A cloudless Crimean summer. Thirteen-year-old Valya looks forward to her vacation: swimming, reading, and talking with her best friend. Then seventh grade, and four years of excellent studies toward her dream of entering medical school. And after that—a whole life ahead.
But on June 22, 1941, war erupted, and every day brought changes. Months later, she would be sent along with hundreds of others to Germany, where she would be branded with the "OST" badge, like a stigma: "Ostarbeiter"—not a person, but cheap labor.
Backbreaking work, injustice, hardship—and growing up, meeting remarkable people who call her by the German name: Valchen. First love. And once again—a whole life. Through the lives of Valya and her older friend Natasha, through the smallest historical details, a picture of the era is created. Just like the author's first book, "Sugar Child," "Valchen" is based on the real fates of many people. This book, too, has no black and white, no simplistic judgments—but it does have a gripping plot and many questions that the characters seek to answer. It is an invitation to dialogue—with friends, at school, in the library, and a dialogue with History. "Valchen" is a novel by Olga Gromova, author of one of the most important children's books of the 21st century, "Sugar Child."
Author: Olga Gromova
Illustrations: Greta Berlin
Pages: 400 (offset). Paperback
Dimensions: 250x170x32 mm
