring is here and it is time for a good couple of weeks just refresh and renew our little minds.  It is always beautiful at this time of the year as I drive around the countryside and see all the little lambs and spring flowers.  I have even had to watch the ducklings a couple of times as their mum's caution them along the road side.  Adorable!

But, that has nothing to do with our latest read aloud.  No matter how old my children get we still enjoy coming together for a read aloud.  This one was an interesting one.  Young Sasha is reading to become a Young Pioneer but things start to change.  His father is taken away, his class seems different, and then to top it all off he goes and knocks the nose of the school Stalin statue.  Not good!  This story shows the dynamics of the Stalin ruling and Communism in a way that is relateable for young people.  It is from the perspective of a school child who then starts to question what is going on around him.  It is done all in a quiet thoughtful way.  I liked the approach and it got us all talking as we came across different things in the pages.  

And as for the quality of the actual book... This isn't something that I normally talk about but I like the print of this book.  My copy has thick, fresh white pages.  It has brilliant black and white pictures scattered throughout and it's a different size to a normal novel.  It's a well printed copy that I have in my hand 😀

So, yes I recommend this book for all you young readers.  If you have a chance to sit with read aloud the book then take that chance and enjoy the book and your kids, I can't stress more the importance of reading aloud with your family.... no matter the ages.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the first day of Daylight Savings here.  Spring awaits me. 


Description:

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. 


Available from Book Depository


Happy reading

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