Blog

The Glad Game
What should you say when you want a doll but receive crutches as a gift? You should say, "I am so glad! Because I don't need the crutches!" Eleven-year-old Pollyanna always does just that; she always looks for the good...
Classic adventures in this day and age
Treasure hunting is a story as old as time, and one beloved by many. If your child enjoys this, they will surely appreciate the book by a contemporary Slovenian author, "In Search of the Templar Treasure." Three children are spending...
Help! The basilisks are completely out of control!
Gerald Durrell's most unusual story, because it is about the most extraordinary animals - mythical ones! That is to say, these are not the observations of a naturalist, but nothing less than a fairy tale. An incredibly captivating fairy tale,...
You can only love a cat on its own terms.
If it seems strange to you that such a world classic as "Thomasina" passed you by in childhood, don't be surprised, for "Thomasina" was only first published in Russian in 1991. The reason is clear: it contains a great many...
Mosaic of the colonial world
Once again, we are presented with a masterpiece (without exaggeration!) by the Swedish author Jakob Wegelius — "The Murderer's Ape." In terms of the scale of events, geographical scope, and duration in time, this is a truly classic novel. Everything...
Where do lost things go?
There is a theory that they go to the Land of the Lost, a hypothesis put forward by J.K. Rowling in "The Christmas Pig." Socks go missing because they are dragged away by sock-eaters, claims Czech author Pavel Šrut. Muckles!...
About theater, the sea, love, cheese, and all that...
Oh yes, this is a multifaceted story! It is simultaneously realistic and fairytale-like. It is realistic because the action takes place in a musical theater, and the reader is told in detail how everything works: the orchestra, backstage, the scenery,...
Romeo and Juliet, Scandinavian style
One of the greatest gems in the treasury of children's literature is called "Ronja". "Ronia, the Robber's Daughter." Astrid Lindgren wrote this story at the age of 72, and it is one of her final works. It is an incredibly...
This is a difficult conversation.
Despite its fast-paced title—"The Runaways"—this is by no means an adventure story, nor is it a turbulent tale. It is a quiet story, sad and philosophical. It is about a grandson who secretly organizes a short trip to a place...
Memoirs about vacations in the countryside
What could be more interesting than a vacation in the countryside? There is no such thing! After all, in the village there are the best friends and the kindest grandmother in the world, the most delicious food in the world...
Escapism vs. acceptance of reality
Meeting a new story is already a great success, because hackneyed stories come across more and more. But Sarah Pennypacker, the author of the famous "Pax" and "Clementine", is a real great writer, so she has no need to rehash,...
Astrid Lindgren at her best
It can be such a shame to find out that some children's writer actually didn't like children. This hardly affects the quality of the works, but it still feels like you were deceived. But Astrid Lindgren was as wise, kind...
As if by magic bead
"The Blue Bead" is a fairy-tale story by Polish writer Maria Kruger, known in the Soviet Union. Known, but not to everyone, but the book is simply wonderful! The girl Carolinka finds a blue bead that makes wishes come true,...
For teenage intellectuals who love books
Opening the newest, super-duper-high-tech library in town, its owner, the eccentric visionary Mr. Lemoncello, decided to invite 12 children to a quest game where they would have to compete against each other for several days. The goal: find a way...
A genealogical tree of hooliganism
From a book titled "What Will Become of This Child?!", you expect stories about some clumsy schoolboy. Most likely in the first person. And hardly anything innovative. The author's name, Paweł Beręsewicz, suggests that it takes place in Russia, and...
How to reform offenders
Fourteen-year-old Stanley's family believes they are under a curse that has plagued them for five generations. They have all been incredibly unlucky because an ancestor once sinned by failing to keep a promise. Therefore, it is no surprise that Stanley...
"DAD" TO MATCH "MOM"
Not long ago, women discovered that throughout human history they had been deprived of many rights. And just recently, men figured out that they had been deprived of a right too. Only one, but a very significant one: the right...
The purest specimen of purest charm
At first, I wanted to complain a little about this book. Like, the book is wonderful, but what were the compilers thinking when they left out Bunin's beautiful poem "Childhood"?! I've had the book for six months; I've studied it...
I will ride my bicycle for a long time
Anyone who can type on a keyboard can publish their own book nowadays. To find a truly good book, a reader sometimes has to wade through a heap of graphomaniac opuses. About hooligan children who misbehave in some unnatural way....
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...
There on paths unknown, a hut wanders about in sandals.
Remember Eduard Uspensky's book "Down the Magic River"? Well, "Yozhka Goes to School" is a modern take on that beloved tale, where characters from all sorts of different fairy tales meet in one story. Here is the thing: a school...