The Fantastic Lives of Elementary School Students

Two contemporary stories by Victoria Lederman. Both novellas are written in the well-known traditions of books about schoolchildren, so if you are looking for something "like in our childhood, but about today's kids," you've come to the right place.

"Svetlik Tuchkin and the Bubble of Wishes." Svetlik is a first-grader who is tired of school. At a school party, a fairy grants his dream to be done with learning. Only, the wish doesn't quite come true the way Svetlik imagined it.

Ending up back in kindergarten turns out to be a bad idea: they treat you like a toddler, you have to take naps, and every move you make at home is controlled.

Maybe jump straight to the third grade? Oops! It turns out nothing here is how he imagined it either: he thought there was nothing worse than handwriting exercises, and that third-graders had already mastered everything and could just sit back and rest on their laurels. Not quite! To a first-grader, third-graders seem like academics; they are separated by such a huge mountain of knowledge. Plus, they have tons of chores, they go to school on Saturdays, and there's almost no time for games.

Svetlik decides that it's better to let things take their course and is ready to return to his own first grade, but how to do it? Where can he find a fairy? Intrigue, intrigue, real intrigue!..

"Svetlik Tuchkin and the Stolen Vacation." No matter how long first grade lasts, winter vacation is finally just around the corner. At last! New Year's is coming soon, Christmas trees, presents...

But it's all under threat, because a toy has gone missing from the country's main Christmas tree, and without it, the magic won't happen, the clock won't chime, and we will all be stuck in the old year forever.

The toy—which is alive, naturally, and quite troublesome at that—falls into Svetlik's hands. It’s Tom Thumb. Before New Year's Eve, he must at all costs take his place among the other fairytale characters. But how? The little guy can't possibly make it to Moscow on his own: it's hundreds of kilometers away through snowdrifts...

What should Svetlik do, since he won't be traveling to another city alone either? There is a solution: go to the Kremlin Christmas tree with the whole school!